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Greek authorities rescue 145 migrants who were found stranded on a river islet on the Turkish border

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities said they rescued 145 migrants found stranded Thursday on an islet on the river that runs along the northeastern land border with Turkey.Police said that the 70 men, 45 women and 30 children were all in good health and identified as Syrians or Kurds. Greek authorities launched the rescue after being alerted to the migrants’ presence by a nongovernmental organization.The Evros River — Meric in Turkish — is a key crossing point for migrants coming through Turkey to seek a better life in the European Union. It’s quite common for smuggling gangs to dump migrants on islets mid-river and flee, to avoid arrest by Greek authorities, and confusion over the precise location and ownership of the islets can lead to delays in their evacuation.Thousands of people also try to enter Greece by sea. On June 14, a battered fishing trawler carrying up to 750 people sank far off southwestern Greece, with only 104 survivors.The ship had left Libya...

Yemen’s warring sides, Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, exchange 64 bodies of their fallen troops

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s warring sides have exchanged 64 bodies of their fallen, local media and tribal leaders said. The handover between the country’s Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia marked the latest in reconciliation efforts amid Yemen’s yearslong conflict. The rare exchange took place on Wednesday near the Saudi border town of Nahran, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV and three tribal leaders. All three tribesmen spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals.The TV reported that remans of 58 rebels were handed over by Riyadh, while the Iran-backed Shiite rebels handed over the bodies of six Saudi soldiers. There was no immediate comment from the kingdom on the exchange. The handover marked the third exchange of bodies between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since the war began, al-Masirah TV said. The two sides have also exchanged prisoners in organized swaps brokered by the United Nations. Yemen’s civil war erupted in 2014 when the Houthis swept do...

US safety agency to require automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks and buses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years, the federal traffic safety agency said Thursday, estimating it will prevent nearly 20,000 crashes save at least 155 lives a year.The announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a similar move last month for all new passenger cars and light trucks. The actions represent the traffic safety agency’s latest efforts to regulate electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally handled. NHTSA has been reluctant in the past to impose such regulations, saying the technology would change during the time it took to enact new rules.Ann Carlson, the safety agency’s chief counsel, said Thursday that automatic emergency braking systems will reduce the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes, as well as rollovers and accidents involving loss of driver control.“Advanced driver assistance systems l...

A new Chicago professional team wins a championship in 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

CHICAGO — A professional sports team in Chicago has brought home a championship in 2023 - and they did it in their first year. This title comes from a team in an emerging sport that's been gaining popularity over the last few years.The Chicago Slice, a team in Major League Pickleball, captured the championship in the Challenger League on Monday in San Clemente, California. They defeated the Bay Area Breakers 3-2 in the championship match to come out on top of the league.It came down to the final "Dreambreaker" game which the Slice won 21-17, with Ryler DeHeart getting the championship-clinching point. He joined Emily Ackerman, Connor Garnett, and Susannah Barr on this inaugural team that competed in Mesa, Arizona, Daytona, Florida, and San Clemente. Learn more about the Chicago Slice professional pickleball team This is the second year for the MLP with 24 teams split equally into a Premier and Challenge League in one of the fastest-growing sports in AmericaCreated by Ron Saslow o...

Massive recall of frozen fruits issued across the country

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (WTAJ) -- A massive recall of frozen fruits is underway across the country that includes such retail stores as Walmart, Target and Aldi.The voluntary recall comes from Sunrise Grower's Inc and includes specific frozen fruit products linked to pineapple that may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in children, elderly people, and others that may have weakened immune systems. Symptoms in healthy people may only be short-term and could include high fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, the infection can cause pregnant women to have miscarriages or stillbirths. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, these products were distributed to the following retailers:Walmart: Great Value Mixed Fruit, Great Value Dark Sweet Cherries, and Great Value Mango Chunks sold at stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Iowa, Idah...

US has 'downplayed' the number of UFO sightings: Senator Hawley

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

(NewsNation) — Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) said he was "surprised" to learn how many unidentified aerial phenomena the U.S. government has come across, amid calls from lawmakers for investigations into a whistleblower's claims of a secret UFO program. "The number of these is apparently huge, huge. And that is something that the government has, the best I can say about it, downplayed, if not kept from the public, for a long, long time," said Hawley. ‘Mysterious lights’ seen hovering in night sky over Las Vegas valley While he acknowledged that he can't assess the truth of David Grusch's allegations, Hawley pointed to government reports that indicated there were UAP sightings that remain "unaccounted for.""I don't have any basis to evaluate them but do some of the details that he's alleging, do they sound plausible? Yeah, sure. They sound plausible, based on what I've seen this government do in other instances," Hawley said.Hawley said his remarks concerned the government's r...

Debris field found near Titanic during search for submersible, US Coast Guard says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that an underwater vessel has located a debris field near the Titanic in the search for a missing submersible with five people aboard, a potential breakthrough in an increasingly urgent around-the-clock effort.The Coast Guard's post on Twitter gave no details, such as whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. The search passed the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air could have run out.The Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic — but experts have emphasized that was an imprecise approximation to begin with and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it’s not known if they survived since the sub’s disappearance.Rescuers have rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance. On Thursday...

Tornadoes, hail and hurricane-force winds tear through west Texas, killing 4 people in small town

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

A line of severe storms produced what a meteorologist calls a rare combination of multiple tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail in west Texas, killing at least four people, injuring nine and causing significant damage around the town of Matador, a meteorologist said Thursday.The storms produced strong winds that swept across Texas, from the Panhandle to Houston, causing damage north of the city, according to weather officials.A supercell developed about 8 p.m. Wednesday near Amarillo before striking the small town of Matador, said senior forecaster Matt Ziebell with the National Weather Service in Lubbock. He called it “certainly rare to see all at the same time — killer tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail.”The damage was concentrated on a 1-mile stretch with businesses and homes demolished along the west side of Matador, a town where “everybody knows everybody,” said Brandon Moore, Matador’s water superintendent who is also a volunteer firef...

PHOTOS: Storms roll across Central Texas Wednesday night

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Strong to severe storms moved through Central Texas Wednesday evening, bringing hail, strong winds, lots of lightning and a brief Tornado Warning in Llano County.KXAN viewers across the area sent in some great photos during and after the storms.Check out some of the best in our photo gallery below:Lightning over Dripping Springs on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Rex Mitchell)Lightning over Dripping Springs on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Rex Mitchell)Storm clouds over Buchanan Dam on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Catherine Shaw)Storm clouds over Buchanan Dam on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Catherine Shaw)Storm clouds over Kingsland on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Jeannie Flexer)Storm clouds over Bastrop on June 21, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)Lightning over southwest Austin on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Chad Jones)Lightning over Spicewood on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Paul Kelly)Lightning over north Austin on June 21, 2023. (Courtesy Marsha Moyer)Lightning over Spicewood on June 21, 2023. (KXAN V...

Rethink35 drops I-35 lawsuit, eyes new legal action against downtown segment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:15:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A community grassroots group in opposition to the Texas Department of Transportation's Interstate 35 expansion project dropped its lawsuit this week — but is eyeing possible legal action against the project's downtown segment.Last June, Rethink35 joined the Texas Public Interest Research Group and Environment Texas in a lawsuit filing against TxDOT, mainly targeting the north and south portions of the three-segmented project. In the lawsuit, the three organizations alleged TxDOT "violated the law" by splitting up the I-35 Capital Express Projects into three sections in an effort to avoid a "more rigorous environmental review and public engagement of a single larger project." RELATED REPORTING: 3 groups sue TxDOT over I-35 improvement projects On Thursday, Rethink35's board president Adam Greenfield told KXAN the group still stands behind the lawsuit's claims, but the organization is working toward possible legal action against the I-35 Capital Express Central proje...