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A Ukrainian train is a lifeline connecting the nation’s capital with the front line

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Among the hundreds of trains criss-crossing Ukraine’s elaborate railway network every day, the Kyiv-Kramatorsk train stands apart, shrouded in solemn silence as passengers anticipate their destination.Every day, around seven in the morning, passengers of this route leave the relative safety of the capital and head east to frontline areas where battles between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops rage and Russian strikes are frequent with imprecise missiles that slam into residential areas.The passengers are a mix of men and women that offer up a slice of Ukrainian society these days. They include soldiers returning to the front after a brief leave, women making the trip to reunite for a few days with husbands and boyfriends serving on the battlefields, and residents returning to check on homes in the Donetsk region.They are all lost in thought and rarely converse with each other.Nineteen-year-old Marta Banakh anxiously awaits the train’s next brief stop at ...

After climate summit, California Gov. Gavin Newsom faces key decisions to reduce emissions back home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom made big waves in the climate world recently by announcing a lawsuit alleging major oil and gas companies deceived the public about the risks fossil fuels posed for global warming and saying he would sign the nation’s most sweeping emissions reporting rules for large companies.Newsom must now decide whether to go even further. Lawmakers have sent him bills aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, help schools adapt to the changing climate and ease the cost to taxpayers for the cleanup of orphan oil and gas wells. After the Legislature wrapped up for the year earlier this month, Newsom touted California’s leadership on environmental issues at a United Nations climate summit in New York. In California, he said, climate change has led to “places, lifestyles and traditions being destroyed right in front of our eyes, despite all of that leadership.”“If you read the newspaper or turn on your TV … you...

Migrants hoping to reach US continue north through Mexico by train amid historic migration levels

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

IRAPUATO, Mexico (AP) — As a train roared in the distance, some 5,000 mostly Venezuelan migrants hoping to make it to the U.S. snapped into action.Families with young children sleeping on top of cardboard boxes and young men and women tucked away in tents under a nearby bridge scrambled to pack their things. After the train arrived on the outskirts of the central Mexican city of Irapuato, some swung their bodies over its metal trailers with ease, while others tossed up bags and handed up their small children swaddled in winter coats.“Come up, come up,” migrants atop the train urged those below. Others yelled, “God bless Mexico!”After three days of waiting for the train that many in the group worried would never come, this was their ticket north to Mexico’s border with the United States.Thousands of other migrants were stranded in other parts of the country last week after Mexico’s biggest railroad said it halted 60 freight trains. The company, Ferromex, said so many migrants w...

Back in full force, UN General Assembly shows how the most important diplomatic work is face to face

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There are two opposing theses about the U.N. General Assembly: It’s a place that shows the true power of words, where leaders inspire action with rousing speeches on the urgent issues of our times; or it’s a talking shop, where leaders perform for domestic audiences with political rhetoric on the cause of the day.These dueling viewpoints were tested when the coronavirus pandemic shut down much in-person diplomacy for several years. After three years of virtual, then hybrid General Debates, the scores of top leaders who attended the annual U.N. summit this week exhibited the return of in-person diplomacy, and provided ammunition to those who advocate for its importance.It wasn’t just drama, like whether Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy would be addressing the Security Council in the presence of Russia’s top diplomat (the two ultimately did not cross paths). Many of the formal speeches delivered before the green stone in the General Assem...

Instant Analysis: Texas leaves Waco for final time with resounding victory over Baylor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It was a dominant performance by No. 3 Texas in a 38-6 victory over Baylor in the Big 12 Conference opener Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco.Texas stuffed Baylor's running game to allow just 60 yards while the high-flying Longhorns offense piled up more than 500 total yards.Noah Gross and Billy Gates broke down the win and looked ahead to the Longhorns' next opponent, the Kansas Jayhawks, who they'll play at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Texas State Bobcats come from behind to beat Nevada 35-24 behind Mahdi's 216 yards

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) — Ismail Mahdi rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns and Texas State scored 35 unanswered points to rally for a 35-24 victory over Nevada on Saturday.Brandon Talton kicked a 30-yard field goal and KK Meier returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to give Nevada (0-4) a 10-0 lead after one quarter. The Wolf Pack took a 17-0 lead into halftime after Zac Welch recovered a fumble in the end zone. No. 3 Texas blows out Baylor 38-6 in final Big 12 opener before next year’s SEC move Texas State (3-1) took the opening kickoff of the second half and put together a 10-play drive, capped by TJ Finley's 25-yard touchdown pass to Joey Hobert to get on the scoreboard. Finley connected with Kole Wilson for a 77-yard touchdown, needing just two plays on the Bobcats' next possession to close within 17-14. Mahdi scored on a 46-yard run and the Bobcats took a 21-17 lead into the final quarter.Mahdi scored again on a 36-yard run with 8:30 left to play and Malik Horns...

Aggies lose starting QB in 2nd quarter, still beat Auburn 27-10

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Max Johnson threw for 123 yards and two second-half touchdowns after taking over for an injured Conner Weigman to lead Texas A&M to a 27-10 win over Auburn Saturday.“We won the game and still didn’t play close to what we’re capable of,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Hopefully we’ll get better and move on from here.” No. 3 Texas blows out Baylor 38-6 in final Big 12 opener before next year’s SEC move Weigman threw for 70 yards before he was injured on a hit late in the second quarter. He limped to the locker room, looking to have trouble putting any weight on his right foot, and the team said he had a lower leg injury.Fisher said X-rays were negative but that he didn't know how long Weigman would be out.Johnson took over for the third quarter and got right to work, leading Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) on a 46-yard drive capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass to younger brother Jake Johnson to make it 13-3 with about 10 minutes left in t...

Winning $5.4 million Powerball ticket sold in Southern California

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

One lucky Southern Californian is the state’s newest millionaire after the numbers for the $725 million Powerball jackpot were drawn Saturday night.The winning numbers were 1, 12, 20, 33, 66 and the Powerball was 21.One ticket matched five numbers and will take home $5,422,749. The winning ticket was sold at Thirst Quencher Liquor in Burbank.Since the ticket was missing the Powerball number, the main jackpot will increase to an estimated $785 million for Monday night’s drawing.Five other lucky Californians hit four numbers plus the Powerball and will take home $22,588.Saturday night’s jackpot was the eighth-largest in the game’s history and the third-largest in 2023, coming in behind a $754.6 million jackpot in Washington in February, and a $1.08 billion prize won by a ticket in California in July (which has yet to be claimed). Powerball is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only five of these jurisdictions have never sold a...

Southern California student’s documentary leads to discovery of 10 half-siblings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

A Cal State Northridge student’s documentary film led to the discovery of 10 half-siblings after she found out she was conceived using a sperm donor.The film, “#2276,” directed by student Sara Sims, 22, is now a finalist in the prestigious nationwide Student Academy Awards.“My film “#2276” is a story about me and my twin sister, Haley, finding out at age 17 that we, through an ancestry test, we were donor-conceived,” Sims explained.Sims set out to make a documentary about her roots and along the way, she learned much more than she could’ve ever imagined about her story.It all started with a project pitch for her senior thesis last fall. “My senior thesis students come in on the first day of class, and each of them has to pitch a story, an idea for a documentary film that can be produced within that semester,” said CSUN Film & TV Arts Professor Judy Korin.Sara Sims speaking to KTLA about her documentary film, "#2276." (KTLA)Sara Sims and her twin sister, Haley Sims, seen in ...

Berkeley: Armed robbery near UC Berkeley is fifth this month

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:37 GMT

Someone armed with a gun made off with a female victim’s tote bag as she was walking near UC Berkeley on Saturday afternoon — the fifth armed robbery or attempted robbery to occur near the campus in September.The robbery was reported at about 4:20 p.m. in the 2500 block of Warring Street, near Dwight Way, the UC Berkeley Police Department reported, citing a Berkeley Police Department report. The robber fled in a dark gray vehicle.The night before, at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, an attempted robbery occurred in the 2400 block of Channing Way, police said.Early Thursday morning at around 6 a.m. and about a block away from Friday night’s incident, three suspects, at least one of whom was armed with “an AR-15-type weapon,” approached a victim in the 2400 block of Telegraph Avenue and stole her wallet and phone, police said. The suspects fled in a Lexus SUV, driving northbound on Telegraph Avenue.Two armed robberies occurred earlier in the month on Sept. 7. Two...