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The war in Gaza may widen. The Biden admin is getting ready for it.

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

Biden administration officials are drawing up plans for the U.S. to respond to what they’re increasingly concerned could expand from a war in Gaza to a wider, protracted regional conflict.Four officials familiar with the matter, including a senior administration official, described internal conversations about scenarios that could potentially draw the U.S. into another Middle East war. All were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive, ongoing national security discussions.The military is drafting plans to hit back at Iran-backed Houthi militants who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the discussions. That includes striking Houthi targets in Yemen, according to one of the officials, an option the military has previously presented.Intelligence officials, meanwhile, are coming up with ways to anticipate and fend off possible attacks on the U.S. by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, accord...

Woman sentenced to 90 days in jail for hitting, killing Carlsbad mom on e-bike

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- The woman who admitted to accidentally hitting and killing a Carlsbad mother who was riding an e-bike in August 2022 was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 90 days behind bars in county jail and 90 days of home detention.Christine Hawk Embree was riding an e-bike on Aug. 7, 2022, with her 16-month-old daughter Delilah on the back when she was hit by Turmelle driving a Toyota 4-Runner. Turmelle stayed on the scene, while Embree was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries. Delilah was miraculously not hurt.It was an emotional day in the Vista courtroom. Lindsay Turmelle, who was 42 years old at the time of the crash, read a statement apologizing to the Hawk-Embree family through tears.The prosecution claimed Turmelle was distracted while she was driving and had ran through the stop sign. Turmelle’s attorney said the evidence claimed Turmelle was not on her phone while she was driving.The judge said he hopes this deadly incident serves as a great reminde...

Indian Navy deploys ship and patrol aircraft following bid to hijack a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier.

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian navy has deployed a ship and a patrol aircraft in the Arabian Sea following a hijacking attempt onboard a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, it said Friday.The vessel sent a message on the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations portal indicating that it was boarded by five to six unknown armed people on Thursday evening, the navy said in a statement.The navy diverted a ship deployed for maritime security operations to assist the vessel, the statement said. It did not identify the vessel, but media reports said it was the MV Lila Norfolk.A patrol aircraft overflew the vessel early Friday and established contact with the crew and ascertained that they were safe, the navy said. The aircraft is continuing to monitor the carrier’s movements and the naval ship is traveling to the vessel to assist. Commander Mehul Karnik, a navy spokesperson, said the crew members said they were in their strong room and were operating the vessel from there. The situation is ...

Survivors are found in homes smashed by Japan quake that killed 94 people. Dozens are still missing

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan’s western coast. Despite rescue efforts, the death toll Friday grew to at least 94 people, and the number of missing was lowered to 222 after it shot up the previous day.An older man was found alive Wednesday in a collapsed home in Suzu, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ishikawa Prefecture. His daughter called out, “Dad, dad,” as a flock of firefighters got him out on a stretcher, praising him for holding on for so long after Monday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake.Others were forced to wait while rescuers searched for loved ones.Ishikawa officials said 55 of those who died were in the city of Wajima and 23 were in Suzu, while the others were reported in five neighboring towns. More than 460 people have been injured, at least 24 seriously.The Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo found that the sandy coastline in western Japan shifted by up...

What’s streaming now: ‘Society of the Snow,’ ‘Night Court,’ ‘Good Grief’

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

“Night Court” and “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy’s directorial debut, “Good Grief” are some of the new television and movies headed to a device near you.Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are some new game shows on Fox and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” stomping onto Amazon Prime.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Director J.A. Bayona knows his way around an agonizing survival story. In 2012, he gave audiences a harrowing look at a family’s experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and now he’s back with “Society of the Snow,” about the Uruguayan Air Force Flight that crashed in the Andes mountains in 1972. The disaster has been recounted and studied in many books and movies over the years, including Frank Marshall’s 1993 film “Alive.” But Bayona was inspired to take another look after reading Pablo Vierci’s “Society of the Snow.” Bayona has said that he wanted to tell the stories not only of the survivors ...

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole, authorities say

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole and is now at home, South Africa’s Department of Corrections said Friday.The department gave no more details of Pistorius’ release. The announcement came at around 8:30 a.m., indicating corrections officials had released the world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner from the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital, Pretoria, in the early hours.Pistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He was approved for parole in November.Serious offenders in South Africa are eligible for parole after serving at least half their sentence. The Department of Corrections said in a two-sentence statement announcing Pistorius’ release that it was “able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the syste...

Active winter weather pattern developing; a big hemispheric pattern change suggests a colder pattern looms.

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

We have an active winter weather pattern starting to come together. It could include some snow—enough to stick modestly commencing in the early hours of Saturday morning and continuing lightly into the day. It's the product of precip and cloudiness beneath the far northern flank of a storm system which is to move from New Mexico eastward through the Gulf States then turn northeastward and potentially turn into a big snow producer from the interior Mid-Atlantic north into New England. That's an area which, like Chicago, has seen a lackluster winter snow season—so it's a system sure to generate notice and some headlines there.  Boston may be among the areas hit with significant snow.THAT SYSTEM will spread clouds into the Chicago area Friday and Friday night and light snows on its far north side could accumulate—perhaps laying down a half inch to an inch and a half Saturday.  A moistening air mass means the snow could mix with some drizzle as the day warms on Saturday.  Clouds in the ...

Stolen vehicle suspect escapes pursuit in downtown Los Angeles

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

Authorities pursued a stolen vehicle before losing eyes on the suspect in downtown Los Angeles Thursday night.The black SUV traveled at high speeds on the 60 Freeway before transitioning to the 110 Freeway as California Highway Patrol officers chased the suspect. The pursuit initially began out of Riverside County before traveling toward downtown L.A. The driver was reportedly livestreaming the pursuit and watching news coverage of the chase while hitting speeds over 100 miles per hour.There were also reports the driver planned to ditch the vehicle near the 2nd Street tunnel in downtown near Spring Street but the driver ended up staying in the same vehicle. Authorities pursued a stolen vehicle in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 4, 2024. (KTLA)Authorities pursued a stolen vehicle in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 4, 2024. (KTLA)The suspect narrowly missed multiple vehicles as it swerved dangerously between lanes and, at times, cut other drivers off.As the suspect entered the downtown L.A....

Parts of SoCal under frost advisories as temperatures plummet to near freezing 

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

An extra blanket may be required for your sleep the next few nights, as multiple frost advisories are set to take effect in different parts of Southern California. A Frost Advisory will go into place in Calabasas and Agoura Hills at midnight Friday, the National Weather Service said.  A Freeze Watch for the area will follow late Friday night and last through Saturday morning.  Video shows man claiming to be famous bite, kick officer during arrest at bank “Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” NWS said. Parts of the Inland Empire will also be under a Frost Advisory on Friday and Saturday mornings from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. The cities in the I.E. forecast to experience the coldest temperatures are Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga and Corona, weather officials said. Communities at higher elevations saw snowy conditions this week, prompting the California ...

Trains collide on Indonesia’s main island of Java, killing at least 4 people

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:00:28 GMT

BANDUNG, Indonesia (AP) — Two trains collided on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing carriages to buckle and overturn and killing at least four people, officials said.The accident happened about 500 meters (yards) from Cicalengka train station in West Java province, said Ayep Hanapi, a spokesperson for PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the national railways.He said the Turangga express train carrying 287 passengers was traveling from Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, when it plowed into a Bandung Raya commuter train with 191 passengers heading to Padalarang from Cicalengka station at about 6:30 a.m.“All passengers of the two crashed trains have been evacuated safely,” Hanapi said, adding that 28 people were injured. He said 22 were being treated at a hospital, mostly with head injuries. West Java Police spokesperson Ibrahim Tompo said at least four train crew members were killed — the driver and his assistant on the commuter train and a steward and a security guard ...