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Special forces rescue U.S. embassy staffers in warring Sudan

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the American embassy violence-torn Sudan, U.S. officials said late Saturday, sweeping in and out of the capital, Khartoum, with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.With the last U.S. employee of the embassy out, Washington shuttered the U.S. mission in Khartoum indefinitely. Left behind are thousands of Americans remaining in Sudan, with officials saying it would be too dangerous to carry out a broader evacuation mission.In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist those remaining Americans in Sudan “to the extent possible.”He also called for the end to “unconscionable” violence there as two rival commanders battled for power in the African country.About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation as fighting between tw...

Venezuela hosts event of sports, table games and geopolitics

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Manuel Diaz dreams of representing Venezuela in the Olympics but thinks he needs to improve his times and get more international experience. So he is among dozens of swimmers competing in a multi-sport event being put on by Venezuela this month that is part athletics and part geopolitics. The 16-year-old Diaz will swim the 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter butterfly for the experience more than to earn any medal at the fifth edition of the Alba Games, whose participants represent Latin American and Caribbean nations in the left-leaning Alba alliance and this year’s guest country, Russia. “For us, it’s more like political games. They are more, hmm, among countries, hmm, you understand me?” Diaz said Saturday, standing by a pool and hesitantly moving his hands back and forth. “For me, it is an opportunity to swim in the best pool in the country and lower my times.”Hundreds of people from 11 countries are participating in 33 events, among them bo...

Indian police arrest Sikh separatist leader after long hunt

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police on Sunday arrested a separatist leader who has revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland and the secession of India’s northern Punjab state, which has a history of violent insurgency.Amritpal Singh had been on the run since last month after capturing national attention in February, when hundreds of his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala, a town in Punjab state, with wooden batons, swords and guns to demand the release of a jailed aide.Punjab state police tweeted Sunday that Singh was arrested in Moga, a town in the state. It gave no details but appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.A Sikh religious leader, Jasbir Singh Rodde, said Singh surrendered to police after offering morning prayers at a Sikh shrine in Moga. Police then arrested him and took him away, he said. Punjab suffered a bloody insurgency in the 1980s that led to the killing of India’s then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards at her official...

The front door, threshold of welcome – and perilous border

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The American front door is a place where the welcome mat offers friendly greetings, where affable neighbors knock or ring, where boxes brimming with possibility are delivered. It is where home meets a world full of potentially good things. The American front door is a place where signs trumpet words of warning, where cameras monitor visitors in high definition, where intruders find an entry point. It is where only a hunk of wood or metal separates the innermost spaces of home from a world full of chaos.Both conceptions are real. They can and do exist together — usually peacefully but sometimes, particularly of late, contentiously.In a land where private property is venerated and “get off my lawn” has become a mantra of jokey crankiness, the American front door is the landscape’s most intimate and personal of borders, the place where the public sphere encounters private space — occasionally with disastrous results. Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot April 13 at Andrew Lester...

Sounders continue to own Loons in Seattle

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

Minnesota United’s play in Seattle remains a broken record.Loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss.With a 1-0 defeat Saturday, the Loons have now dropped all eight matches at Lumen Field since joining MLS in 2017. The Sounders also improved what is already the best winning percentage against a single opponent in at least 10 games played in MLS history.MNUFC (3-3-2, 11 points) also has now lost three straight MLS games after a five-game unbeaten run to start the season.Sounders (6-2-1, 19 points) has not conceded a goal in five home games, outscoring opponents 10-0.Jordan Morris and his MLS-leading eight goals subbed in the 66th minute, but it was another stoppage and substitution that preceded the Sounders goal.On a throw-in, the ball found Albert Rusnak at the top of the box and he smacked it past a diving Dayne St. Clair in the 79th minute.Saturday was also the first time MNUFC has been shutout this season.Manager Adrian Heath sought continuity with his forward players and ...

Avalanche’s Big Three awaken in Seattle, combining for five goals in 6-4 Game 3 win over Kraken

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

SEATTLE — Turquoise towels were draped over the seats eight hours before puck drop in a city buzzing for the occasion. The party favors will be mementos in Pacific Northwest homes for years to come. Their inscription, along with a Stanley Cup Playoffs logo: “The legend awakens.”But in the Seattle Kraken’s first-ever home playoff game, the Avalanche’s sleeping giants awakened instead.Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen combined for five goals in a 6-4 series-tilting win for the Avs on Saturday night. Colorado leads the first-round playoff series 2-1, with Game 4 back at Climate Pledge Arena here Monday.The Avs’ big three combined for just one goal in the first two games of the playoffs, a split in Denver. MacKinnon scored his first two goals of the series on the road, including a magnificent insurance snipe in the third period. Rantanen netted the go-ahead goal with 16:59 remaining in the third after Seattle erased a 3-1 deficit in 19 s...

Avalanche-Kraken Game 3 Quick Hits: Colorado’s faceoff domination paying dividends vs. Seattle

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

Initial observations from the Avalanche’s 6-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken in Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.No Big Val, no problem: Following a theme that’s haunted Colorado throughout its title defense, forward Valeri Nichushkin was a late scratch Saturday with an undisclosed injury. This, of course, is where having a glut of superstar talent comes in handy. Held to one goal over Games 1 and 2, the triumvirate of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen delivered when the Avs needed them most, combining for five goals, and seven total points, to seize control of the series. While the first four goals were all vintage tallies, it was MacKinnon who truly stole the show. In the first period, the veteran center poked ahead a loose puck in his own end and turned on the afterburners to create a one-man rush that put the Avs ahead 2-1. Two periods later, he followed Rantanen’s five-hole masterpiece by deking Ryan Donato to the ice and f...

Colorado Rapids earn another stoppage-time tie against St. Louis City SC as Michael Barrios delivers straight goal

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

COMMERCE CITY — If it weren’t for Colombian Michael Barrios delivering equalizing goals in each of the last two games, the Colorado Rapids would be in deep trouble from a moral standpoint.Barrios delivered a second straight stoppage-time goal as his 92nd minute strike was enough to help Colorado earn a point and extend the team’s unbeaten run to five games as it finished 1-1 Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado (1-5-3, 8 points) played better than just earning one point and likely should’ve come away with a win.In the first half, there was a clear emphasis on playing the ball to Kévin Cabral, who got three chances on passes played over the top, but on two instances the offside flag was raised.In the 17th minute, Georgetown alum Keegan Rosenberry’s shot hit the far post after Max Alves played a backheel pass and Rosenberry was open and tried a shot but struck the woodwork.St. Louis City SC (6-1-2, 19 points) counter press was near...

Suspect escapes with nearly 60 pounds of meth in undercover Riverside County operation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

Authorities are searching for a suspect who escaped with nearly 60 pounds of meth during an undercover operation in Riverside County.The Riverside County sheriff's operation was aimed at identifying narcotics traffickers. During the operation, undercover officers met with a suspect who wanted to purchase 27 kilos of methamphetamine. After the transaction, the suspect drove away from deputies and did not yield when deputies attempted to pull them over.The suspect led deputies on a pursuit and reached high speeds at one point.“Due to the high speeds and suspect’s disregard for public safety, deputies lost sight of the vehicle,” officials said. Teens lead deputies on stolen vehicle pursuit in Riverside County The suspect remains at large as the investigation is ongoing. No further details were released.Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact Captain Rob Roggeveen at 951-955-1700.

Granada Hills high school coach accused of lewd acts with a minor

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:57:25 GMT

A basketball coach at a Granada Hills school is accused of engaging in lewd acts with a minor, and authorities want to know if there are additional students.Authorities say Gabriel Chavez, 36, of Chatsworth, was a basketball coach at a high school in the 10500 block of Zelzah Avenue. Granada Hills Charter High School is located in that block. While coaching at the school, Chavez allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, the Los Angeles Police Department said. He has been charged with multiple counts of lewd acts on a minor and is currently being held on $310,000 bail. Gabriel Chavez, 36, is seen in this undated photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department.Chavez’s employment with the school ended in January 2023. He has a history of employment and volunteer work at various youth programs throughout the city. Pasadena teacher arrested for sexually assaulting 14-year-old student at McKinley School: Police The LAPD’s Devonshire Detective Division i...