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North Korea’s Kim lambasts premier over flooding, possible bid to shift blame for bad economy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un severely rebuked his premier and other senior officials over their “irresponsible” response to recent flooding that inundated farmlands, state media reported Tuesday.Summer floods in North Korea often cause serious damage to its agricultural sector due to poor drainage and deforestation. Observers say Kim’s lambasting of top officials likely aims to shift blame for the country’s worsened economic hardships and food insecurity to them, to ease public complaints.Kim on Monday visited a western coastal tideland, where seawater recently destroyed the embankment, flooding more than 270 hectares of rice paddies. After inspecting the situation, Kim accused officials of “very irresponsible neglect of duties,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.Kim criticized Premier Kim Tok Hun for showing “the attitude of an onlooker,” KCNA said. He berated the vice premier for failing to perform his duties faithfullyand play...

Thailand threatening to shut down Facebook, alleging it doesn’t screen ads well enough

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai Cabinet minister is threatening to try to shut down Facebook in the country, saying the social media platform does not do enough to screen the advertisements it runs, leaving people vulnerable to costly scams. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Thailand’s minister of Digital Economy and Society, said in a statement Monday that he is ready to go to criminal court by the end of the month arguing for Facebook to be shut down in Thailand. He said Thai authorities have already appealed to Facebook parent company Meta to take down fraudulent ads, leading to more than 5,000 being blocked, but that the problem persists.He said ads or fake profiles on Facebook frequently purport to represent reputable financial and investment advisers offering high profits, luring people into scams in which they lose their money. Reached by phone on Tuesday, Meta in Thailand asked for queries to be sent by email to its press department, which did not immediately respond to a request for com...

Body of an Austrian man believed to have died in 2001 found high in the Alps

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A mountain guide has found the remains high in the Austrian Alps of a man believed to have died in an accident on a glacier 22 years ago, police said Tuesday.The body was found on Friday on the Schlatenkees glacier in the Hohe Tauern national park in eastern Tyrol province, near the Italian border and at an altitude of about 2,900 meters (9,515 feet), police said in a statement. The remains had clearly been there for some time, they added.The guide alerted police in Lienz, who recovered the body with the help of a helicopter.A few meters below the body, rescuers found a backpack containing cash, a bank card and a driving license. Police determined that the remains appear to be those of an Austrian man who was 37 at the time and is believed to have died in 2001. The man had cross-country skiing equipment.A DNA comparison is being carried out to confirm the man’s identity. The result is expected in a few weeks.As glaciers increasingly melt and recede, which many sc...

Microsoft revamps deal for video game maker Activision Blizzard. The UK will investigate again

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

FILE - A sign outside the Activision building in Santa Monica, Calif., June 21, 2023. Microsoft revamped its bid to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard on Tuesday Aug. 22, 2023, to appease British competition regulators, who are the last major hurdle to closing one of the biggest deals in tech history. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)(AP/Richard Vogel) FILE - A sign outside the Activision building in Santa Monica, Calif., June 21, 2023. Microsoft revamped its bid to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard on Tuesday Aug. 22, 2023, to appease British competition regulators, who are the last major hurdle to closing one of the biggest deals in tech history. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)(AP/Richard Vogel) LONDON ...

Central African Republic validates vote for new constitution that increases the president’s control

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — The Central African Republic is set to adopt a new constitution after the country’s high court validated the results of a national referendum.According to the constitutional court, 95 percent of voters favored a new constitution that expands executive power. President Faustin Archange Touadera and his ruling party proposed changes that remove presidential term limits and expands terms from five to seven years.The new constitution will replace the one adopted at Touadera’s inauguration in 2016, when the country was in a civil war and 80% of it was not under state control. The changes could extend the ruling party’s rule indefinitely, analysts say.The mineral-rich but impoverished nation has faced intercommunal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power and forced then-President Francois Bozize from office. Mostly Christian militias later fought back, also targeting civilians in the streets. The United Nations, whi...

New Thai leader Srettha Thavisin is a wealthy property developer who didn’t hide his political views

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of one of Thailand’s best-known property empires has been selected prime minister just nine months after joining a political party that champions the poor.Parliament confirmed Srettha Thavisin on Tuesday, ending months of political uncertainty following May elections. The 61-year-old political newcomer, who exudes the confidence of a seasoned business tycoon, will lead the Pheu Thai party’s push to stimulate the economy and bridge one of the world’s worst inequality gaps.“I’m doing this because I want to improve the country and the economy,” Srettha wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, days ahead of the vote. “I’d like to emphasize again. My enemy is people’s poverty and inequality. My goal is a better livelihood for all Thai people.”Srettha announced last November that he had joined Pheu Thai, the latest in a string of parties associated with popular but divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a ...

List: Denver schools closing early due to heat on Tuesday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — It is going to be another toasty day in Denver on Tuesday, and several Denver Public Schools will have an early dismissal to escape the heat.DPS went back to class for the 2023-2024 school year on Monday, and many students are already dealing with early dismissal due to the heat. Thirty-seven schools in the district are without air conditioning. On Monday, the heat took its toll on some schools. Traylor Academy in Bear Valley reported that it was 86 degrees in the lunchroom by 11 a.m. Scorching first day in Denver, where 37 schools lack AC The Pinpoint Weather team is expecting another day of high heat on Tuesday, with temperatures in the upper 90s once again.Denver schools closing early due to heatHere is a growing list of DPS locations that will close early due to the heat:Bryant Webster Dual Language ECE-8 School - Class will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.Godsman Elementary - Class will be dismissed at 12 p.m.Goldrick Elementary - Class will be dismissed at 11:40 a....

Denver local to be featured on NYC jumbotron

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- In May, Jose Mondragon walked the runway during Denver Fashion Week as the only model with Down syndrome. This September, his photo from the show will be featured in Times Square. Learn more about the two-story sculpture new to Aurora Highlands On Sept. 9, Mondragon's photo will be broadcasted on two jumbotron screens as part of the annual video presentation from the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). The one-hour video includes around 500 photographs of people of various ages with Down syndrome from all 50 states. Jose Mondragon before the show. (Photo credits: Arthur Vigil). ‘South Park’ fan Ed Sheeran dines at Casa Bonita during Denver tour stop "These collective images promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome in a very visible way," the NDSS said in a press release. The video marks the start of the New York City Buddy Walk in Central Park. The event raises awareness and funds that benefit people with Down syndrome. Mondr...

American Sha’Carri Richardson wins women’s 100 meters at world track and field championships

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

(CNN) — US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson won a scintillating women’s 100 meters in a championship record 10.65 seconds at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday.Jamaican sprinters finished second and third as Richardson, in the less-than-desirable lane 9, made up a deficit to edge ahead in the final meters. Olympic bronze medalist Shericka Jackson earned the silver medal in 10.72 seconds, and two-time Olympic gold medalist and last year’s 100-meter champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed the bronze in 10.77.“I feel amazing,” Richardson told Eurosport, which like CNN is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery. “I feel like hard work pays off. I’ve been dedicating myself. I’ve been keeping my faith strong this season and just believing and knowing whatever you practice is what you put forward, and I’m grateful.”In 2021, Richardson had been expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Tokyo Olympic Games after winning the women’s 100 meters at the US trial...

Georgia sheriff pleads guilty to sexual battery and resigns after grabbing TV Judge Glenda Hatchett

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:14:23 GMT

(CNN) — A Georgia sheriff resigned and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sexual battery charge Monday after he grabbed TV’s Judge Glenda Hatchett’s chest in January 2022, his attorney said.Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody was sentenced to 12 months probation and was also ordered to complete community service. He must also pay a $500 fine and was ordered to complete an alcohol and drug evaluation, his attorney Joel Pugh told CNN.Hatchett, a former chief presiding judge in Georgia and the star of TV shows “Judge Hatchett” and “The Verdict With Judge Hatchett,” thanked her attorneys during a news conference Monday and recounted what happened.Hatchett said she was attending a reception and the sheriff came up to her “uninvited.” During introductions, the sheriff poked her briefly in the chest after the judge said she was not familiar with Bleckley County, and he said it was “right in the heart of Georgia,” Hatchett said Monday.“But then he grabbed my breast. He grabbed my left breast. H...