Calif. drought harms clean-energy goals
SAN FRANCISCO – Already locked in its third dry year, an ongoing drought could complicate California’s battle against global warming and make it more expensive, officials said.
For years, dams have been one of California’s main sources of clean energy, generating power without spewing greenhouse gases into the air.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday many energy-generating reservoirs are low today, and future dry years could slash the amount of power flowing from the state’s hydroelectric dams, putting higher demands on less clean and costlier sources. Less water forces power companies to buy energy from conventional plants that burn natural gas.
“If there’s less hydro, the power has to come from somewhere,” said Victor Niemeyer of the Electric Power Research Institute. “You have to burn more gas, and that costs more money, all things considered.”
Weather may help Washington wildfires
WINTHROP, Wash. – Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are forecast to descend on a wildfire-stricken Washington state, helping firefighters battle flames that have been growing unfettered for a week and have covered hundreds of square miles.
While Sunday’s weather has slight improvements on the hot temperatures and gusty winds that have fueled the wildfires, the forecast for today and Tuesday calls for lighter winds and temperatures, said Spokane-based National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Koch.
“Overall, it looks like the weather scenario is improving,” he said.
Then, on Wednesday, a “vigorous” front is expected to cover the state, bringing rain to much of the state. But it will also bring lighting, he added.
Death toll rises to 22 in Egypt border attack
CAIRO – The death toll from a brazen attack on a border post in Egypt’s western desert along the border with Libya has risen to 22 troops, including three officers, the military said Sunday.
The attack Saturday was the deadliest suffered by Egypt’s military in recent history. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the country’s former military chief, called the assault a terrorist attack and said it would not go unpunished. He also declared a three-day mourning period.
Speaking Sunday to a few family members of those killed in the attack, el-Sissi said the soldiers died in the service of their country.
Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked the border post in the country’s largest province al-Wadi al-Gedid, which straddles the Libyan and Sudanese borders, before sundown Saturday, causing an explosion in the ammunition warehouse. Three attackers were killed in brief clashes.
Iraq’s leader condemns targeting of Christians
BAGHDAD – Iraq’s prime minister on Sunday condemned the Islamic State group’s actions targeting Christians in territory it controls, saying they reveal the threat the jihadists pose to the minority community’s “centuries-old heritage.”
The comments from Nouri al-Maliki come a day after the expiration of a deadline imposed by the Islamic State group, calling on Christians in the militant-held city of Mosul to convert to Islam, pay a tax or face death. Most Christians opted to flee to the nearby self-rule Kurdish region or other areas protected by Kurdish security forces.
“What is being done by the Daesh terrorist gang against our Christian citizens in Ninevah province – and their aggression against the churches and houses of worship in the areas under their control – reveals beyond any doubt the extremist criminal and terrorist nature of this group,” al-Maliki said in a statement released by his office, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
Residents in Mosul also say the Islamic State group’s fighters recently have begun to occupy churches and seize the homes of Christians who have fled the city.
Television, film star James Garner dies
NEW YORK – James Garner, who was found dead of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, was adept at drama and action. But he was best known for his low-key, wisecracking style, especially on his hit TV series. He was 86.
He had a way of widening his eyes while the corner of his mouth sagged ever so slightly. Maybe he would swallow once to further make his point. This portrait of fleeting disquiet could be understood, and identified with, by every member of the audience.
He burst on the scene with this disarming style in the 1950s TV Western “Maverick,” which led to a stellar career in TV and films, such as “The Rockford Files” and his Oscar-nominated “Murphy’s Romance.”
His quick-witted avoidance of conflict offered a refreshing new take on the American hero, contrasting with the blunt toughness of John Wayne and the laconic trigger-happiness of Clint Eastwood.
Associated Press
