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Madagascar’s president seeks reelection. Most challengers are boycotting and hope voters do, too

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar’s Andry Rajoelina is pushing ahead with a presidential election that could give him a second term, even as opposition protests roil the island nation and the majority of candidates have announced a boycott.Rajoelina, a 49-year-old former DJ, initially faced 12 competitors for Thursday’s election. But a collective of 10 candidates on Monday said they would not take part, claiming the electoral process is full of flaws. They encouraged people to stay away from polling booths.Those boycotting are a collective of former political rivals including former leaders Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina. They have organized peaceful marches across the capital almost every day since late September but security forces have violently put them down, leading to serious injuries and dozens of arrests.The protests on the the Indian Ocean island intensified in recent weeks as the opposition, some churches and civil society pushed for a postpo...

Labor abuse on fishing vessels widespread, with China topping list of offenders, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Hazardous, forced work conditions sometimes akin to slavery have been detected on nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels around the world, but identifying those responsible for abuses at sea is hampered by a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight, a new report concluded.The research by the Financial Transparency Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that tracks illicit money flows, is the most comprehensive attempt to date to identify the companies operating vessels where tens of thousands of workers every year are estimated to be trapped in unsafe conditions.The report, published Wednesday, found that a quarter of vessels suspected of abusing workers are flagged to China, whose distant water fleet dominates fishing on the high seas, traditionally lawless areas beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. Vessels from Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea were also accused of mistreatment of fishers.___This story was supported by f...

California program to lease land under freeways faces scrutiny after major Los Angeles fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The area under an elevated Los Angeles freeway that burned last weekend was a kind of open-air warehouse with businesses storing everything from wood pallets to cardboard boxes to hand sanitizer on lots leased by the state through a little-known program that now is under scrutiny.The blaze Saturday burned about 100 support columns, forcing the closure of a vital mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown that is used by hundreds of thousands of people daily. It could take crews working around the clock between three and five weeks to repair the freeway, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Newsom said the state would reassess the practice of leasing land under roads to bring in money for mass transportation projects. Details of that program remain opaque. Newsom’s office directed questions about whether the state has any regular inspection protocols to state transportation officials. The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, did not respond to...

Timberwolves win ugly in brawl with Warriors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

Ugly wins still count as wins.Minnesota hasn’t had many of the ugly variety this fall — with the Timberwolves playing a consistently strong brand of basketball. But Tuesday was not that. Despite a significant talent advantage, Minnesota slogged its way through 48 minutes of basketball in San Francisco. But the team emerged with a 104-101 victory to sweep a pair of games against the Warriors in California and secure its seventh straight win.The night started off ugly. Two minutes into the game, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels got into a wrestling match. That evolved into a two-team skirmish that resulted in Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert into a chokehold.McDaniels, Thompson and Green were all ejected. That made the Warriors — who were already sans Steph Curry coming into the night as he missed the game with a knee injury — extremely short-handed.But that might have helped the Warriors, who was forced to revert to a number of scrappy players. Golden State...

Men’s basketball: Balanced CU Buffs rout Milwaukee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

Fast breakWhy the Buffs won: CU held Milwaukee to a .370 mark from the floor and again turned in a dominant showing on offense. The Buffs shot .587 overall and recorded 25 assists.Three starsKJ Simpson: CU’s point guard went 7-for-9 and finished with game-high totals of 23 points and six  assists.Cody Williams: The talented freshman gave a glimpse of his vast potential, going 6-for-9 with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.Eddie Lampkin Jr.: The transfer from TCU posted his first double-double with the Buffs, recording 14 points and 12 rebounds.Up next: The Buffs will face Richmond on Monday in the first of two games in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the Sunshine Slam.Cody Williams made Buff Nation slightly nervous when the highly-touted freshman was forced to the sideline for the second game of his collegiate career.Then Williams showed what the hype is all about.Williams did a little bit of everything on Tuesday night, and so did more than a few of his teammates as the 25th-...

10 Freeway arson investigation continues as heavy traffic delays expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass provided an update Tuesday night on what commuters can expect after a massive fire shut down the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.“We got good news today,” Bass said. “At this point, we do not anticipate that the freeway is coming down. It can be repaired. This is going to be an inconvenience of weeks as opposed to months. I’m hoping those individuals who can work from home will stay home, and those individuals who have to come into town will ride Metro.”Officials announced that all commuter express buses will be free through the end of the year to help ease travel strains.Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency following the destructive fire.Newsom described the fire as being set with “malice intent,” saying the incident appeared to be an act of arson.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city officials provide an update on Nov. 14, 2023 on the massive fire that shut down the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. A large storage fire closed part ...

NorCal Champs! Archbishop Mitty takes down St. Francis to win Open Division volleyball title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

SAN JOSE – When Amiya Kuchibhotla spiked the ball and made the final point, the Archbishop Mitty gymnasium erupted as the 3-1 NorCal Open Division victory went final. The senior middle hitter became one of many Monarchs mobbed together in the center of the court, the team having vanquished St. Francis for the final time in 2023, the last of six meetings between the elite volleyball programs. The San Jose school denied St. Francis back-to-back NorCal Open titles, gave Mitty two of the past three and put another championship banner in its crowded rafters. The Monarch’s next stop? A trip to Santiago Canyon College in Orange County for the state Open Division championship game. “I’m so happy and so grateful, especially since it’s my senior year,” Kuchibhotla said. “I’m super-excited.”Archbishop Mitty won the first set 25-12, scoring the final five points behind a flurry of emphatic kills and aces. Sophomore Makenna Crosson had five kills, one ace and a block in that dominant set.“...

Without Big Three, Warriors drop heartbreaker to Minnesota Timberwolves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry was injured. Two minutes in, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were ejected. A Warriors offense already searching for its identity was without its core three, but managed to make it a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and their top rated defense.Golden State lost their fourth straight game 104-101 on Tuesday night where rookie Brandin Podziemski made his best case for more minutes going forward. He put up 23 points to become the first Warrior not named Curry to score more than 20 points in a game this season. Dario Saric became the second, scoring 21 points — including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the game’s waning seconds to put Golden State up one.But the Timberwolves had just a little more juice. Karl-Anthony Towns hit a 3 to give Minnesota a lead and Mike Conley hit the dagger 3 to end it. The Warriors move to 6-6 on the season and 1-4 at home and have lost four straight.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Klay Thompso...

Fentanyl-laced pill sale that led to man’s death results in 80-month sentence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

OAKLAND – A 28-year-old San Jose man was sentenced Tuesday to more than six years in federal prison for selling fentanyl-laced pills to an Ohio resident who took one after being told it did not contain the deadly drug and died, according to prosecutors.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oakland man guilty of 2018 mother-daughter double murder in Antioch Crime and Public Safety | Suspect in Walnut Creek robberies arrested in Fairfield Crime and Public Safety | Driver dies from injuries suffered in shooting on Richmond Parkway Crime and Public Safety | Scooter-riding suspect robs four men at gunpoint outside Oakland restaurant Crime and Public Safety | Marin police arrest East Bay teen in armed robbery probe In addition to an 80-month prison term, Ian Edward Parrish was ordered to serve three years of supervision following his release from prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news releas...

Today in History: November 15, Sherman’s ‘March to the Sea’ brings Civil War closer to end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:49 GMT

Today in History Today is Wednesday, Nov. 15, the 319th day of 2023. There are 46 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 15, 1864, late in the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh (teh-KUM’-seh) Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah on Dec. 21. On this date: In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation. In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado. In 1937, at the U.S. Capitol, members of the House and Senate met in air-conditioned chambers for the first time. In 1942, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U.S. victory over Japanese forces. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 1959, four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, were found murdered in their home. (Ex...