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Passenger trains derail in India, killing at least 120, trapping many others

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing at least 120 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials and media reports said.Fire Services Chief Sudhanshu Sarangi told the Press Trust of India that 120 bodies had been recovered so far from the accident scene in the eastern state of Odisha, and more than 800 people were hurt.He said the number of fatalities was likely to climb.The accident happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, officials said. The cause was under investigation.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying frei...

Biden to say default ‘crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on debt ceiling deal Friday evening

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

By ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden planned to highlight a “crisis averted” in his inaugural speech to the nation from the Oval Office Friday evening, as he prepared to sign a budget agreement that eliminates the potential for a first-ever government default that would have sent shock waves through the U.S. and global economies.The bipartisan measure was approved by the Senate late Thursday night after passing the House in yet another late session the night before. Biden is expected to sign it at the White House on Saturday with just two days to spare until the Treasury Department has warned the U.S. wouldn’t be able to meet its obligations.The agreement was hashed out by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, giving Republicans some of their demanded federal spending cuts but holding the line on major Democratic priorities. It raises the debt limit until 2025 — after the 2024 presidential election ...

Revolution need to tighten ‘D’ at New York City FC

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

The New England Revolution have lost their way on the back end.The Revolution have transitioned from one of the tightest and most disciplined back lines in MLS to a porous patchwork that has caused a precipitous slide in the Eastern Conference standings.The Revolution (7-3-5) will play the final match in a stretch of three games in eight days when they take on Gotham rival New York City FC (4-7-4) on Saturday (3:30) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.The Revolution had allowed just nine goals in the first 11 games that included a 4-0 loss at reigning MLS champion Los Angeles FC on March 12. That setback was offset by five clean sheets that had Revolution keeper Djordje Petrovic on the early short list for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.Injuries to key starters, center back Henry Kessler and right back Brandon Bye, combined with plain old fashioned bad luck brought an end to the Revolution’s lock on first place in the Eastern Conference.Things began to go south with 2-1 setback at Inter Miam...

Chase says online banking issue now resolved after bug causes double transactions and fees

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

By KEN SWEET (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Customers of Chase’s online banking services saw double transactions, fees and payments in their accounts on Friday, in a glitch that was not fixed until late in the day.Numerous Chase customers had posted on social media that their rent or bill payments were taken out of their accounts twice and reported hold times with customer service approaching more than an hour. The New York-based bank is one of the country’s largest financial institutions with millions of online customers. Transactions over Zelle, the bank’s own peer-to-peer payment service, were also impacted with Chase customers.Chase said late Friday that the bank had “resolved the underlying issue” and was in the process of issuing refunds or reversing transactions for customers. Online banking services, while usually reliable, sometimes spectacularly fail or have temporary outages that tend to spook their customers. Banks typically will ...

What to know about the case of the missing Missouri ER doctor found dead in Arkansas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

By MARGARET STAFFORD and JOHN HANNA (Associated Press)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A doctor in the Missouri Ozarks went missing for over a week until his body was found in an Arkansas lake. But the case remains shrouded in mystery as investigators have released few details to his family or the public.WHAT’S KNOWN SO FARDr. John Forsyth, 49, was last seen alive on May 21, when security cameras in the parking lot of a public pool in Cassville show him getting into a vehicle, after leaving his own car unlocked with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items inside. That’s according to his brother, Richard Forsyth, who said the doctor had texted his new fiancee that morning saying he would see her soon. His car was found later that day. Investigators haven’t said who was driving the other vehicle.A search began after the emergency room physician didn’t show up for his May 21 shift at Mercy Hospital in Cassville. There was no sign of Forsyth until a kayaker...

YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

By The Associated PressYouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches,” the platform announced Friday.The change is a reversal for the Google-owned video service, which said a month after the 2020 election that it would start removing new posts that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome. YouTube said in a blog post that the updated policy was an attempt to protect the ability to “openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions.”“In the current environment, we find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm,” the blog post said.The updated policy, which goes into effect immediately, ...

Fun things to do in Baja California this weekend: Eagles and Butterflies, mixology and coffee classes, glamping and wine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- As always, there is plenty to do and experience in Baja California this weekend.You can learn how to mix alcoholic drinks or coffee, go "glamping" in the famous Guadalupe Valley wine country or dance to the music provided by British legend Eagles and Butterflies.Tourists can spend Saturday and Sunday in the Guadalupe Valley drinking wine, off-roading and camping in style.The valley, known as the Napa of Latin America, has more than 100 wineries, some small, others not so small.For about $250 per person, you'll get transportation to and from the border, lodging, wine tasting and an off-road excursion. 500 migrants said to be arriving in Tijuana daily It starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and you'll be back in Tijuana by 4 p.m. on Sunday. If you're looking to dance, Marko Disko and Social Club is hosting world renown Eagles and Butterflies a.k.a. Chris Barratt, who is known for electronic dance music.Barratt starts at 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is 270 pesos, which comes out to a...

911 transcripts point to chaos, fast-evolving situation in April shootings in Maine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A frantic 911 call to report at least one person had been fatally shot led law enforcement to discover four bodies at a home in Maine and eventually to arrest a man who fired at vehicles on a nearby highway before confessing to police that he was behind the killings.According to heavily redacted transcripts from 30 emergency calls that the Maine Department of Public Safety provided to The Associated Press on Friday, the first sign of trouble on April 18 came with a call at 9:18 a.m. The dispatcher tells the caller to not go back inside the property in rural Bowdoin, but to return to his vehicle and wait for police to arrive. Dispatch asks about a bullet hole in a vehicle and how many people live at the house.“And who do you think is the deceased?” the dispatch asks the caller. The caller’s response is redacted.Authorities identified those killed as the parents of the shooting suspect, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and 66-year-old David Eaton; along with their longt...

Ivey signs legislation naming Yellowhammer Cookie as official state cookie

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama now has an official state cookie: The Yellowhammer Cookie.Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday signed legislation naming the confection created by a Montgomery fourth-grader as the official state cookie. Students at Montgomery’s Trinity Presbyterian School came up with the idea of a state cookie. Fourth-grader Mary Claire Cook submitted the winning recipe, which includes pecans, peanut butter and honey, WSFA-TV reported.Cook brought a batch of the cookies to Ivey for the bill-signing ceremony. Alabama has a long list of official state emblems and symbols, including a state vegetable, nut, amphibian and spirit. The Associated Press

Acclaimed composer Kaija Saariaho dies at age 70 of brain tumor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:14:29 GMT

Kaija Saariaho, who wrote acclaimed works that made her the among the most prominent composers of the 21st century, died Friday. She was 70.Saariaho died at her apartment in Paris, her family said in a statement posted on her Facebook page. She had been diagnosed in February 2021 with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumor.“The multiplying tumors did not affect her cognitive facilities until the terminal phase of her illness,” the statement said. Her family said Saariaho had undergone experimental treatment at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.“Kaija’s appearance in a wheelchair or walking with a can have prompted many questions, to which she answered elusively,” the family said. “Following her physician’s advice, she kept her illness a private matter, in order to maintain a positive mindset and keep the focus of her work.” Her “L’Amour de Loin (Love from Afar)” premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 2000 and made its U.S. debut at the Santa Fe Oper...