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Major wildfires in Greece, Spain’s island of Tenerife burn out of control, prompting evacuations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

ALEXANDROUPOLIS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters struggled Tuesday to control major wildfires burning out of control for days in northeastern Greece and on Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, with strong winds fanning the flames and prompting evacuations of villages and a city hospital in Greece. Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen dozens of wildfires break out across Greece, with the most severe entering its fourth day and encroaching on the northeastern port city of Alexandroupolis. On Monday, two people died and two firefighters were injured in separate fires in northern and central Greece.The fire risk level for several regions, including the wider Athens area, was listed as “extreme” for the second day Tuesday. Authorities have banned public access to mountains and forests in those regions until at least Wednesday morning and ordered military patrols.In Spain’s Canary Islands, firefighters battled to control a wildfire burning for a week on the popular tourist ...

Pakistani rescuers try to free 6 kids and 2 men in a cable car dangling hundreds of feet in the air

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A cable car carrying six children and two adults dangled hundreds of meters (feet) above the ground in a remote part of Pakistan after it broke on Tuesday, trapping the occupants for hours before rescuers arrived in helicopters to try to free them. Army commandos could be seen on local TV trying to lower themselves on ropes from the choppers toward the cable car. An expert warned the rescue was incredibly delicate because the wind created by the helicopters’ blades could further weaken cables holding the car aloft.Relatives of those trapped prayed while anxiously watching the operation unfold. The rescue also transfixed Pakistanis across the country who watched on television.One of the cables snapped while the eight people were crossing a river canyon in Battagram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Villagers frequently use cable cars to get to school, government offices or businesses in Pakistan’s mountainous regions, but the cars are often poor...

About 500 children have died from hunger in Sudan since fighting erupted in April, charity says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — About 500 children have died from hunger in Sudan — including two dozen babies in a government-run orphanage in the capital of Khartoum — since fighting erupted in the East African country in April, a leading aid group said Tuesday. Save the Children also said that at least 31,000 children lack access to treatment for malnutrition and related illnesses since the charity was forced to close 57 of its nutrition centers in Sudan. Sudan was plunged into chaos after monthslong tensions between the military and a rival paramilitary force exploded into open fighting on April 15. The conflict has turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Many residents live without water and electricity, and the country’s health care system has nearly collapsed.“Never did we think we would see children dying from hunger in such numbers, but this is now the reality in Sudan,” said Arif Noor, Save the Children’s director for Sudan. “We are seeing children dying from entirely preven...

Conference realignment will mean longer trips and greater costs for traveling college football fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

POND GAP, W.Va. (AP) — In seven decades of following West Virginia football, little has gotten in the way when Terry Keenan wants to see his beloved Mountaineers.Conference realignment promises to be a headache. College sports and the traveling fan are on course for a big reset in 2024. TV money has lured Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will join the growing Big 12. And Oklahoma and Texas will head to the Southeastern Conference. Although a few regional rivalries have been created or preserved, longer trips will be the norm. How long? A one-way flight involving Oregon and Rutgers in the new Big Ten is 2,900 miles (4,667 kilometers) and slightly less for schools like Southern Cal, UCLA or Washington. That’s more than five hours on a plane.Time will tell whether football fans will embrace this new concept, or whether realignment will put a dagger into the heart of the road warrior for games that aren’t mar...

Free Disney World passes are latest front in war between Disney and DeSantis appointees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

Already involved in two lawsuits with Disney, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district on Monday launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for district employees.Board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District submitted a complaint to the state Inspector General, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes, as well as discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages, that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided governing district employees amount to unethical benefits and perks.Last year alone, before the DeSantis appointees took over the governing board and it was still controlled by Disney backers, around $2.5 million in discounts and passes were given to district employees and their families, the board said in a news release.The arrangement was self-serving to the company because it funneled money back to Disney, with the district footing the bil...

Fake Arizona rehab centers scam Native Americans far from home, officials warn during investigations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Autumn Nelson said she was seeking help for alcohol addiction last spring when fellow members of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana suggested a rehabilitation center in Phoenix, far to the south.The 38-year-old said the center even bought her a one-way airline ticket to make the 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) journey. But Nelson said after a month, she was kicked out after questioning why there was one therapist for 30 people and no Native American staff despite a focus on Indigenous clients.“All of a sudden I was out in the 108-degree heat in Phoenix, Arizona,” said Nelson. “I was scared, and didn’t know where to go.”Now back on the Blackfeet reservation, Nelson is among hundreds of Native Americans who have been targeted by Phoenix-area scammers. The billing schemes often left clients homeless and in some cases financed lavish lifestyles for the fraudulent providers, authorities have said. Arizona has been defrauded in recent years out of hundreds of millions of do...

Maui officials trying to find over 800 people still missing after deadly wildfires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Two weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say more than 800 people remain unaccounted for — a staggering number that presents huge challenges for officials who are trying to determine how many of those perished and how many may have made it to safety but haven't checked in.Something similar happened after a wildfire in 2018 that killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise, California. Authorities in Butte County, home to Paradise, ultimately published a list of the missing in the local newspaper, a decision that helped identify scores of people who had made it out alive but were listed as missing. Within a month, the list dropped from 1,300 names to only a dozen.“I probably had, at any given time, 10 to 15 detectives who were assigned to nothing but trying to account for people who were unaccounted for,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said in a phone interview. “At one p...

Indeed unveils new global co-headquarters in downtown Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Tuesday, Indeed, the leading global hiring and matching platform, unveiled its new global co-headquarters, according to a news release. Nestled in the heart of downtown Austin, Indeed Tower will be a model for how companies can effectively bring colleagues together that will drive forward the future of hybrid work, the release said.The Indeed Tower has a range of unique features that redefine the concept of a contemporary workspace, as well as promote flexibility and collaboration for how employees now work, which can be seen below:Strategic Location: Austin’s thriving tech scene and diverse talent pool makes it the perfect home for Indeed’s global co-headquarters. Indeed was co-founded in Austin in 2004.Flexibility & Comfort: Half of the building's conference rooms are equipped with flexible partitions, while all workspaces feature height-adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs for maximum comfort and productivity.Technology & Design: From w...

Tropical Storm Harold to make landfall in Texas today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Tropical Storm Harold officially formed in the western Gulf early Tuesday morning -- the ninth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The system currently has 45 mph sustained winds and is racing west/northwest at 18 mph. Harold is expected to come onshore late morning into the early afternoon between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. While the storm is intensifying, its quick forward motion will limit its time over the warm Gulf waters.Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for the Texas coast from Port O'Connor southward to the mouth of the Rio Grande. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from Port O'Connor north to Sargent.Only minor wind damage is expected along the coast, along with 1-3 feet of "storm surge" ocean level rise. Flooding rainfall amounts of up to 7 inches are possible along the South Texas coast inland toward the Rio Grande Valley.Tropical Storm Warnings issued for much of the middle and all of the southern coastBig pictureWe have a very strong area ...

Federal court to hear challenge over Texas border buoys

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:15 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The state of Texas could soon be forced to remove its barrier of buoys along the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, if a federal judge agrees with the U.S. Department of Justice that Texas overstepped its constitutional authority by installing the flotation devices. The Biden administration filed suit against Gov. Greg Abbott in late July over the state’s floatation barrier, arguing it violates international and federal law. In the lawsuit, the DOJ said Texas’ construction of buoys in the river violates the Rivers and Harbor Act, as it obstructs the “navigable capacity” of U.S. water. The filing also notes Texas did not obtain a prior permit from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, as required by the act. Federal attorneys are asking the courts to stop Texas from putting any more barriers in the water and to remove the current 1,000-foot stretch of buoys at its own expense. U.S. District Judge David Ezra will hear arguments Tuesday morning. Abbott held a joint-press c...