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AP PHOTOS: In Sri Lanka, fishers suffer as sea erosion destroys homes and beaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

IRANAWILA, Sri Lanka (AP) — Ranjith Sunimal Fernando now has a shell of a home at the edge of Sri Lanka’s coast, lost to the sea. Waves lap past the broken walls into damaged, empty rooms.“One night last month, my son went to the bathroom and I suddenly heard him screaming, ‘our house has gone into the sea!’,” said Fernando, a 58-year-old fisher born and raised in Iranawila, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, Colombo. “I saw parts of my house were already eaten up by the sea and my son coming out of the water, carrying our commode. Our home’s foundation was completely washed out and we were forced to shift further inland.”He salvaged what he could from the wreck of what was once his home — wooden support beams, sections of roof and other building materials — to build another further inland. Others go out to the water to recover items they lost to the sea.Much like the hundreds of other fishing hamlets that dot the coastline, the village of Iranawila suffers f...

Blazers take guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers selected guard Scoot Henderson of the NBA G League with the third overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night. The selection complicates things a bit for the Blazers, who already have an All-Star guard in Damian Lillard. Known for his tenacity on the court, Henderson could be packaged in a trade if Portland pursues a high-profile veteran to join Lillard. Or, he could replace Lillard if the Blazers decided to rebuild. He could even pair with Lillard in Portland’s backcourt. After the San Antonio Spurs took French teenager Victor Wembanyama with the top pick and the Charlotte Hornets took forward Brandon Miller out of Alabama, Henderson fell to the Blazers with No. 3. Asked what Portland is getting, Henderson said: “Somebody that’s going to come in and attack the basket every single time, put pressure on the defense and play both sides of the floor. And a winner.”Henderson, a 6-foot-2 teenager from Georgia who has been c...

Coulibaly follows Wembanyama as the French players make history in the NBA draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

For a brief moment, Bilal Coulibaly was an Indiana Pacer. Then, he was traded to the Washington Wizards.A whirlwind night for Coulibaly at the NBA draft on Thursday was part of a memorable one for his country.It’s a time of basketball renaissance for France.Coulibaly and his much-heralded French teammate and No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama made draft history by becoming the first two players from France to both be taken in the top 20, according to research provided by the league.“We coming,” Coulibaly said after being taken at No. 7 by the Pacers before being traded. “We coming.”Make that, France has already arrived.Between Wembanyama, the generational talent who went to the San Antonio Spurs (once home of French great Tony Parker) and Coulibaly, the 18-year-old versatile forward, the country remains a hot bed for hoops.There have been more NBA players from France than from any other country outside of North America, according to the league.Coulibaly joins Wembanyama, Killian Hayes (se...

'You don’t expect hail': Red Rocks concertgoers flee severe weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

MORRISON, Colo. (KDVR) -- Concertgoers still felt traumatized the morning after a major hailstorm unloaded during a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. “Out of nowhere, here comes hail," Samantha Cochran, who was at the concert, said. Red Rocks explains how it warns people of severe weather Samantha was with her sister Mollie waiting for Louis Tomlinson. They described the wait for one weather delay before the concert was cleared to start. Mollie said just a few moments later there was another weather delay in place, then within two minutes the hail started. “We were in the corner standing with cardboard over our heads," Mollie said. "We kind of just stood there and hoped for the best."Hail blankets the ground at Red Rocks Amphitheatre during a delayed Louis Tomlinson concert. (Credit: Briley McAdams)Both left with just minor bruising and welts. They said they feel lucky compared to what others went through. "I don’t want to experience that again and I will be more aware," Mollie ...

Photos show burglar inside Cherry Creek spa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

CHERRY CREEK, Colo. (KDVR) — A local business owner is speaking out after a rash of Cherry Creek break-ins over the weekend.At Susie Organic Skin Care on Steele Street, Susie Ardabili has worked hard for 15 years to create a feeling of zen for her customers.“It is a home to my clients, and that's what I wanted to always create," Ardabili said. After last Saturday, Ardabili isn't quite feeling at home in her spa. Woman found dead in car after being swept away in high water Surveillance photos provided by the Denver Police Department show a rubber-gloved and masked person in a Yankees baseball cap breaking in. Ardabili said it happened last Saturday night between 10:30-11 p.m.Surveillance photos show a burglar inside a Cherry Creek spa. (Courtesy of Denver Police Department)“I feel very violated because they broke into my spa,” Ardabili said. “This is a lot of damage, you know, that I have to take care of it myself and for no reason.While they didn’t take any supplies and there...

Denver weather: Dry and hot for the next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver's weather saw another day of severe storms before dry, hot days return to the forecast.Weather tonight: Storm, flood watch Storms were strong once again on Thursday afternoon and evening, a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day. Some turned severe with large hail and strong winds. Tornado in Highlands Ranch damages buildings, downs trees The strongest storms were expected between 2-6 p.m.However, it will be best to keep cars in the garage through Tuesday evening. Denver is under a severe thunderstorm watch through 9 p.m. and a flood watch until midnight.A slight risk is in place (yellow) for the Front Range and plains for large hail and strong wind.The Front Range will dry out late Thursday night, with temperatures falling into the 50s. Weather tomorrow: Drying outFriday will be hot and dry with temperatures hitting the mid-80s. There will be a 10% chance for storms on the northern Front Range and northeast plains.Denver is expected to stay dry. Looking ahead: Hot and...

Christophe Béchu, l’équilibriste de la sobriété foncière

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

Le ministre de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires, Christophe Béchu, est “au banc” ce vendredi 23 juin à l’Assemblée, pour finaliser l’examen de la proposition de loi sénatoriale sur la mise en œuvre de l’objectif “zéro artificialisation nette”. Un texte au parcours semé d’embûches, pour lequel le ministre a dû se battre jusqu’au sein du gouvernement.Le sujet a en effet été l’objet d’une joute feutrée entre Béchu, soucieux de s’affirmer sur un dossier au cœur de son portefeuille, et Bruno Le Maire, chantre d’une réindustrialisation gourmande en terrains constructibles. Le locataire de Bercy a trouvé des alliés de circonstances chez les LR, qui sont montés au front à l’Assemblée comme au Sénat. A l’arrivée, Béchu a toutefois réussi à conserver l’essentiel : tous les projets industriels seront bien pris en compte dans la loi mais les limites imposées par l’objectif de non-...

Le projet de loi sur l’industrie verte adopté par le Sénat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

Les sénateurs disaient l’accueillir “avec bienveillance”, ils l’ont désormais validé. Le texte du gouvernement qui a pour ambition de faire de la France la championne des technologies décarbonées a été adopté jeudi en première lecture, après trois jours d’examen au Palais du Luxembourg.“Globalement, l’essentiel de l’essence du texte a été adopté, s’est réjoui le ministre délégué à l’Industrie Roland Lescure auprès de POLITICO à l’issue des débats. Il y a eu un consensus unanime, certains pensaient qu’on n’allait pas assez loin, personne ne pensait qu’on allait trop loin.”251 sénateurs ont voté pour et 12 contre. Les Républicains, les groupe RDPI, RDSE, Les Indépendants et les centristes ont voté en faveur du texte, le groupe écologiste contre, tandis que les socialistes et communistes se sont abstenus.Certains aspects du projet de loi mis sur pied par Bercy ont été retouchés.“Ligne rouge” des sénateurs, l’article 9 prévoyait de donner à l’État, à travers les p...

Goldberg: Why it’s a bad idea to long for the ‘good old days’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

Nostalgia, a term that originated as a medical diagnosis for Swiss mercenaries suffering from homesickness, is the sorrowful longing for a lost past. An April Pew survey found that nearly 6 out of 10 (58%) Americans think the country was better off for people like them 50 years ago. For Republican and Republican-leaning respondents, nostalgia for the early 1970s reached 72%.Americans have always had a thing for the “good old days.” The problem is that what — or when — constitutes the “good old days” is a constantly moving target. It often seems to be about five decades earlier from right now.Karlyn Bowman studies public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute. She found that in recent surveys, the 1980s and 1990s are starting to supplant the 1950s as the new “good old days.” You can see evidence for this all over the place in popular culture, from the remakes of old sitcoms to original offerings such as “Stranger Things̶...

Chicago Bulls make draft night trade to select Tennessee’s Julian Phillips with No. 35 pick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:31 GMT

The Chicago Bulls injected some life into a sleepy draft night on Thursday by making a late-night trade to acquire Tennessee product Julian Phillips with the No. 35 pick in the NBA Draft, according to a report by Shams Charania.The Bulls sent a pair of future second-round picks to the Wizards to acquire the pick, according to the report. The Wizards had previously traded with the Boston Celtics for the No. 35 pick.A lengthy forward at 6-foot-8, Phillips impressed at the draft combine with his 7-foot wingspan and 43-inch vertical, the highest of all attendees. The forward carved out his draft stock on the strength of his defense — an extremely similar resume to 2022 first-round draft pick Dalen Terry, who averaged only 5.6 minutes last season.Phillips repeats a familiar set of pros and cons for the Bulls: a strong defender who uses his physicality efficiently but struggles to shoot the ball. He shot 41.1% from the field and only 23.9% from behind the 3-point arc during his sing...