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  • 15 countries in Kenya adopt the Mombasa Declaration to fight illegal fishing


    MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted a declaration on Wednesday to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing, a practice that experts say costs the world economy up to $50 billion annually.

    The Mombasa Declaration, named after the Kenyan city hosting the 11th Our Ocean Conference, calls on governments to improve access to information on fishing vessels, ownership and licensing, and to strengthen data sharing to better track fishing activities and enforce regulations.

    Out of the more than 30 countries represented in the summit, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Korea signed the agreement.

    The signatories said in a statement the measures are intended to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, also known as IUU fishing, which threatens marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fisheries.

    “In my country, our very existence depends on fish,” said Ghana’s fisheries minister, Emelia Arthur. “Over 60% of our animal protein comes from fish, and 10% of our population depends on the fisheries value chain for livelihood.”

    Arthur added that fisheries are a matter of culture and national security for Ghana, noting that the declaration gives governments a platform to “fight together for transparency in the fisheries sector.”

    Illegal fishing disproportionately affects coastal communities and small-scale fishers, particularly in developing countries, by depleting fish stocks, undermining food security and distorting markets. Experts also link it to human rights abuses, including forced labor and unsafe working conditions aboard fishing vessels.

    The declaration builds support for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, a set of 10 policy principles aimed at improving governance through low-cost reforms, including modernizing vessel registries and publishing fishing authorizations.

    French Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fisheries Catherine Chabaud said international cooperation was essential, with her country leading European nations in supporting the agreement.

    “We will not be able to effectively combat illegal fishing without greater transparency and international cooperation,” she said. “Limited transparency in vessel ownership, tracking, and fishing activity and supply chains allow these illegal practices to thrive, making stronger access to reliable fisheries data and accountability mechanisms essential to protecting marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.”

    Conservation groups welcomed the agreement, saying it reflects growing global momentum for greater accountability at sea.

    “For too long, illegal fishing has thrived in the dark,” said Tony Long, CEO of nonprofit Global Fishing Watch. “When governments commit to transparency, they create an interconnected network where bad actors have nowhere left to hide.”

    Beth Lowell, vice president of the environmental advocacy group Oceana, said the declaration signals that governments are “ready to act against illegal fishing and work together for a more transparent, equitable and sustainable ocean.”

    The countries that signed the declaration are expected to begin implementing their commitments immediately. More governments are expected to join the initiative before the next Our Ocean Conference in 2027, a major annual event focused on addressing critical ocean issues.

    —

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.


  • Ancient teeth from Siberia rewrite the plague’s timeline, dating back to over 5,500 years ago


    NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have found the oldest known evidence of the plague, which sparked deadly outbreaks dating back about 5,500 years ago — some 200 years earlier than previously thought.

    The disease has sickened humans for thousands of years and wiped out a significant chunk of Europe’s population in the 14th century during what’s known as the Black Death. Though rare, the plague is still around today and is treated with antibiotics.

    “To understand our own history, we believe that understanding the history of plague is extremely important,” said study co-author Eske Willerslev, an evolutionary geneticist with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

    Willerslev and other researchers looked for traces of plague-causing bacteria in remains from four cemeteries near Siberia’s Lake Baikal. They found remnants of plague DNA in teeth from 18 ancient hunter-gatherers.

    Dating the carbon in the bones revealed that the plague triggered two outbreaks, with the first cases detected around 5,500 years ago.

    The team found that the prehistoric plague developed in stages and infected several small families. It likely spread from marmots — large native rodents — when people ate their raw organs or touched infected hides during butchery. The disease also traveled between people through coughing and sneezing, the authors said.

    Many of those who died were young children aged 8 to 11. Three young girls were buried side by side, two of whom were likely cousins. An aunt and nephew were found together, but her niece was in a different shared grave, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

    “People were around to bury the dead who knew who these people were when they were alive. And that’s a really human element to all of the scientific work,” said study co-author Ruairidh Macleod, who studies ancient DNA at the University of Oxford.

    Kids may have been at greater risk because their immune systems weren’t as strong, researchers said.

    The presence of multiple victims suggests that the prehistoric plague was capable of causing both individual cases and outbreaks, said geneticist Aida Andrades Valtueña with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. She had no role in the study.

    Researchers found that this type of ancient plague evolved long before bubonic plague, which was responsible for the Black Death that struck medieval Europe. But there’s evidence that earlier plagues were just as deadly. The disease decimated not only crowded cities, but also small, nomadic hunter-gatherer groups.

    Knowing this can help us “understand the steps that the bacterium took to become the deadly pathogen we know today, and that can provide clues on how pathogens may emerge in the future,” Andrades Valtueña said in an email.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


  • British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson reveals prostate cancer in final ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ episodes


    LONDON (AP) — British television personality Jeremy Clarkson revealed on his farm reality show that he has prostate cancer.

    Clarkson, 66, said that the disease is “aggressive,” but was detected early.

    He gave advance warning on social media Tuesday that he would share somber news on the final episodes of the fifth season of “Clarkson’s Farm,” the show based on the challenges of running Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. The episodes were released on Wednesday.

    “Ordinarily we try to keep the show bucolic and charming, and cheerful, but two episodes which drop in the middle of the night tonight are, they’re none of those things,” he said on Instagram. “They’re a difficult watch, they’re really, really difficult.”

    In one of the episodes, he breaks the news to farm manager Kaleb Cooper and consultant Charlie Ireland during harvest planning discussions saying, “I’ve got cancer.”

    Clarkson, who made his name as the combative host of the BBC car show “Top Gear,” underwent a heart procedure two years ago. He said at the time in his column in The Sun tabloid that his doctor told him to replace work with playing golf.

    In 2023, Clarkson’s column landed him in hot water with media regulators when he wrote about fantasizing about seeing Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, paraded naked through the streets and pelted with feces. He apologized after the press watchdog found the column sexist.

    Since taking up farming in 2019, Clarkson has become an outspoken agriculture advocate who has railed against the government’s decision to introduce inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024.

    In the finale to season five, Clarkson spoke from a hospital bed, saying a surgeon removed part of his prostate and he would know his prognosis in November.

    “If this is all successful, I’ll see you for season six, and if it isn’t, I won’t,” he said. “Take care, everyone.”


  • Hospital Lessons, Learned the Hard Way – AFTER THE SHOW PODCAST 6/17

    Jodi learned some “hospital life” lessons the hard way. Don’t do what she did.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Natchez Man Wanted for Attempted Murder Turns Himself In


    Police report that the man wanted in connection with the attempted murder of a woman in Natchez is now in custody. Kadiyah Isaiah Mosby, age 33, turned himself in on Tuesday, one day after the incident. He was wanted on charges of attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm. According to Natchez Police Chief Lee Best, Mosby is accused of shooting 51-year-old Danielle Johnson twice on Pelican Court just after 7 p.m. Monday. No information has been released regarding her condition.

    With heavy rain expected, Louisiana officials are urging drivers to use caution on the roads. The Department of Transportation and Development warns that flash flooding can occur quickly during severe downpours. The state will update road conditions through the 511 app, but officials note that flooding can occur before it appears on the system. Drivers are advised to avoid any roadway that appears washed out and to turn around rather than attempt to drive through standing water.

    The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has announced that all Driver’s Service Bureau locations statewide will be temporarily closed today. The closure is to allow staff to participate in annual training and the General Assembly. Normal operations are expected to resume tomorrow.

    In North Louisiana, the Caldwell Parish School Board has told state lawmakers it cannot support Governor Jeff Landry’s proposal to redirect $168 million from public school operations to fund a $2,000 stipend for teachers. Board leaders say rising costs, including an $800,000 increase in insurance and health expenses since 2016, make the plan unaffordable for the district. Some lawmakers, including Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau, have indicated they intend to support the proposal, noting that additional assistance may be needed for certain districts. The plan requires approval from two-thirds of state legislators, with ballots due by 5 p.m. on June 23.

    The Mississippi River at Natchez Valley is at 33.02 feet and falling.

  • Canada’s Carney isn’t having a bilateral meeting with Trump at G7 but says it’s not a snub


    EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will leave the G7 summit on Wednesday without a formal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as the free-trade agreement between their countries faces an uncertain future.

    Canadian leaders typically get a bilateral meeting with American presidents at summits of the world’s leading industrialized democracies, but Carney dismissed any notion of a snub.

    “I wouldn’t take a big message from that,” Carney said. “I had seven or eight discussions with President Trump over the course of last 36 hours. I’ll have more today, a wide range of subjects from the economy, relations, his birthday, artificial intelligence, Ukraine, obviously Iran.”

    Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January helped make him an international political star, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries. The prime minister received widespread praise and attention for his remarks and upstaged Trump at the gathering.

    Talks on the latest iteration of the North American free-trade pact have reached a crucial moment. The agreement, which has intertwined the economies of Canada, the United States and Mexico since the early 1990s, is up for renewal on July 1. Trump said last week he may not renew the deal.

    Preserving the accord is critical for Canada, which sends about 75% of its exports to the U.S.

    Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the U.S., and Janice Charette, Canada’s chief negotiator, met with U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer at the summit. LeBlanc said they made progress.

    LeBlanc has previously said he believes the U.S. might want to have the trade agreement subject to annual reviews, and that the Trump administration might seek to cause uncertainty about its permanence.

    French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit host, is the only G7 leader to get a bilateral meeting thus far. Trump also met one on one with the leaders of non-G7 countries of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and India.

    Carney noted the host country always meets with the American president.

    Carney used humor to engage with Trump in at least one of their interactions about trade. In a lighter moment, a microphone caught Carney and Trump joking about stealing Macron’s watch.

    Carney then moved to a serious exchange about allowing Chinese electric vehicles into Canada. A microphone recorded Carney telling Trump about how less than 3% of Canada’s market, 49,000 cars, will be allowed to enter from China after he made a deal with Beijing.

    “It’s a cap, we capped, a hard line,” Carney said. “I thought you’d actually like that.”

    “That’s good, I like it,” Trump responded.

    Breaking with the United States, Canada agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars earlier this year in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products. Carney said he spoke to Trump about it twice.

    “I’m not surprised that the president of the United States doesn’t follow every detail of every agreement that Canada has, and he likes the structure. Actually, we had a follow-up conversation about it as well,” Carney said.

    Peter Boehm, a member of the Canadian Senate who led a number of G7 summits for Canada, said Carney would have had a lot of time for conversations with Trump.

    “I wouldn’t see it as a snub,” he said. “It’s amazing how much time leaders can actually have to have conversations.”


  • A New York House primary has become an AI industry family feud with millions in corporate spending


    NEW YORK (AP) — When New York Assemblyman Alex Bores decided to seek a promotion to Congress, the technology industry leapt into his way.

    Angered by Bores’ legislation regulating artificial intelligence, a political group underwritten by investors in OpenAI spent more than $7 million on ads designed to crush the former computer engineer, who’s running in the ultracompetitive June 23 Democratic primary for a Manhattan-based U.S. House district. That group, Leading the Future, counts titans of Silicon Valley, major venture capitalists and alumni of President Donald Trump’s Republican administration among its donors.

    Bores complained about the spending, warning that it would deter other state lawmakers and members of Congress from trying to rein in the fast-growing industry. He swiftly became a nationally recognized cautionary tale of an underdog politician battling against an overwhelming tide of tech money.

    But then another wing of Silicon Valley rode to Bores’ rescue. Political groups partly funded by Anthropic, the maker of the chatbot Claude, have spent more than $10 million boosting Bores’ campaign. Crypto billionaire Chris Larsen, an Anthropic investor, has pledged another $3.5 million.

    Bores’ race is now a proxy battle for two competing visions of how government should treat the technology industry and artificial intelligence. Adding to the tension is Bores’ past working for Palantir, which he quit during Trump’s first term over what he said were concerns about the tech company’s work on immigration enforcement.

    “The lines are being drawn, and this primary is very much an expression of that,” said Morten Bay, a research fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California. “The core divide is regulation — whether you’re for or against it.”

    Tech industry is at odds over regulation

    The schism mirrors a similar one running through Silicon Valley. Some tech titans, like Elon Musk, have embraced Trump and his movement, as well as the idea of limiting or eliminating most government regulations. But a large chunk of the industry remains traditionally Democratic, in favor of some government safeguards.

    Leading the Future — funded by major Trump donors like OpenAI President Greg Brockman, venture capitalist Marc Andreesen and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale — has spent $7.6 million through a subsidiary against Bores.

    The political action committee, formed last year as the artificial intelligence industry’s main political muscle, says that it supports AI regulation but that Congress should take the lead. The group contends that Bores is the only candidate who is bought and paid for.

    “As we have said from day one, Anthropic, its investors and the dark-money groups it funds would spend millions to send Alex Bores to Congress, and that is exactly what has happened,” said Josh Vlasto, a co-lead of Leading the Future.

    Bores points to his own record crafting AI safety legislation for how he’d tackle the issue at the federal level. The regulation he spearheaded, known as the RAISE Act, is considered among the most sweeping attempts by a state to control the new technology. It requires major AI companies to file reports about safeguards against “catastrophic” risks that could injure more than 50 people, like the previously only-in-science-fiction scenario of AI melting down nuclear power plants or engineering new viruses.

    Leading the Future opposed Bores’ original proposal but acceded to a modified version that was signed into law. But the PAC has made clear it hasn’t forgiven Bores and describes his views as extreme.

    Bores pushed strict rules in New York

    The RAISE Act is the sort of regulation that would be nullified by Trump’s proposed AI framework, which would bar states from enacting their own AI rules so Congress could create a national standard. However, there’s been little movement in Washington to do that, which has left the industry essentially unregulated at the federal level.

    Leading the Future’s refrain that Bores is a tool of OpenAI’s business competitor has been taken up by Bores’ many rivals in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler. His 12th Congressional District stretches across upper and midtown Manhattan and is one of the wealthiest and most Democratic districts in the country. At recent debates, Bores’ opponents have claimed he’s simply a pawn in a corporate battle.

    “You’re in the middle of a civil war between OpenAI and Anthropic. It has nothing to do with standing up to Trump’s mega donors,” said Jack Schlossberg, the Kennedy family heir and social media personality also running for the seat.

    Bores and his allies contend his opponents are simply trying to confuse voters.

    “This race started with AI megadonors pledging $10 million to stop me because they were afraid after I passed the strongest AI safety law in the country,” Bores said in a statement. “Since then, everyone who supports AI regulation and safety — from teachers to tech workers, from AI safety advocates to progressive activists — has united to take the other side. This isn’t one company versus another, this is one ideology versus another: regulate the powerful and protect people, or don’t.”

    Some tech groups are backing Bores

    Brad Carson, a former Democratic congressman from Oklahoma, runs the political action committee Public First, which has spent more than $6 million to back Bores through a subsidiary. The committee was created explicitly to counter Leading the Future and was an outgrowth of a nonprofit Carson helped fund to push for AI regulation.

    In an interview, Carson bristled at the suggestion that the enterprise was simply an Anthropic tool and said it had raised $30 million from nongovernmental organizations before Anthropic made a $20 million contribution. “It’s not like two billionaires fighting it out,” Carson said. “It’s two philosophical movements fighting it out. All of them have wealthy supporters.”

    Chris Larsen, a cryptocurrency billionaire who’s pledged about $3.5 million on Bores’ behalf, said in a statement that his decision to get involved “resulted directly from OpenAI’s threats to make examples of candidates who seek common-sense regulation.”

    Bay, the research fellow, noted that the district is an odd one for the more Trump-friendly groups to invest in because it’s so liberal. Indeed, Bores’ main rival for the nomination, Assemblyman Micah Lasher, supported Bores’ RAISE Act. Carson said his group wants Bores to win but is comfortable with Lasher.

    “He’s very good on AI issues too,” Carson said. “We win either way.”


  • Ann Patchett’s next accolade: A peace prize rooted in the Dayton Accords legacy


    NEW YORK (AP) — Ann Patchett’s latest honor has an international scope.

    The Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation announced Wednesday that Patchett is this year’s recipient of the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award for “a writer whose body of work reflects the Prize’s mission of fostering peace, social justice, and global understanding.”

    The award is named for the late diplomat who served under President Bill Clinton among others and is credited with helping to broker the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia. Previous winners include former President Jimmy Carter,Elie Wiesel and Margaret Atwood.

    Patchett, 62, is known for such novels as “Bel Canto,” “The Dutch House” and “State of Wonder.” She also owns the Nashville-based bookstore Parnassus and advocates often for fellow writers, her efforts leading PEN America to present her its PEN/Audible Literary Service Award at a gala last month in Manhattan.

    In a statement issued Wednesday through the Dayton foundation, Patchett advised setting realistic goals for how to make meaningful contributions.

    “If you wait to find a way to bring peace to the world there’s a good chance that nothing will be accomplished,” she said. “Instead, I recommend bringing about peace in any small way that is available to you. Live as peacefully and as generously as possible. Invite others to stand with you or, better yet, go and stand with them.”

    The foundation also announced that Amanda Knox’s memoir “Free: My Search for Meaning” is among the 12 finalists for Dayton Literary Peace Prize awards for fiction and nonfiction from 2025 that demonstrate “the power of the written word to foster peace.” Knox’s book recounts her life after being imprisoned in Italy on murder charges and eventually being exonerated.

    Nonfiction contenders besides “Free” include Danielle Leavitt’s Ukraine chronicle “By the Second Spring,” Jack Fairweather’s “The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice” and Eve L. Ewing’s “Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism.” Gish Jen’s “Bad Bad Girl,” Karen Russell’s “The Antidote” and Sam Wachman’s “The Sunflower Boys” are among the fiction finalists.

    Winners, to be announced in September, each receive $10,000.


  • Sam is rejected/Spoiling an old dog/Best gift for a hospital patient – WED 6/17

    Sam is rejected – and it hurts.

    Ways to spoil a sweet old dog.

    Great gift idea for a hospital patient.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • US stocks sink on worries about a possible hike to interest rates this year by the Federal Reserve


    NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slumped Wednesday on speculation the Federal Reserve may hike interest rates this year to keep a lid on inflation. Higher rates can tap the brakes on accelerating prices at cash registers, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for investments.

    The S&P 500 dropped 1.2% and erased an earlier, modest gain after the Fed released projections showing that nine of 18 policymakers foresee at least one increase to its main interest rate this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went from a gain of 280 points in the morning to a drop of 507 points, or 1%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 1.3%.

    One important policymaker at the Fed did not give a forecast for where the federal funds rate may end 2026: Chairman Kevin Warsh. In his first press conference as head of the U.S. central bank, Warsh said he’s also considering a revamp of how the Fed communicates with financial markets and U.S. households and businesses.

    One of his first moves was to end the inclusion of hints in Fed statements about where interest rates may be heading in the future, something called “forward guidance.”

    Warsh said he wants Wall Street to react to incoming reports about inflation, the job market and other economic data based on how they should affect prices for stocks, bonds and other investments rather than how traders expect the Federal Reserve to react to them.

    As part of that, Warsh said the Fed could make changes to its usual release of projections every three months showing where Fed officials foresee interest rates, the economy and inflation heading.

    For now, Wall Street reacted uneasily to Fed officials’ latest set of projections, though Warsh cautioned he “didn’t hear tons of conviction” behind them. Stocks zigzagged up and down several times following the release. The Fed also announced its decision to keep the federal funds rate steady at this meeting, as it has all year so far.

    In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses, rose to 4.49% from 4.43% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, jumped to 4.21% from 4.05%.

    Traders upped their bets for at least one increase to the federal funds rate this year and now see an 84% probability of it, up from 59.5% a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

    High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by worries about inflation have already been threatening to slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments.

    In the stock market, SpaceX erased an early gain and fell 4.9% for its first loss since its ballyhooed debut on the U.S. stock market last week.

    Drops of 3.8% for Microsoft, 3.5% for Amazon and 1.3% for Nvidia were three of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

    They helped overshadow a jump of 14.8% for La-Z-Boy, which reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It benefited from revenue made at newly opened stores, though Chief Financial Officer Taylor Luebke said the company continues to have “a measured view” of the broad sales environment.

    All told, the S&P 500 fell 91.25 points to 7,420.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 507.12 to 51,492.55, and the Nasdaq composite sank 354.69 to 26,021.66.

    A report released Wednesday said retailers across the country saw their revenue grow at a faster pace in May than economists expected, offering hope that solid spending by consumers can support the economy. But high inflation has also made U.S. shoppers feel more discouraged about their finances.

    Oil prices were steadier Wednesday following slides earlier in the week on optimism about the tentative U.S.-Iran deal to get the global flow of oil going again. Iran is set to take steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the deal is signed, which would allow oil tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again and hopefully take pressure off inflation.

    The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 0.7% to $79.55. It’s still above its roughly $70 price from before the war, but it’s well below its $100-plus price from a few weeks ago.

    In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

    South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.6%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

    ___

    AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him, Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.