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Zimbabwe opposition figure fined for slain activist comments

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A prominent opposition leader and lawmaker in Zimbabwe was convicted Wednesday of obstructing the course of justice for recording a video of himself accusing ruling party supporters of killing and dismembering an activist and posting the video to social media.Job Sikhala, a Parliament member and senior official in the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change party, was detained nearly 10 months ago. He must pay a $600 fine by Friday or face an additional six months in jail, according to the verdict by a magistrate. Sikhala was repeatedly denied bail after his arrest in July. Critics have cited his case as another example of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attempts to silence the opposition ahead of Zimbabwe’s presidential and parliamentary elections this year. The 80-year-old Mnangagwa became president in 2017 after a coup ended the 37-year rule of autocratic leader Robert Mugabe. While the coup was initially welcomed by Zimbabweans and Mnangagwa pr...

1 killed, 4 injured in Atlanta 'active' shooting; suspect at large, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — One person was killed and four people were injured Wednesday in an “active shooter situation” in a building in Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood, police said.The Atlanta Police Department said on Twitter that the shooter was inside a building on West Peachtree Street, between 12th and 13th Streets. The building in question is Northside Hospital Medical, according to CNN.One person was pronounced dead at the scene, police said on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. The other victims were taken to a separate hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, and were undergoing surgery, CNN reported. Grady Memorial, which has Atlanta's only nationally verified Level 1 trauma center, is just 3 miles south of Northside. The department released photos of the alleged shooter, whom they identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson and described as "at large.""The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached," police said on Twitter.Photos shared by the Atlanta Police D...

Large mudslide blocks access to Hanging Lake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) -- The United States Forest Service says that a large mudslide happened above the Hanging Lake rest area road on Monday afternoon.The USFS said the mudslide is blocking access to the rest area and to Hanging Lake. The slide did not impact Interstate 70 or Glenwood Canyon. You can now make reservations to hike Hanging Lake Here is a look at photos of the slide from USFS:Mudslide blocks access to Hanging Lake (U.S. Forest Service)Mudslide blocks access to Hanging Lake (U.S. Forest Service)Mudslide blocks access to Hanging Lake (U.S. Forest Service)No injuries have been reported.“We have been actively contacting all reservation holders during this closure and refunding charges or rescheduling visitors for a later date,” said Ken Murphy of H20 Ventures, which operates the reservation system for Hanging Lake. I-70 traffic stops planned in Glenwood Canyon The Colorado Department of Transportation said crews started removing mudslide material on Tuesday.T...

BSO: Off-duty Walmart employee fatally shot customer during fight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

LAUDERDALE LAKES, FLA. (AP/WSVN) – An off-duty Walmart employee fatally shot a customer who tried to help a female employee who had gotten into a fight with the gunman, Florida law enforcement officials said Wednesday.Tironie Sterling, 22, is charged with first-degree murder for Tuesday afternoon’s shooting at a suburban Fort Lauderdale Walmart, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.Video footage from 7NEWS viewer Cynthia Walker showed SWAT officers arresting Sterling on Tuesday.“I saw this dark skin young man running and trying to get away, and then they arrested him,” said Walker.According to investigators, Sterling went to the Lauderdale Lakes store to meet with a female colleague. They got into an argument that escalated into a fight, with Sterling dropping a handgun onto the floor.A male customer came to the woman’s aid, but Sterling retrieved his gun and shot the man several times, killing him, investigators said. The victim’s name ...

One dead, 4 taken to hospital after shooting in Midtown Atlanta, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

(CNN) — Police are searching for a gunman who shot five people Wednesday at Northside Hospital Medical in Midtown Atlanta, killing one person and sending four others to the hospital, according to the Atlanta Police Department.Multiple victims are undergoing surgery at Downtown’s Grady Memorial Hospital — Atlanta’s only Level 1 trauma center. Their conditions were not immediately available.Three of the patients are in critical condition, according to Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer at Grady Health System.Police issued a “be on the lookout” for the suspect, telling CNN the suspect is known to them and remains at large.The Atlanta Police Department released images showing the suspected shooter wearing a hoodie, saying he was believed to be the perpetrator based on the preliminary investigation.Follow live updates: 1 dead, multiple shot in Midtown Atlanta, police say“Anyone with any information on this person’s whereabouts is aske...

FTC says Meta should be barred from monetizing data from younger users

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

(CNN) — The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday accused Facebook-parent Meta of violating its landmark $5 billion privacy settlement and called for toughening up restrictions on the company, after alleging Meta has improperly shared user data with third parties and failed to protect children as it has promised.The proposal to update the binding 2020 settlement with Meta marks a new front in the FTC’s long-running battle with the social media company, which has included multiple lawsuits aimed at breaking up the tech giant or preventing it from growing larger.The FTC said Meta should be forced not to monetize data it collects from younger users. It added that the company should be barred from releasing any new features or products until a third-party auditor determines the company’s privacy policies do enough to protect users. It also called for new limitations on how Meta can use facial recognition technology.If approved, the sweeping proposal...

Kyiv denies involvement in alleged Kremlin drone attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

(CNN) — Russia claimed Ukraine launched an attempt to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin with a drone strike on the Kremlin overnight on Wednesday, an extraordinary allegation that was met with forceful denials in Kyiv.The Kremlin said the attack was foiled and the alleged drones destroyed. Video that appeared on social media shows a bright flash and a puff of smoke over a part of the Kremlin, the official residence of the Russian president and the most potent symbol of power in Moscow.In a statement, the Kremlin said it regarded the alleged attack as terrorism and a deliberate attempt on Putin’s life. “Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit,” it added.Ukraine denied involvement in the alleged strike. “As President Zelensky has stated numerous times before, Ukraine uses all means at its disposal to free its own territory, not to attack others,” the Ukrainian presidential spokesman, Sergi...

Report: Job Vacancies Piling Up In Human Services Sector

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

The pandemic, the “Great Resignation” and high inflation has exacerbated an already-strapped human services industry in Massachusetts, raising vacancy rates for jobs that provide services for elderly, disabled and mentally ill populations up to an estimated 20 percent last fall, according to a new report.There are 160,000 jobs in human services but a declining working age population and increased service needs mean some of the state’s most vulnerable residents have less access to these services, the report says.A sample of human services providers surveyed in October and November of 2022 reported that of their more than 13,000 full-time, part-time and per diem client-facing positions, the vacancy rate was 27 percent. In the Human Services Providers Charitable Foundation report released Wednesday, the foundation estimated there was at least a 20 percent vacancy rate across the sector.Employers across industries are struggling with workforce shortages, but ...

Google rolls out an alternative to the password

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

(CNN) — The days of having to think up new passwords that aren’t “password123” may be coming to an end — at least on your Google accounts.Google on Wednesday began rolling out support for passkeys, an alternative sign-in method for apps and websites that the company says is meant to serve as an “easier to use and more secure” alternative to the password.With passkeys, Google said users can access their various accounts the same way they might unlock their phone: with a fingerprint, face scan or screen lock PIN.The FIDO Alliance, a security consortium that counts many tech firms as members, previously developed standards for passkeys. Microsoft, Apple and Google have since been working to make passkeys a reality.Apple rolled out its passkey option with the release of iOS 16 in June, allowing people to use the technology across apps, including Apple Wallet. Passkey support has also been available on Chrome and And...

Fed raises key rate but hints it may pause amid bank turmoil

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:52:17 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signaled that it may now pause the streak of 10 rate hikes that have made borrowing for consumers and businesses steadily more expensive.In a statement after its latest policy meeting, the Fed removed a sentence from its previous statement that had said “some additional” rate hikes might be needed. It replaced it with language that said it will consider a range of factors in “determining the extent” to which future hikes might be needed.Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed has yet to decide whether to suspend its rate hikes. But he pointed to the change in the statement’s language as confirming at least that possibility.The Fed’s rate increases since March 2022 have more than doub...