Chile: US billionaire donates 94,000 acres for new national park in Tierra del Fuego
Outdoor gear magnate Doug Tompkins strikes agreement with President Piñera, spearheading the formation of another national park in southern tip of the continent.
Vast tracts of public and privately-owned land in far Southern Chile will become the country’s newest national park after the president and a controversial, billionaire conservationist both announced donation of land Thursday.
Located in the rugged and spectacular Magallanes Region in southern Patagonia, Parque Nacional Yendegaia will comprise approximately 370,000 acres of glaciers, coast, rivers and forests thanks to a donation of roughly 94,000 acres by U.S. business magnate and environmentalist Doug Tompkins, as well as an additional 274,000 acres promised by the state. ...
The Santiago Times
South Korea: Korean-Americans donate winter coats in Chicago
A group of Korean-Americans donated winter coats to those in need in Chicago on Sunday.
The Korean American Friendship Network, which mostly consists of Korean-Americans living in Chicago, held a winter coat donation event in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a low-income community located in the southwest part of the city.
The ceremony was attended by Chicago Mayor Rahn Emanuel, Korean consul-general in Chicago Kim Sang-il, and members of the Chicago City Council.
The network has donated about 1,500 winter coats to the underprivileged each year since 2010. It first began charitable work by distributing blankets in 2009. The winter coats have the Korean national flag and the Stars and Stripes stitched side-by-side on the front. ...
The Korea Herald
Canada: Sister who spent 38 years looking for brother tells others not to give up
For 38 years, Judy Samson endured heartbreak, frustration and uncertainty around the disappearance of her brother.
She never stopped looking, even when she was on vacation in Hawaii and went to the police department to see if Sandy had returned to the state.
RCMP in Kamloops, B.C., broke the news to her last week that the body of 22-year-old Alexander “Sandy” Gammie had been found in Vancouver in 1975 — the same year he went missing.
Samson had reported him missing in Kamloops, but the link wasn’t made until decades later when a Vancouver police officer assigned to historical files made a possible connection. ...
The Star
France: Daughter loses legal case in bitter Asterix family feud
A long-running family feud between Asterix co-creator Albert Uderzo and his daughter took a new twist on Tuesday after judges dismissed a claim by Sylvie Uderzo that her father was mentally frail and being exploited.
It is one of the world’s best loved comic book series, selling 352 million copies across the globe while being translated into more than 110 languages and dialects.
But for the past six years, The Adventures of Asterix have also been the source of a bitter family feud between the series’ co-creator Albert Uderzo and his daughter, who has accused her father of selling out to big business. ...
France 24
Wales: All I want for Christmas is... the return of my stolen pet llama
Many teenagers will be asking for the latest Xbox for Christmas, but all 14-year-old Cai wants is the safe return of his pet llama Louis.
The seven-year-old animal – who is a TV star – mysteriously disappeared from his field in Powys overnight between November 4 and 5, leaving his owners distraught and his four woolly friends pining for several days.
Owner Sally Burr said: “My son has lost his best friend. We are desperate to find Louis. If we could just get him back in time for Christmas, that would be the best present anyone could give us.” ...
Wales Online
Mexico: Tijuana Toy Run draws thousands
A lifetime ago, Jorge Sandoval was a young boy in Tijuana counting on the generosity of strangers. On Sunday, the tables were turned. The 63-year-old Chula Vista resident was helping deliver Christmas gifts to thousands of needy Tijuana children.
“I used to get in line for toys because my parents couldn’t afford them,” said Sandoval, 63, one of an estimated 5,000 motorcycle riders from both sides of the border who participated in the 28th Tijuana Toy Run.
A respiratory therapist known in biker circles as Dr. Cancun, Sandoval is a member of the Tijuana-based Club Solo Angeles, a group founded in 1958 that spearheads the annual toy drive and giveaway. ...
Mexico Star
Alasca: NANANordic brings communities together in all conditions
Baby, it’s cold outside. And dark. But that didn’t stop Shungnak students from strapping on skis and hitting the trails last week.
Lars Flora, a cross-country ski coach with NANANordic, a program that teaches skiing in the Northwest Arctic villages and beyond, said the kids took to the trails like naturals.
But that’s no surprise, really.
“I’m continually impressed with some of the natural ability,” Flora said Monday. “It was so fun to see them so comfortable on skis.” ...
The Artic Sounder
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