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$28M in donations goes to Sandy Hook

 
Published July 2, 2014

$28M in donations goes to Sandy Hook

People from Connecticut, across the United States and around the world have donated more than $28 million to charities in response to the deadly 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., according to a state report released Tuesday. Of that, more than $15 million has been distributed to causes ranging from direct donations to the victims' families to a mission trip to Oklahoma for Newtown teens who helped with tornado cleanup and recovery. The unspent funds have been set aside by various organizations for long-term community needs, including mental health services, scholarships and memorials, the report said.

NASA satellite launch postponed

A ground equipment failure postponed the Tuesday launch of a NASA satellite designed to study atmospheric carbon dioxide, a major driver of climate change. NASA said the launch is tentatively rescheduled for 5:56 a.m. EDT today from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The satellite, Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, replaces a satellite destroyed during a failed launch in 2009. The $468 million mission will collect global measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere.

French ban on face veils upheld

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a ban imposed by France on the wearing of face-covering veils in public, rejecting arguments that it violates religious freedoms and bolstering opponents of strict Islamic dress in other parts of Europe. The ban, which went into effect in 2011, has been contentious because it set authorities against Muslims who said the wearing of such veils by women is an obligation of their faith. The court said the ban was a legitimate attempt to preserve the norms of France's diverse society and did not infringe on Europe's Convention on Human Rights.

Hundreds dead in Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that West Africa's Ebola outbreak had claimed 467 lives as the death toll continued to rise in all three countries reporting cases. It said 759 people have been infected in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Times wires