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US finds both sides in Sudan conflict have committed atrocities in Darfur

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Wednesday it has determined that both sides in the ongoing conflict in Sudan have committed atrocities in the African nation’s western region of Darfur and elsewhere, saying the fighting “has caused grievous human suffering.”The State Department said the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces are responsible for either war crimes or crimes against humanity, or both, in Darfur, where fighting that began in the capital earlier this year has descended into ethnic violence in recent weeks.“Based on the State Department’s careful analysis of the law and available facts, I have determined that members of the SAF and the RSF have committed war crimes in Sudan,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “I have also determined that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.”The finding does not include sanctions being imposed on leaders or members of either...

52 sea turtles experiencing ‘cold stun’ in New England flown to rehab in Florida

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Fifty-two endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles suffering from “cold stun” are rehabbing at four facilities in Florida after a flight on a private jet from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts. The turtles arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and 16 were sent to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, officials said in a news release. All of the turtles were experiencing a condition known as cold stun from the frigid New England waters.The other turtles were taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, The Florida Aquarium in Tampa and Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Jupiter.“This is a regular occurrence each winter and we’ve participated in the continued care of these turtles since 2016,” said Shelly Marquardt, a veterinarian for the Clearwater facility. “We know that their time in rehabilitation here makes a difference for the future of this endangered species, and we are proud to be able to contribute to their conservation efforts.”Sea turtles are cold-blooded...

CP NewsAlert: Oil and gas emissions cap coming Thursday, targets 2026 start date

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada is poised to outline a federal emissions cap on the oil and gas sector using a cap-and-trade framework that would begin as early as 2026, says a federal government source.The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public, tells The Canadian Press that a framework for the cap will be published Thursday, with draft regulations now expected by mid-2024.More coming.The Canadian Press

The Justice Department is investigating the deaths and kidnappings of Americans in the Hamas attack

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is investigating the deaths and kidnappings of Americans during the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday.Garland’s comments came as he announced a war-crimes case filed against four Russian soldiers accused of torturing an American during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The charges are the first filed under a nearly 30-year-old law that allows U.S. prosecutors to charge people over the inhumane treatment of Americans during war. “Hamas murdered more than 30 Americans and kidnapped more” during the attack, Garland said. “We are investigating those heinous crimes and we will hold those people accountable.”Hamas and other militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took captive some 240 men, women and children in the attack. Two months of Israeli bombardment and ground assaults have killed more than 16,200 people in Gaza — most of them women and children — and wounded ...

Michigan high court declines to immediately hear appeal of ruling allowing Trump on primary ballot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court refused Wednesday to immediately hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling that would allow former President Donald Trump’s name on the state’s presidential primary ballot.The state Supreme Court said the case should remain before the state court of appeals, and not immediately move to Michigan’s highest court as a liberal group had requested.The court said in its order that it “is not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court before consideration by the Court of Appeals.”Dozens of cases hoping to keep Trump’s name off state ballots contend that his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol ran afoul of a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents anyone from holding office who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution.In Michigan, attorneys for a group of an activists asked the state Supreme Court on Nov. 16 for an “immediate and expedited consideration” for app...

OpenText divesting AMC business to Rocket Software for US2.3 billion

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

OpenText Corp. says it’s divesting its AMC business to Rocket Software, Inc. for US2.275 billion in cash.The Waterloo, Ont.-based company says it has reached a definitive agreement with Rocket, a Bain Capital portfolio company.test

Facebook blocks grieving families from sharing obituaries as Online News Act dispute rages on

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

Hayley Wilson got some heartbreaking news in August. Her beloved grandmother passed away at the age of 81 after living a long and fruitful life. Phyllis Jeannie Lindsay was known as a “social butterfly” who loved sports, family, gardening, and life.When she passed, Wilson and the rest of her family, wrote up an obituary and sent it into the Hamilton Spectator, which posted it to their obituary section on the newspaper’s website.Wilson, caught up in her own grief, wanted to let her friends know about the loss but could not call them all so she tried to share the obituary on Facebook. She was met with a message stating, “In response to Canadian government legislation, news content cannot be shared.”That legislation is the recently-passed Online News Act, which will require tech giants like Google, Facebook and Instagram to pay news organizations for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms. In response to the bill, Meta removed news fro...

‘Letterkenny’ creator Jared Keeso signs content deal for spinoffs, new series

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

TORONTO — “Letterkenny” creator and star Jared Keeso has signed a multi-year content deal to develop spinoffs and new series for Crave.The deal comes as the 12th and final season of “Letterkenny” is set to premiere Dec. 25.Crave and New Metric Media say the deal will expand the “Letterkenny” universe with 49 episodes of spinoffs including “Shoresy” and all-new series over the next several years.The deal includes additional brand extensions, from merchandise to live productions.Created by Keeso and developed and written by Keeso and Jacob Tierney, “Letterkenny” revolves around the titular small rural Ontario community. “Letterkenny” premiered in 2016 as Crave’s first-ever original series, going on to amass a loyal following and a U.S. streaming partnership with Hulu.It spawned the half-hour comedy “Shoresy” in 2022, following veteran hockey player Shore as he moves to Sudbury, Ont., to help reve...

Facebook parent sued by New Mexico alleging it has failed to shield children from predators

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) — Facebook and Instagram fail to protect underage users from exposure to child sexual abuse material and let adults solicit pornographic imagery from them, New Mexico’s attorney general alleges in a lawsuit that follows an undercover online investigation.“Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex,” Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a (prepared statement Wednesday.The civil suit filed late Tuesday against Meta Platforms Inc. in state court also names its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, as a defendant.In addition, the suit claims Meta “harms children and teenagers through the addictive design of its platform, degrading users’ mental health, their sense of self-worth, and their physical safety,” Torrez’ office said in a statement.Those claims echo a lawsuit filed in late October by the attorneys general of 3...

British government plans to ignore part of UK’s human rights law to revive its Rwanda asylum plan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:28:31 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British government on Wednesday published legislation that will let it ignore a part of the U.K.’s human rights law in order to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The bill is part of government plans to overcome a block by the U.K. Supreme Court on its Rwanda policy. The court ruled last month that the plan was illegal because Rwanda is not a safe country for refugees.Britain and Rwanda have since signed a treaty pledging to strengthen protection for migrants. The U.K. government says that will allow it to pass a law declaring Rwanda a safe destination.Home Secretary James Cleverly said the Safety of Rwanda Bill “will make absolutely clear in U.K. law that Rwanda is a safe country.” He urged lawmakers in Parliament to pass the legislation even though it may violate international human rights rules.The government says the law will allow it to “disapply” sections of U.K. human rights law when it comes to Rwanda-related asylum claims. On the ...