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Ex-Sri Lanka president ordered police records destroyed to stall mass grave probes, report alleges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was accused in a report released Thursday of tampering with police records in order to hamper investigations into mass graves discovered in an area where he was a military officer at the height of a bloody Marxist insurrection in 1989.The report by activist groups including the International Truth and Justice Project, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka and Families of the Disappeared said even though hundreds of remains were unearthed in some 20 exhumations of mass graves in the past three decades, no action has been taken to identify the victims and return their remains to their families.Tens of thousands of remains could still be buried in undiscovered mass graves, it said.None of the numerous commissions of inquiry established by successive Sri Lankan governments were mandated to look into mass graves. Instead, efforts to uncover the truth were stymied, the report said.When mass graves were discov...

Who is under a slight risk for severe storms Thursday?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After Wednesday's storm brought severe weather with a tornado that destroyed a home and hail that injured people in the audience at Red Rocks, weather on Thursday brings more strong thunderstorms to the Denver metro.A Pinpoint Weather Alert Day has been issued as another round of thunderstorms imposes a slight risk of becoming strong to severe, especially in the afternoon. Red Rocks hail storm: Nearly 100 concertgoers hurt Storms will begin to form in the early afternoon hours along the foothills, then push into the plains.Slight risk for severe stormsThursday's storm is in the slight risk category, meaning there is increased confidence that some areas will produce damaging winds, severe hail and the possibility for tornadoes.The Pinpoint Weather team said their biggest concerns are heavy rainfall, large hail, gusty winds and abundant lightning.Location and impactThe area at a slight risk spans from north to south across the whole state, focused just east of the me...

June breaks record for most rainfall since 1882

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After Wednesday's severe storm pummeled parts of the Front Range and Denver metro with heavy rain, June 2023 is now officially the wettest June on record.Wednesday was a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day as storms with an enhanced risk were forecast to impact the metro and Eastern Plains. Who is under a slight risk for severe storms Thursday? An enhanced risk category is an intense threat. This category isn’t common, with the National Weather Service describing it as a storm your area may only experience once or twice a year.And the impact of that storm was record-breaking. Breaking records on recordsAccording to Pinpoint Weather Metrologist Kylie Bearse, Denver International Airport recorded nearly two inches of rainfall from Wednesday alone. That is officially the wettest day on record in Denver history.Pinpoint Weather: Total rainfall out at DIA on June 21On top of that, that rainfall pushed this month to claim the number one spot for the wettest June on record with 5....

6 hospitalized after multi-vehicle crash on SR-836 causes small fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

Several victims were rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital after a multi-vehicle crash on State Road 836 caused a small fire on the highway, Wednesday night. Officials said at six people were hospitalized after a collision occurred around 11:40 p.m. on the eastbound lanes of SR-836 near Northwest 42nd Avenue in Miami. Florida Highway Patrol troopers, along with police from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade, responded to the scene. According to FHP, the crash involved four motorcycles and five vehicles.One person recorded a video of the scene as they passed by the area and captured one of the motorcycles engulfed in flames on the shoulder of the highway. The City of Miami Fire Rescue arrived at the scene and quickly extinguished the flames. Paramedics provided aid to the victims and transported four people in critical condition to Ryder Trauma Center, while two people were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition. Another video from 7News traffic cameras showed the entire...

Satisfying your sweet tooth is about to get more expensive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

New York (CNN) — If you have a sweet tooth, take note: Cocoa prices have been soaring — and that could drive chocolate prices higher.Higher prices can be helpful for struggling cocoa farmers. But those prices, along with high prices of other key chocolate ingredients, might not be great news for sweets shoppers watching their budgets.So far this year, cocoa futures have risen about 21%. As is often the case, higher prices are being driven by demand exceeding supply.This season, cocoa yields are underwhelming, likely due to crop disease and heavy rains. And next season, forecasters are expecting another deficit because of El Niño, a naturally occurring phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which usually brings warmer global temperatures — poor conditions for growing cocoa.Meanwhile, demand has stayed strong, particularly in Europe and Asia, noted Paul Joules, a commodity analyst for Rabobank who focuses on cocoa and dairy markets.Supply falls shortInitially, forecasters anticipat...

Residents in Ocala neighborhood evacuate after 30-foot hole opens up near homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) – People in an Ocala neighborhood were forced to evacuate after a 30-foot hole opened a few feet away from their home.The sinkhole opened up Wednesday morning.No injuries were reported. Homes near the hole have been deemed unsafe.

Seven Persian cats from Tampa find new home where former owners’ estate will compensate new owners

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) – Seven Persian cats in Tampa have finally found their “fur”-ever homes after months of living in poor conditions. These feline companions were left behind when their 84-year-old owner passed away in November. However, after intervention from the Humane Society, a deal was struck to ensure the well-being of these cats.The seven Persian cats originally resided in a grand mansion with their elderly owner, who passed away, leaving her beloved pets behind. For months, they endured substandard living conditions.The former cat owner’s dying wish was for her cherished pets to find happy, healthy homes where they would receive the care they deserved. That’s when the Humane Society intervened to rescue these feline companions. “We met a couple of times and told him we could certainly if they would like us to, find them all great homes from our shelter and get them out of those dog crates,” said CEO of the Humane Society of Tampa Ba...

Europe’s digital ‘enforcer’ takes EU tech rulebook to Silicon Valley

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

The European Union is firing a last warning shot at Silicon Valley titans ahead of the incoming rules to police social media platforms.Europe’s digital Commissioner Thierry Breton is set to give Meta and Twitter’s top management an in-person reminder that the clock is ticking to comply with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The law starts applying in late August and will oblige major tech platforms to fight back against online hate speech, illegal content and disinformation. While Twitter’s Elon Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg square off on social media over a prospective cage fight, Breton, who as the internal market commissioner oversees EU services regulating Big Tech, is starting a two-day trip to California to push the EU’s new rules. Breton is meeting Musk and Twitter’s new Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino on Thursday, and Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg as well as artificial intelligence chiefs Sam Altman, chief ...

Social media execs face UK criminal liability over data of deceased children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

LONDON — Social media executives could face criminal liability if they refuse to share information about deceased children’s online activity with authorities, according to changes to the U.K.’s Online Safety Bill announced by the government today. The changes would empower Ofcom to demand relevant data from social media companies, including information about how a child interacted with content online and how that content was promoted by the company’s algorithms, in instances where online harms are suspected to have played a part in a child’s death.They follow a long-running campaign by bereaved families and the crossbench peer Beeban Kidron to allow greater scrutiny of the role social media can play in bringing children to harm.If companies fail to provide a valid excuse, they could face enforcement action, including fines and the sanctioning of senior managers, said DCMS Lords Minister Stephen Parkinson.“Our changes to the bill will seek to ensure that Ofcom has the powers it needs...

Coyote found with jar stuck on its head rescued, released back into the wild

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:09 GMT

A coyote that was found with a jar stuck on its head has been released back into the wild.The coyote spent some time at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, where it recovered after spending two days with the jar on its head.Video shows the coyote being released back into the woods.