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Afghan soldier who was arrested at US-Mexico border after fleeing Taliban is granted asylum

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — An Afghan soldier who fled the Taliban and traveled through nearly a dozen countries before being arrested at the Texas-Mexico border and detained for months has been granted asylum, allowing him to remain in the United States, his brother said Wednesday.Abdul Wasi Safi, 27, is one of tens of thousands of Afghan citizens who fled to the U.S. following the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.The soldier, called Wasi by family and friends, and his older brother, Sami Safi, worried that if Wasi Safi wasn’t granted asylum, he could be sent back to Afghanistan, where he would likely be killed by the Taliban because he had worked with the U.S. military.But Wasi Safi’s lawyer surprised the brothers Tuesday with news that his asylum request had been granted. The brothers, who live in Houston, had thought a decision wasn’t coming until a Nov. 19 court hearing. “I have tears of joy in my eyes,” Sami Safi said. “Now he can live here. Now he can b...

‘Thursday Night Football’ will use AI to help viewers better understand the action on the field

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

Amazon Prime Video took a different approach during the offseason as it looked to improve its coverage of “Thursday Night Football.”While most networks review the film, go to college, or seek input from teams on different ways to broadcast games, Prime Video’s production, tech, and engineering teams visited Tel Aviv to meet with Prime Video’s Computer Vision Machine Learning team.The goal was to find ways to help fans understand and enjoy football better, said Betsy Riley, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer of live events.“I can’t say that I’m able to diagram plays like Vince Lombardi but we spent some time on the whiteboards talking about football, diagramming plays, and helping that team understand how we see the game,” Riley said. “It was neat to be in a room mashing on ideas and having these varied perspectives to find solutions.”Riley told TNF analytics expert Sam Schwartzstein to think big when developing ideas. Schwartzstein worked with the XFL during its 2020 startup...

Experto presenta supuestos seres “no humanos” en la primera audiencia pública sobre el tema en la Cámara de Diputados de México

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

(CNN Español)  — La Cámara de Diputados de México albergó este martes una audiencia pública para la regulación de fenómenos aéreos anómalos no identificados (FANI, por sus siglas), antes conocidos como objetos voladores no identificados (OVNIS), donde se presentaron supuestos “seres no humanos”.En la reunión, el periodista y ufólogo mexicano Jaime Maussan pidió que México reconozca la presencia de los “no humanos” en la Tierra para ser uno de los primeros en desclasificar la información sobre el fenómeno.Previo juramento de decir la verdad al iniciar la audiencia, Maussan reveló que se trata de dos cuerpos íntegros disecados de seres no humanos con unos mil años de antigüedad que habrían sido encontrados en 2017 en localidades de Cusco, Perú. Añadió que éstos habían sido estudiados por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), a través de análisis de carbono 14.“Son seres que estaban sepultados en minas de diatomea, que deseca los cuerpos...

Commuters beware: Presidential motorcade could clog up Wednesday traffic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

Listen to WTOP for traffic updates on the 8s.Drivers were stalled for nearly an hour and a half on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway the last time President Joe Biden traveled to McLean, Virginia, for a campaign event three months ago. Now the president has another journey planned for Wednesday evening, a little after rush hour starts.Biden will be departing the White House at 6:15 p.m. to attend a “campaign reception” in McLean and will be returning to the White House by 8:30 p.m., according to Factba.se, a website that searches public databases.WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine said “evening commuters who take routes near the Roosevelt Bridge, Rosslyn and McLean should plan for the possibility of traffic stoppages.”Delays were as long as 4 miles along the Inner Loop and there were heavy delays from Tysons Corner to Bethesda the last time Biden traveled to Virginia around 5 p.m. on June 27. Virginia State Police said they had put traffic controls in pla...

Ben Stokes hits 182 for highest ODI score by an England player to set up huge win over New Zealand

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Ben Stokes is in record-breaking form heading into the Cricket World Cup.In clubbing 182 off 124 balls, Stokes made the highest score by an England player in one-day internationals to set up the team’s 181-run win over New Zealand in the third match of the series at The Oval on Wednesday.Stokes beat the previous best mark by an England player — 180 by Jason Roy against Australia in Melbourne in 2018 — and posted the 24th highest individual score ever in the 50-over format.How he compiled his innings — a measured start of 13 in 19 balls before he opened his shoulders to hit nine sixes and 15 fours — underlined why England was so keen to get Stokes out of ODI retirement ahead of the team’s defense of the World Cup title in India starting next month.England, which had Jonny Bairstow out first ball, was 13-2 after 16 balls when Stokes and Dawid Malan (96 off 95 balls) came together and put on a 199-run stand for the third wicket. A late collapse after the depar...

Live updates: Analysts question whether Russia would share secret weapons tech with North Korea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

Follow the latest updates on the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday.WHAT TO KNOW:— North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit marks a growing alignment of the isolated leaders of the nuclear-armed states.— The leaders are trying to deepen their relationship as each one is locked in confrontation with the United States. — Kim traveled to Russia in a special armored train, following a tradition begun by his predecessors.___Some analysts question whether Russia, which has always closely guarded its most important weapons technologies, even from key partners like China, would be willing to share them with North Korea.Reports from a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia have hinted at Pyongyang exchanging ammunition for technology from Moscow.The talks between the isola...

Limestone City Blues Fest celebrates success of new additions this year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

This year’s Limestone City Blues Festival concluded its 26th instalment last week, with 60 concerts taking place over the four-day event.The festival this year saw changes in response to a dip in attendance post-COVID, caused both by the pandemic and the specific demographic for the blues genre. The additions by the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area included the addition of a licensed area, an artisan market with over 40 local vendors each day, and a more musically diverse selection of artists.The Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area (BIA) set out on a mission this year to attract new audiences after experiencing a decrease in attendance post-pandemic. One of the goals of the BIA this year was to attract a younger demographic, a goal which was achieved through the inclusion of local artists like Nice n, the Kodas, and Oak Ridge Avenue, all bands with an active, younger following, on their free stage.“So what we decided to do this year was to invite some younger and ...

Judge dismisses motion to acquit former Hialeah Police officer found guilty of kidnapping homeless man

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

A judge has denied a motion to acquit a former Hialeah Police officer convicted of kidnapping a homeless man. Former Hialeah Police Officer Rafael Otano lowered his head and placed his hands in prayer on Wednesday as the judge denied a renewed motion for judgment of acquittal, a new trial and a stay of sentence pending appeal.Otano was then seen holding the arm of his defense attorney, Michael Pizzi.“Obviously, he is disappointed, but without revealing any of the comments, he has faith in God, and he is confident, at the end of the day, he will be set free,” Pizzi said.Last month, a jury found Otano guilty of armed kidnapping but not guilty on a charge of battery.He was accused of kidnapping and beating Jose Ortega Gutierrez, a homeless man, along with former Officer Lorenzo Orfila, on Dec. 17, 2022.The two drove Gutierrez miles away from a strip mall where he was first apprehended and took him to a remote area where, Gutierrez claimed, they beat him and left him injured...

Crews put out house fire in Plantation; pets killed, no injuries reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

Sirens blared through a Plantation neighborhood as a home went up in flames, claiming the lives of two pets. Plantation Fire Rescue units arrived at the scene of the fire at 1540 SW 68th Ave., Wednesday morning. 7Skyforce hovered above the scene as the fire burned through the roof.Flames that sparked in the home’s garage, which appeared to be caused by a golf cart that was plugged in, quickly spread to the rest of the house.Fire crews were able to knock down the fire, which saved the rest of the structure and surrounding homes. “There was tremendous amount of fire in the garage, is where most of the fire was when we got here,” said Plantation Fire Rescue Lt. Aston Bright.No one was home when the fire broke out, and there were no injuries reported, but the family’s dog and their pet goldfish died in the fire. “I was here, but I didn’t know what was going on,” said Cherly Taylor, who lives across the street.Taylor said she rushed outside briefly w...

Leominster flood cleanup continues as more rain hits region

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:31 GMT

More rain fell on Leominster Wednesday as cleanup efforts continued following severe flash flooding in the area earlier this week. The rain sent water cascading down already washed out roadways and triggered a flood watch for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as parts of southern New Hampshire. While storm drains appeared to be handling this latest round of rain Wednesday afternoon, officials said the recovery from more severe flooding on Monday may still take months. “Still in awe that it happened but Mother Nature wins every time,” one man told 7NEWS. Floodwaters rose fast in Leominster on Monday, ultimately washing out roads and damaging homes, businesses and city facilities. First responders from numerous state and local agencies rescued residents from flooded homes. As the sun then rose on Tuesday morning, several roads remained closed in Leominster due to sinkholes and other damage.Near Hamilton Street, railroad tracks still h...