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Sudan fighting hastens evacuations of diplomats, citizens

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Foreign governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others trapped in Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday.While world powers like the U.S. and Britain airlifted their diplomats from the capital of Khartoum, Sudanese desperately sought to flee the chaos. Many traveled risked dangerous roads to seek safer spots or crossed the northern frontier into Egypt.“My family — my mother, my siblings and my nephews — are on the road from Sudan to Cairo through Aswan,” prominent Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abual-Ala wrote on Facebook.Fighting raged in Omdurman, a city across the Nile from Khartoum, residents said, despite a hoped-for cease-fire to coincide with the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.“We did not see such a truce,” Amin al-Tayed said from his home near state TV headquarters in Omdurman, adding that heavy gunfire and thundering explosions rocked the cit...

German soccer match abandoned after referee doused in beer

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

ZWICKAU, Germany (AP) — A third-tier soccer game in Germany was abandoned on Sunday after the referee was doused in beer by an angry fan at halftime. Relegation-threatened Zwickau’s match against visiting Rot-Weiss Essen did not continue for the second half because referee Nicolas Winter had a cup of beer thrown in his face by a fan, who was apparently unhappy with his decision to send off a Zwickau player and award a penalty to Essen before halftime.Winter showed Zwickau defender Nils Butzen a red card for bringing down American forward Isaiah Young, then awarded Essen a penalty for hand ball from the resultant free kick.Simon Engelmann scored from the penalty spot to equalize for 1-1 before the break, when the home fans made their frustrations known. The match officials waited before the leaving the field. Magenta Sport TV showed the fan throwing the beer at the referee’s face.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

Ukrainian troop positions spark counteroffensive speculation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, according to a new analysis, giving rise to speculation Sunday that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv’s long-awaited spring counteroffensive.The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported late Saturday that geolocated footage from pro-Kremlin military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian troops had established a foothold near the town of Oleshky, along with “stable supply lines” to their positions. Analysts widely believe that if Ukraine goes ahead with a spring counteroffensive, a major goal would be to break through the land corridor between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, which would necessitate crossing the Dnieper River in the country’s south.Responding to Ukrainian media reports proclaiming that the establishment of such positions indicated the counteroffensive had begun, Natalia Humeniuk, the...

Ex-Disney employee allegedly shot videos up women’s skirts

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Walt Disney World employee is facing a charge that he surreptitiously took a video up the skirt of a female customer, allegedly telling investigators he had done it more than 500 times over the past six years. Jorge Diaz Vega, 26, worked at the Star Wars gift shop inside Disney World’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida until his recent arrest on one count of video voyeurism, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. According to court records filed by Orange County Sheriff’s detectives, Vega was spotted by a witness shooting a video up an 18-year-old woman’s skirt. She later told security officers she was not aware of Vega’s actions. Detectives said that Vega volunteered during questioning that he takes the videos as a “guilty pleasure” and showed them multiple examples on his cellphone. He was arrested March 31 and released on $2,500 bail. Court records do not show if Vega has an attorney and a ...

Russian airspace ban means pricier flights for Canadian travellers and airlines

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

MONTREAL — Ross Aimer still recalls the snow-white Russian tundra unfurling on the horizon during flights he piloted between the U.S. and Asia.“In summertime, it’s all daytime flying. That’s beautiful views,” said Aimer, CEO of California-based Aero Consulting Experts and a former United Airlines captain.Those vistas are no longer available to flight crews from many Western countries. Russia barred Canadian, American, British and European Union operators from its airspace more than a year ago in response to airspace prohibitions against it by those states and others that support Ukraine, after Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022.European airlines are among the most affected, having to reroute planes on hours-long detours to reach Asia and parts of the Middle East.But Canadian carriers are impacted too, with planes en route to East Asia and South Asia forced to skirt around Russian airspace daily, and no sign of relief on the radar. The detours mean longer trips...

Indian climber pulled from crevasse in Nepal improving

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — An Indian climber who was rescued after spending three days in a 300-meter (980-foot) -deep crevasse is recovering in a Kathmandu hospital but his condition is still critical, his family said Sunday. Anurag Maloo had fallen into the crevasse while descending Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest, on April 17. After several attempts, he was rescued on Thursday. “He is under medical supervision, but doctors are saying he is slowing improving,” his younger brother, Ashish Maloo, told reporters, adding that he remains critical. He called the rescue and recovery “a miracle.”After he was plucked out of the crevasse, Maloo was flown to a hospital in the resort town of Pokhara. “The doctor gave him CPR, he tried his best for next to three hours, which made his revival and that was a sign of relief for us,” Ashish Maloo said. “There were so much emotions at that moment I can’t really express.”Rescuers had struggled with bad weather, avalanches an...

Animatronic dragon goes up in flames at Disneyland

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

(KTLA) – A fire broke out at Disneyland Saturday night as packed crowds were enjoying the theme park.The fire ignited on Tom Sawyer Island during the Fantasmic! nighttime water and fireworks show held on the Rivers of America. Disneyland to resume Magic Key annual pass sales Videos taken by parkgoers show flames fully engulfing Maleficent's dragon prop on stage. The flames first took over the dragon's face before spreading to the rest of its body.Heavy plumes of dark smoke could be seen billowing from the stage and were visible throughout the park. Disneyland announces closing date for Splash Mountain Video showed cast members evacuating crowds out of the waterfront viewing area and nearby attractions as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Bystanders outside of the Disneyland resort captured pictures and video of a line of firetrucks rushing to the Anaheim, California, theme park."During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park o...

Seeking a rebound, CNN turns to Charles Barkley, Gayle King

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — TV personalities Gayle King and Charles Barkley will headline a new prime-time weekly CNN show, “King Charles,” debuting in the fall, the network announced Saturday as it tries to engineer a turnaround amid tumbling ratings.CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht said in a statement that the show “will be an exciting new way we are delivering culturally relevant programming and unique perspectives to our audience, from two incredibly dynamic personalities.”Licht said King will continue to anchor “CBS Mornings,” and former NBA star Barkley will continue his current role at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.Appearing on TNT to discuss the new show, King said she hadn't been looking for an additional job but relished the chance to work with Barkley.“What I think is so great for the both of us is that it’s live TV,” she said. “To me, live TV is like working without a net. So whatever happens, happens. I like that.”The duo said they'd talk about politics but that the show would...

Texans: Can you guess the official state snack?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – While they're not only seen in Texas, the mere concept of tortilla chips and salsa may feel particularly Tex-Mex for some Texans. In fact, did you know chips and salsa have been the official state snack of Texas since 2003?That's right, the 78th Texas legislature designated the combination among Texas' signature symbols, citing the food's impact on the state's economy and culture. ‘Texas things’ you’ll miss most when you leave "The primary ingredients of chips and salsa have nourished the people of this land for centuries; corn, peppers, and tomatoes all originated in the Western Hemisphere and were being cultivated by Native Americans along the Rio Grande when the Spaniards, who introduced onions to the New World, arrived in Texas," the legislature wrote in a resolution, in part.(Getty Images)Along with chips and salsa, the Houston Chronicle explains the Texas legislature approved peach cobbler (official Texas state cobbler), Texas Gulf Shrimp (official state crustace...

Jamelle Bouie: Turns out Republicans don’t hate big government

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:13:17 GMT

In the conventional view, American politics is a contest between a party of “big” government and a party of “small” government.You know the clichés. Democrats want a larger role for the state; Republicans want to “drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”But a glance at the historical record shows that — at least in the postwar period — the size of government was never really the issue. A modern state needs a large, active government. The real political question revolves around the activity itself. It’s about both the scope of government — to whom and for what should it provide? — and its reach. Will the state take a light touch or will it intrude on and control the lives of its citizens?With this in mind, consider one of the most common criticisms of the current Republican Party: that it stands for nothing other than chaos, dysfunction and a cultlike devotion to President Donald Trump.But that’s not right. With or without Trump in control, the Republican Party has a c...