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French police clash with protesters opposed to reservoir plans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

A police officer and a protester were both seriously injured in clashes that erupted during an unauthorised demonstration in opposition to the construction of a water reservoir in western France for farm irrigation.To repel protesters who were hurling fireworks and other projectiles while crossing fields to reach the Sainte-Soline construction site, police used tear gas. Television footage showed that at least three police cars were set on fire.Emmanuelle Dubee (prefect of the region) stated that at least 6,000 people had participated in the march. This defied a ban on protests at a site where a similar demonstration took place last October.Gerald Darmanin, Interior Minister, stated that one officer and one protestor were in critical condition. He added that their lives were not at risk.Darmanin said that seven protestors were hurt and that 24 officers were also injured. Darmanin blamed the violence on approximately 1,000 far-left activists. He said that disturbances had begun in ne...

Doing justice to history, a powerful call in Brussels for recognition of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

In Bangladesh, March 25 is marked as Genocide Day, the anniversary of the start of the Pakistani army’s brutal campaign of suppression in 1971 that claimed some three million lives. There is now a powerful campaign for international recognition that the mass murders, rapes and torture were an act of genocide against the Bengali people. It took an important step forward in Brussels on this year’s anniversary, with a special event organised by the Bangladesh Embassy, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.The Bangladesh genocide was one of the worst such events in human history. The killings, rapes and other atrocities became widely known at the time, with widespread popular support around the world in 1971 for the struggle for freedom of the people of what was then East Pakistan. Yet, just as governments at the time were slow to recognise the democratic legitimacy of a free...

Delta passenger opens door, deploys emergency exit slide on plane at California airport

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

By Rebekah Riess and Paradise Afshar | CNNA Delta Air Lines passenger was arrested after opening one of the plane’s doors and sliding down an emergency exit slide as the plane prepared for takeoff from Los Angeles to Seattle Saturday, officials said.The incident on Delta Flight 1714 took place around 10:40 a.m. local time, while the plane was stationary at the Los Angeles International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.The plane, a Boeing 737, was on the runway holding to taxi for takeoff when the passenger exited the aircraft after activating the emergency exit slide, the FAA said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Woman left her AirPods on a plane after landing in San Francisco. She tracked them to an airport worker’s home Crime and Public Safety | Major delays at SFO amid blistering winds, temporary FAA ground stop order Crime and Public Safety | Facial recognition at Bay Area airports: What you...

Lawsuit settled in death of man who asphyxiated while riding chairlift at Colorado ski resort

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

A lawsuit filed by the family of a New Jersey man who died while riding a Vail Ski Resort chairlift has been settled.Jason Varnish died on Feb. 13, 2020, while riding a Blue Sky Basin chairlift. Varnish, who was 46 at the time, is survived by three children, according to a news release from the Burg Simpson Law Firm, which represented the Varnish family.“This was an unnecessary and preventable tragedy,” said attorney Peter Burg. “Jason Varnish was a truly remarkable human being whose death leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of his family and friends.”The seat of the chair Varnish boarded was set upright, against the backrest of the chair, the release said. A rubber bumper attached to the frame, covered when the seat is down, caught Varnish’s jacket, entangling the jacket and lifting Varnish off his feet as the chair rose.Varnish hung from the chair, about 70 feet from the load line and 10 feet in the air, for more than 8 minutes, the release said. Hanging by the jacket “constricted ...

Ask Amy: I doubt he remembers his drunken call, but I’m disturbed by it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

Dear Amy: I have a good friend from college who I’ve kept in touch with for decades. He lives in another part of the country, and I see him every few years.He’s had a lot of challenges in life. I’ve always been a good friend to him, and really care about him. We share a lot of laughs.Unfortunately, he is an alcoholic.His daughter once told my husband and me not to confront him about his drinking because he will get defensive.The last time we saw him, he kept his drinking in check and we had a great visit.The problem is, he regularly “drinks and dials.”I don’t pick up if he calls in the evening. He sometimes leaves slurring, rambling voicemails for me. I will call him back a few days later during the day when he is sober.He recently left a particularly drunken voicemail, and I haven’t called him back. I doubt he even remembers leaving the message. He’s called a few times since and hasn’t left a message.I’ve never confronted him about his drinking, ...

Point Reyes tule elk herds recover after die-off during drought

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

Tule elk herds in the Point Reyes National Seashore rebounded this winter following a significant die-off during the drought, according to new National Park Service data.The seashore, which is the only park in the country with tule elk, has three herds. The largest, located in a fenced reserve on Tomales Point, increased from 221 elk in 2021 to 262 elk, an increase of nearly 19%.The Limantour herd, which is one of two free-roaming herds, increased from 151 elk to 170 from 2021 to 2022. Park staff said they were unable to conduct a count of the other free-roaming herd, the Drakes Beach herd, this winter because of weather conditions and staffing limitations.“National Park Service wildlife staff are instead tracking elk numbers from the Limantour herd within active ranching areas of the park for comparison to prior years and checking cow groups in the Phillip Burton Wilderness for a qualitative sense of calf production in 2022,” park official Melanie Gunn said.The park’s management of...

Wealthy? Educated? You’re primed to live through COVID-19

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

Remember being thrust into that Salvador Dali painting? Aisle after aisle of empty store shelves melting into bleak oblivion … finger paintings cracking in abandoned classrooms … blue industrial gloves in the supermarket …We knew squat about the new virus sweeping the planet three years ago. Our hopes for normalcy — nay, for survival! — hung on the development of new vaccines to keep the beast at bay. In a stunning triumph, science delivered. But millions, to this day, refuse the needle — a refusal that researchers say has resulted in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Public Health reveal a disturbing, if predictable, pattern: Vaccination status goes hand-in-hand with education and income, in near lock-step.More modest Southern California is vastly less-vaccinated than wealthier Northern California, with perhaps a slight under-performance by Santa Clara County.This would all be a numbers game except for one...

Harriette Cole: My friend didn’t know her crush is my ex, and things got awkward

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: A friend of mine recently confessed that she has had a crush on my old boyfriend for years.She didn’t know that we were even acquainted. She learned that when she came to an event that I hosted, and he was there. She was fawning all over him. It was awkward.Even if I shouldn’t have these feelings, I do not want my friend to date my ex. My relationship with him is complicated; though it’s over, there are still a lot of residual feelings, and I don’t think I could handle it if the two of them became a couple. They both are regularly in my orbit.Do I dare say anything? I’m feeling like a silly teenager. It’s not like I could be with him now; I am in a relationship. I just don’t want my friends to be with him. Does that sound nuts?Off LimitsRelated ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I looked up, and my kids had become adults. How do I get back in their lives? Advice | Harriette Cole: She publicly insulted...

Splash Mountain closure date at Disneyland still to be determined

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

The impending closure of Splash Mountain will take place soon, but an exact date has yet to be announced when the Critter Country attraction will begin a yearlong transformation to a new Princess Tiana theme.It appeared from Disneyland’s website early Sunday morning that the classic log flume ride would go dark in early May, but that information was not correct.After its closure, Splash Mountain will reopen at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2024 with a “Princess and the Frog” theme based on the 2009 Disney animated film.The Splash Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World closed in January. Disneyland’s Splash Mountain underwent a seasonal winter refurbishment in January that was unrelated to the planned “Princess and the Frog” makeover.The reimagining of the Splash Mountain rides will remove thematic elements related to “Song of the South” — the controversial 1940s animated film criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes that has been disowned by Disney.Tiana’s Bayou Advent...

Anti-Palestinian Hate on Social Media Is Growing, Says a Facebook Partner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:25 GMT

Violent and racist anti-Palestinian rhetoric grew more prevalent across social media platforms last year, according to a new report published by 7amleh, an organization that partners with Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook.Hateful anti-Palestinian remarks grew by 10 percent in 2022, compared to the prior year, according to the new report, based on an aggregated analysis of mentions of “Arabs,” “Palestinians,” and related keywords by Israeli social media users. 7amleh attributes the increase to a spate of real-world violence, including the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and Israeli military raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. As The Intercept previously reported, 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada, with 2023 already on track to surpass that toll.“The 10 percent increase in violent speech against Arabs and Palestinians is alarming and should be taken on serious matter from t...