‘Nothing left’: Future unclear for Hawaii residents who lost it all in fire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

‘Nothing left’: Future unclear for Hawaii residents who lost it all in fire WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Retired mailman and Vietnam veteran Thomas Leonard lived in the historic former capital of Hawaii for 44 years until this week, when a rapidly moving wildfire burned down his apartment, melted his Jeep and forced him to spend four terrifying hours hiding from the flames behind a seawall.“I’ve got nothing left,” Leonard said Thursday as he sat on an inflatable mattress outside a shelter for those who fled the blaze that decimated the town of Lahaina. “I’m a disabled vet, so now I’m a homeless vet,” he added with a small laugh.The fire that tore across the coastal Maui town and caught many by surprise has already claimed dozens of lives — a toll expected to climb — and burned more than 1,000 buildings. It has turned a centuries-old hamlet beloved by travelers and locals alike into a charred, desolate landscape.The devastation has resonated worldwide in part because tourists from around the globe flock to Maui to enjoy its white sand beaches, including many who s...

LGBTQ+ people in Ethiopia blame attacks on their community on inciteful and lingering TikTok videos

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

LGBTQ+ people in Ethiopia blame attacks on their community on inciteful and lingering TikTok videos NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Members of Ethiopia’s LGBTQ+ community say they face a wave of online harassment and physical attacks and blame much of it on the social media platform TikTok, which they say is failing to take down posts calling for homosexual and transgender people to be whipped, stabbed and killed.A local LGBTQ+ support group, House of Guramayle, said that some TikTok users are also outing Ethiopians by sharing their names, photographs and online profiles on one of the country’s most popular social media platforms.In Ethiopia, homosexual acts are punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The East African country whose population of close to 120 million is split between Christianity and Islam is largely conservative, and while LGBTQ+ people have long suffered abuse, activists say the hostility has reached a new level.“TikTok is being used to incite violence,” said Bahiru Shewaye, co-founder of House of Guramayle. Bahiru said several videos have been reported to TikTok but “we a...

Two years after fall of Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans languish in limbo, waiting for US visas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Two years after fall of Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans languish in limbo, waiting for US visas ISLAMABAD (AP) — When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Shukria Sediqi knew her days in safety were numbered. As a journalist who advocated for women’s rights, she’d visited shelters and safe houses to talk to women who had fled abusive husbands. She went with them to court when they asked for a divorce.According to the Taliban, who bar women from most public places, jobs and education, her work was immoral.So when the Taliban swept into her hometown of Herat in western Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. was pulling out of the country, she and her family fled, eventually making their way to Pakistan.The goal? Resettling in the U.S. via an American government program set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the U.S. government, media and aid agencies.But two years after the U.S. left Afghanistan, Sediqi and tens of thousands of others are still waiting. While there has been some recent progress, processing U.S. visas for Afghans has moved...

Two years after fall of Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans languish in limbo waiting for US visas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Two years after fall of Kabul, tens of thousands of Afghans languish in limbo waiting for US visas ISLAMABAD (AP) — When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Shukria Sediqi knew her days in safety were numbered. As a journalist who advocated for women’s rights, she’d visited shelters and safe houses to talk to women who had fled abusive husbands. She went with them to court when they asked for a divorce.According to the Taliban, who bar women from most public places, jobs and education, her work was immoral.So when the Taliban swept into her hometown of Herat in western Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. was pulling out of the country, she and her family fled. First they tried to get on one of the last American flights out of Kabul. Then they tried to go to Tajikistan but had no visas. Finally in October 2021, after sleeping outside for two nights at the checkpoint into Pakistan among crowds of Afghans fleeing the Taliban, she and her family made it into the neighboring country. The goal? Resettling in the U.S. via an American government program set up to help...

Teachable moments galore for Vikings in preseason loss to Seahawks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Teachable moments galore for Vikings in preseason loss to Seahawks It wasn’t pretty. The preseason opener rarely is and this was no exception.That said, the Vikings got better on Thursday night at Lumen Field, even if they struggled down the stretch in a 24-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.As expected, head coach Kevin O’Connell rested most of his starters, including but not limited to quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Alexander Mattison, receivers Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn, tight end T.J. Hockenson, nearly every starter in the trenches, edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport, linebackers Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah, cornerback Byron Murphy, and safety Harrison Smith.That left a ton of of reps for young players trying to make a name for themselves. The results were a mixed bag with a lot of ups and downs over the course of 60 minutes.The biggest standout for the Vikings was running back Ty Chandler. He looked explosive throughout the game, finishing with 11 carries for 41 yards despite the fact that there wasn&#...

Catastrophic Russian troop losses in Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Catastrophic Russian troop losses in Ukraine Russia has lost a quarter of a million soldiers in Ukraine: the Ukrainian army keeps inflicting huge damage on Russian troops, Dispatches, IFBG.The destruction of the Russian army in Ukraine is proceeding at a shocking pace. The number of Russian military dead in the war has already reached more than a quarter of a million (250 thousand).For the third month in a row, the Ukrainian army has been breaking records in destroying Russian troops' equipment, in particular artillery, MLRS and air defence equipment, which are deployed in the second and third lines of defence. The Russian army continues to steadily lose combat capability.The Ukrainian armed forces are confidently grinding down the potential of the Russian army, which is fighting with Soviet-style equipment. Today, the Ukrainian army is purposefully disrupting logistics in the rear of the Russian-occupied territories, which unambiguously reduces the combat potential of Russian servicemen in the area of the Ukrainian counteroff...

Apparent Native American remains found by construction workers in Davis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Apparent Native American remains found by construction workers in Davis (FOX40.COM) — The Davis Police Department said skeletal remains found near the Veteran's Memorial Center in Davis on Wednesday were confirmed by an anthropologist to be "Native American in nature."According to a Facebook post by the department, police said officers and officials from the Yolo County Coroner’s Office responded to the Veterans Memorial Center after a report of skeletal remains found. War of words continues between Mayor Steinberg, DA Thien Ho Police said the remains were located by workers while they were digging a trench for the placement of a new fire hydrant. An anthropologist helped coroner's officials determine that the remains “appeared to be archaeological/Native American in nature."   Human remains found in car pulled from California Delta in San Joaquin County Police said the coroner’s office is in contact with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) to determine the proper actions regarding how to handle and what to do with the rem...

Outside Lands music festival sold out

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

Outside Lands music festival sold out SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Outside Lands kicks off on Friday at Golden Gate Park. The three-day music festival in San Francisco is expected to draw some 75,000 attendees per day.Crews put the finishing touches on at Golden Gate Park Thursday – the eve of the 15th annual Outside Lands music festival."We can't wait to get the gates open and have everyone come in,” said Outside Lands co-founder Allen Scott. Regulators approve expansion of SF driverless car service Scott is expecting a large crowd. More than 225,000 tickets have been sold. Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Megan Thee Stallion, the Foo Fighters, and Zedd. And new this year, festival-goers can enjoy the new club “Dolores.”"It's an open-air dance space that celebrates the queer and trans community that is so vital to San Francisco's culture, and we are partnering with three local queer promoters, each programming is a different day. That is going to be a lot of fun and I think you may find me there,” Scot...

España clasifica a semifinales del Mundial de fútbol femenino tras vencer a Países Bajos

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

España clasifica a semifinales del Mundial de fútbol femenino tras vencer a Países Bajos (CNN) — España se convirtió en la primera selección clasificada para las semifinales del Mundial de fútbol femenino tras vencer a Países Bajos por 2 a 1 en Wellington.Japón y Suecia se enfrentarán en su choque de cuartos de final en Auckland a las 3:30 a.m. hora de Miami. El resultado determinará quién se enfrentará a La Roja en la próxima etapa.La española Salma Paralluelo celebra con sus compañeras tras marcar el segundo gol de su equipo durante el partido contra Países en Wellington, Nueva Zelandia, el 11 de agosto. (Crédito: Maja Hitij /FIFA/Getty Images)Tras un empate 1 a 1 en el tiempo reglamentario, el partido fue a tiempo extra. En la segunda mitad del tiempo complementario la delantera española  Salma Paralluelo metió el gol que clasificó a las españolas y dejó fuera a las holandesas, semifinalistas en la edición de de 2019.Puedes seguir ttoda la información sobre el Mundial de fútbol femenino aquí.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warn...

QB C.J. Stroud shaky in preseason debut as Texas beat Patriots 20-9

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:43:32 GMT

QB C.J. Stroud shaky in preseason debut as Texas beat Patriots 20-9 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — C.J. Stroud had a short and at times shaky NFL debut, Davis Mills threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tank Dell and the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots 20-9 in the teams’ preseason opener Thursday night. Stroud, drafted second overall out of Ohio State, played the first two series and went 2 of 4 for 13 yards with an interception. He rushed twice for 6 yards and was sacked once.Mills — who started 15 games last season — took over for Stroud and finished 9 of 12 for 99 yards while playing the balance of the opening half. His touchdown pass capped a seven-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Dell juggling and pulling in the score from his back.Dalton Keene added a 1-yard touchdown run and Case Keenum had a 5-yard TD pass to Alex Bachman.The Patriots gave most of their projected starters the night off, including quarterback Mac Jones. Backup Bailey Zappe started in his place and went 12 of 14 for 79 yards, playing the entire first half and one s...