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HRW and UN experts separately single out Sudanese paramilitary with accusations of sexual violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s powerful paramilitary has been singled out by leading rights group and 30 United Nations experts with accusations of rape and sexual violence against women in separate statements Thursday, as the war-torn country enters its fourth month of conflict.Sudan plunged into chaos on Apr.15 when months of simmering tensions between the military and its rival, the Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the paramilitary group apparently targeted women and girls in the western Darfur region of non-Arab ethnicity as well as activists recording human rights abuses during the conflict. It said it documented 78 victims of rape between April 24 and June 26. U.N. officials warned in June that the fighting in Darfur has taken an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and allied militias targeting African communities. Darfur was the scene of genocidal war in the early 2000s when state-backed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed w...

To hit, or to not hit 100 degrees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver was so close to hitting 100 degrees Wednesday. The Mile High City was one degree shy of hitting that triple-digit mark. But the question remains: Will we see a 100-degree day this summer? Starting in 1872, the National Weather Service said Denver has hit triple-digits in 105 of the last 149 years. Since 2016, Denver's consistently hit 100 degrees. Most recently, there have been more and more 100-degree days. In 2022, Denver had five. How often does Denver hit 100 degrees or hotter? The last time Denver missed the triple-digit mark was in 2015, and it's looking to be the same case this year, according to Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Travis Michels. "I think because we've had so many storms earlier in the season that the heat we got wasn't able to just sit and stay because storms would come in the afternoon and cool us off," said Michels. Aug. 16 was the hottest day of 2023 so far with a high of 99 degrees.That's not to say it's impossible. While most of the...

Fort Lauderdale Police employee charged in killing of woman in Coral Springs appears in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

A Fort Lauderdale detention officer accused of killing a woman faced a judge on Thursday.Twenty-year-old Chase Harder was charged with premeditated murder and written threats to kill, after, police said, he confessed to fatally shooting a woman in front of her child on Tuesday in Coral Springs.Harder later dropped the child off with her biological father before turning himself in.Police revealed that Harder and the victim were dating.The judge held Harder behind bars with no bond.

SWAT teams respond to man who barricaded self at business in Wilton Manors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

A man who barricaded themselves at a South Florida business prompted a quick response by SWAT teams. SWAT and Wilton Manors Police arrived at the scene at Dragon Lily Tattoo, located at 500 W. Oakland Park Blvd, Thursday afternoon. As units continue to work the scene, traffic at Oakland Park Boulevard, between Andrews and Powerline Road, has been closed. Drivers are urged to take alternate routes. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Putin fails again as Europe’s gas storage hits 90 percent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

The EU’s reserves of natural gas hit a historic high Thursday, filling up well in advance of the winter heating season as the bloc continues its dash away from Russian energy dependence.That leaves the Kremlin scrambling to plug a gaping hole in its finances left by its decision to cut off European customers in the wake of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.But less Russian gas also opens the EU to the bigger price fluctuations of the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG).Gas Infrastructure Europe said Thursday that member countries’ gas stores are now at 90.12 percent capacity — breezing past the 90 percent filling target that Brussels is legally required to meet by November. “Today’s confirmation that we have met our gas storage requirements so far ahead of schedule underlines that the EU is well-prepared for winter and this will help to further stabilize markets in the coming months,” the bloc’s Energy Commissioner Kadri Simso...

Cardinal Sean O’Malley authorizes special collection for Hawaii wildfire relief 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

Cardinal Sean O’Malley this week asked parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston to help support to those impacted by the recent wildfires in Hawaii, authorizing special collections to raise money for wildfire relief. O’Malley has asked parishes to hold a special collection over any of the next three weekends through the weekend of Sept. 2. Those contributing to a special collection are asked to make checks payable to their parish with “Maui Relief” in the memo line.  The Archdiocese in a statement on Thursday said all money raised through the collections will be processed to the Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation.Relief efforts, the archdiocese said, will in turn focus on community members impacted by the wildfires and “play a crucial role in helping to rebuild lives and restore hope.”Fire swept through part of the island of Maui beginning on Aug. 8, hitting the Lahaina and Upper Kula areas hard. More than a week later, the death toll from the fires had risen past 100 ...

Gregory Santos experiences the highs and lows of closing during the Chicago White Sox’s City Series split

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

Gregory Santos has been the Chicago White Sox’s most effective reliever.Recently moved into the closer role, he retired all five batters he faced on 16 pitches for the save in Tuesday’s 5-3 win against the Cubs in the City Series at Wrigley Field.Santos again got the call in the ninth Wednesday.“Things didn’t go my way,” he said through an interpreter.Christopher Morel hit a walk-off, three-run homer as the Cubs beat the Sox 4-3 in front of 40,869.“He’s been unbelievable for us all year long,” Sox first baseman Gavin Sheets said. “It’s certainly not on him at all. It’s the toughest part of being a closer. It’s not your fault, but sometimes it happens. It’s a tough loss.”Before the game, Santos discussed embracing the opportunity to pitch in the ninth. He has progressed from non-leveragesituations to trying to secure wins, and he entered Wednesday’s game with a 2.19 ERA and 53 strikeouts in his ...

Column: Chicago Cubs make a playoff push even if Marcus Stroman doesn’t return from his mysterious rib injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

In any other year, Marcus Stroman’s potential season-ending rib cartilage fracture would’ve had Chicago Cubs fans crying, “Why us?”But this has been a season unlike any other in recent Cubs history, a roller-coaster ride that no one could’ve seen coming back in spring training. They buried themselves on June 8 in Anaheim, Calif., falling 10 games under .500, only to bounce back into contention in the National League Central and wild-card race.Though the Cubs were only three games over .500 entering Wednesday’s City Series finale against the White Sox, which the Cubs won 4-3 on a three-run, walk-off home run by Christopher Morel, the atmosphere in Wrigleyville matched the giddiness of the summer of 2015, the turning point of Theo Epstein’s vaunted rebuild.So if anyone is worried the possible absence of Stroman for the final seven weeks of the season has spoiled the Cubs’ chances of making a postseason run, they mostly have kept their th...

Emmys 2023: Who will win from ‘Succession’? All the drama from the drama categories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

Glenn Whipp | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — Are all those great moments, big and small, from the final, glorious season of “Succession” — the grief, the backstabbing, the ludicrously capacious bags, the thick and chewy earlobes, the off-the-rack, Reagan-with-tweaks funerals, the “eldest boy” staring off into the Hudson River — still burned in your brain?Or have they faded, like the cosmic epiphanies you collected from the last time you tripped on mushrooms, the images now faint like the cross-veins on a dragonfly’s wings, the very same dragonfly that you felt at one with just moments ago and … (OK. I’m digressing here. Sorry.)If it’s the latter, A) I understand and B) just imagine how you’ll feel when you try to gather together your “Succession” flashbacks when the Emmys are handed out sometime next year — provided they are actually handed out next year. Fox has set Jan. 15 as the date for the ceremony, but tha...

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Women and thyroid disease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:32:33 GMT

Cynthia Weiss | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkDEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently read that thyroid issues affect women more often than men. Can you explain what the thyroid is and how it affects my body? Can I do anything to prevent having issues with my thyroid as I age?ANSWER: The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland at the neck’s base. The thyroid has a significant effect on the body in that it produces hormones that help regulate many of your body’s functions.The thyroid gland produces two main hormones: thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3). These hormones keep your body’s metabolism consistent, aid in maintaining your body’s temperature, have an impact on how well your nervous system functions and can affect your heart rate as well as blood pressure. A third hormone, known as calcitonin, which aids in controlling the level of calcium in your blood, also is produced by your thyroid gland.Unfortunately, there are numerous disorders that can affect the...