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Libyan city buries 700 people killed in devastating floods as 10,000 are reported missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s eastern city of Derna has buried 700 people killed in devastating flooding and 10,000 were reported missing as rescuer teams struggled to retrieve many more bodies from the horrific deluge, officials said Tuesday. Mediterranean storm Daniel on Sunday night caused havoc and flash flooding in many towns in eastern Libya but the worst destruction was in Derna, where heavy rainfall and floods broke dams and washed away entire neighborhoods, authorities said.“The situation is catastrophic,” said Othman Abduljaleel, the health minister in Libya’s eastern government. “The bodies are still lying on the ground in many parts (of the city). Hospitals are filled with bodies. And there are areas we have yet to reach.”Authorities estimated earlier that as many as 2,000 people may have perished in Derna alone. The Ambulance and Emergency Authority, which coordinates search and rescue efforts, said about 2,300 people died in Derna but did not clarify what that figur...

Heavy rain brings flash flooding in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Heavy rainfall has flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with one city declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes, created sinkholes and stranded drivers.Mayor Dean Mazzarella in Leominster, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Boston, urged people not to venture outside as roads flooded Monday night, but some residents were evacuated as water came into their basements. All schools were closed Tuesday and two shelters were set up.“Everything’s just one big lake,” Mazzarella said in a recording posted online Monday night. “Find a high spot somewhere. Find a high spot and stay there until this is over.” There were no immediate reports of injuries.Early Tuesday, the city said people living in areas near a brook and the North Nashua River in Leominster should “immediately evacuate” as a precaution, “due to a potential issue at the Barrett Park Pond Dam.”Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said earlier that emergency boat ...

The Taliban have waged a systematic assault on freedom in Afghanistan, says UN human rights chief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have waged a systematic assault on the freedom of Afghanistan’s people, including women and girls experiencing “immeasurably cruel” oppression, the U.N.’s human rights chief said Tuesday.United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that human rights are in a state of collapse in Afghanistan more than two years after the Taliban returned to power and stripped back institutional protections at all levels. He urged U.N. member states to help fill the void. “The shocking level of oppression of Afghan women and girls is immeasurably cruel,” Turk said during a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. “Afghanistan has set a devastating precedent as the only country in the world where women and girls are denied access to secondary and higher education.”The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, as U.S and NATO forces withdrew from the country after more than two decades of war. They initially prom...

Fans cheer German basketball team’s return home after winning World Cup title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Fans cheered Germany’s basketball team on its return home Tuesday after winning the World Cup for the first time.The team, led by tournament MVP Dennis Schröder of the Toronto Raptors, went direct from a long-haul flight from the Philippines to an event Tuesday morning at a sponsor’s headquarters in Frankfurt. A group of fans, including many children, and German politicians gathered to greet the champions.“I hope that we can get a lot of children and older people, move them to play basketball,” Schröder told the crowd as “We Are The Champions” played.In a country where soccer is the most popular sport, Germany’s World Cup campaign initially attracted little attention until the 113-111 upset win over the United States in the semifinals on Thursday.That unexpected victory brought momentum at home ahead of beating Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday. Even then, though, the team’s historic success had to compete for attention with the fi...

Farm laborers to receive greater protections under Biden administration proposal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigrant farm workers would receive a raft of new protections under a Biden administration proposal to be announced Tuesday, which would boost safety requirements on farms and raise transparency around how such workers are brought to the U.S., to combat human trafficking. The proposal would reform the H-2A visa program, under which hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mostly from Mexico, take on seasonal jobs in the U.S. agriculture industry. The number of people admitted under the program has soared in recent years, as rapid hiring after the pandemic and a low unemployment rate has left many farmers scrambling for workers. Last year, about 370,000 people were admitted with H-2A visas, double the number in 2016 and five times as many as in 2005, Labor Department officials said. Yet as the popularity of the program has grown, so have concerns about abuses. Reports of overcrowded farm vehicles and fatalities have increased as the numbers have risen, senior departmen...

Google has new ad tracking settings: How to alter yours

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — If you use Google Chrome, you may have received a new pop-up in recent weeks, warning you about its new “enhanced ad privacy.” However, without a little effort on your end, your data isn’t exactly getting any privacy protection. It's part of Google's parting ways with online cookies, instead assigning certain topics to users based on their Chrome activity that can then be used to provide personalized ads. Some of the information can also be shared with sites so they can show you personalized ads and track the performance of their own ads.“We’re launching new privacy features that give you more choice over the ads you see,” the notification that some users are receiving reads. It then goes on to explain how Google Chrome tracks your interests “based on your recent browsing history.” Sites can later “ask for this information” in order to offer you personalized ads.  Google makes it easier to remove personal info Like other Chrome privacy settings we’ve seen bef...

Hurricane Lee whips up waves along northern Caribbean as it churns through open waters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WFLA) — Hurricane Lee whipped up waves of more than 15 feet on Monday as the Category 3 storm cranked through open waters just north of the Caribbean region.The storm is not expected to make landfall this week, although forecasters said residents of New England and nearby areas should keep a close eye on Lee, which was predicted to slowly turn northward later in the coming days. Hurricane Margot forms in Atlantic The storm was located about 575 miles south of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 115 mphand was moving northwest at 7 mph.The center said Lee is likely to pass just west of Bermuda late Thursday and Friday and be located offshore of the mid-Atlantic states and New England by the end of the week.(NOAA)“Although Lee is expected to weaken later in the week, it is expected to significantly increase in size and hazards will extend well away from the storm center,” the agency said.Bermuda could experien...

APD investigating after body found at park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police launched an investigation Monday night after a passerby found a body at a park in far east Austin. According to APD, the person called 911 just after 9:30 p.m. to say they found what appeared to be a body at the John Trevino Jr. Metropolitan Park off FM 969. That is just half-a-mile east of Decker Lane. Police said detectives found the body in a woodline on the border of the park. An APD spokesperson did not how long the body had been there but said any life-saving measures would not have saved the person. Police did not classify the death as suspicious and said they were investigating further.

Cooler days ahead with rain likely by Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A few isolated showers or storms will be possible today (10%) after seeing some good soaking overnight rain and storms once again in the Hill Country. Mason and San Saba counties received the most; averaging between a quarter up to an inch of rain. Expect mainly cloudy skies for your Tuesday with high temperatures a few degrees cooler. NEW BLOG: Peak Atlantic hurricane season is here, what’s next? A few spotty storms will be possible again Wednesday as a cold front hangs to our north, but better rainfall chances look to arrive Thursday through Saturday. Rainfall totals for the next 7-days still appear to bring most of us 1.0"-2.0" of rain with localized amounts up to 3.0" in our northwestern counties.Potential rainfall through SaturdayAfter 78 days of triple digit heat this summer, our temperatures finally look to fall short of the century mark the next 7+ days. Afternoon high temps through the next 7 daysAfternoon highs will warm into the low to mid-90s daily, a ...

David French: Elon Musk’s antisemitism problem isn’t about free speech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:23 GMT

Despite his loud and frequent protestations, Elon Musk may be the worst ambassador for free speech in America. To understand why, it’s necessary to look at X, the website formerly known as Twitter, which he owns and rules over like the generalissimo of a banana republic. The past several days are of particular relevance.Since the end of last month, the site has hosted a tsunami of vile antisemitic speech. While it’s difficult to peg the cause of any given trend on X, it appears that this latest wave of bigotry might have been sparked by an Aug. 29 meeting between the Anti-Defamation League chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, and the new X chief executive, Linda Yaccarino. As Greenblatt posted, the purpose of the meeting was to “address hate” on the platform.What happened next was extraordinary. Almost immediately, a number of notorious antisemitic accounts posted under the hashtag #BanTheADL. Musk boosted the campaign by liking a post by a far-right activist that called for bannin...