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Arab governments vote for Syria’s return to the Arab League

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Arab government representatives in Cairo voted Sunday to return Syria to the Arab League after a 12-year suspension, according to the organization. The vote in the Egyptian capital came days after regional top diplomats met in Jordan to discuss a roadmap to return Syria to the Arab fold as the conflict continues to de-escalate, and soon before Saudi Arabia hosts the upcoming Arab League Summit on May 19.Syria’s membership in the Arab League was suspended 12 years ago early on in the uprising-turned-conflict, which has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.All 13 of the 22 member states that attended the session endorsed the decision. The Arab League generally tries to reach agreements by consensus but sometimes opts for simple majorities.There is still no Arab consensus on normalization with Damascus. Several governments did not attend the meeting. Among the most notable absentees was Qa...

Ukraine farmers surrounded by risks, from mines to logistics

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

POTOMKYNE, Ukraine (AP) — A grassy lane rutted with tire tracks leads to Volodymyr Zaiets’ farm in southern Ukraine. He is careful, driving only within those shallow grooves — veering away might cost him his life in the field dotted with explosive mines. Weeds grow tall where rows of sunflowers once bloomed. Zaiets’ land hasn’t been touched since the fall of 2021, when it was last seeded with wheat. Now, it’s a minefield left by retreating Russian forces.Zaiets eschewed official warnings and demined this patch of land himself, determined not to lose the year’s harvest. He expects that 15% of his 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of farmland was salvaged. Workers like Victor Kostiuk still spot mines, but he’s ready to start the tractor.“We have to do it,” he says, “Why be afraid?”Across Ukraine, the war has forced grain growers into a vicious dilemma. Farmers in areas now free from Russian occupation are risking their lives to strip their land of explosives before the cr...

Japan leader expresses sympathy for Korean colonial victims

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Japan’s prime minister expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced laborers during Japan’s colonial rule, as he and his South Korean counterpart on Sunday renewed resolve to overcome historical grievances and strengthen cooperation in the face of shared challenges such as North Korea’s nuclear program. Comments by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his second summit in less than two months with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are closely watched in Seoul. Yoon has faced domestic criticism that he had preemptively made concessions to Tokyo without getting corresponding steps in return. Kishida’s statement, which avoided a new, direct apology over the colonization but still sympathized with the Korean victims, suggests he felt pressure to say something to maintain momentum for improved ties.“And personally, I have strong pain in my heart as I think of the extreme difficulty and sorrow that many people had to suffer under the severe en...

Nuclear watchdog’s worries grow over Ukraine plant safety

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is expressing growing anxiety about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after the governor of the Russia-occupied area ordered the evacuation of a town where most plant staff live amid ongoing attacks in the area.The plant is near the front lines of fighting, and Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a 72-year-old woman was killed and three others were wounded when Russian forces fired more than 30 shells at Nikopol, a Ukrainian-held town neighboring the plant.“The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in a warning that came Saturday before the latest report of attacks.“I’m extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant.”Grossi’s comments were prompted by an announcement Friday by Yevgeny Balitsky, the ...

Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — LaJoia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden.He’s provided opportunities for Black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically Black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, Black voters in...

Rain and thunderstorms in the forecast every day this week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The wind in the upper atmosphere continues from the southwest bringing in more moisture from the Pacific. Surface winds remain out of the south to southeast keeping the flow coming from the Gulf. Thankfully, there was no active weather Saturday or Saturday night. Today there will be a marginal (1 out of 5) risk for severe thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Today's storm threats will come from hail 1.00" in diameter and larger along with wind gusts exceeding 55 mph. This afternoon's severe risk area is marginal BLOG: Hazed and confused: What’s in the air over Austin? The chance of showers and thunderstorms is 30% this afternoon. It drops to 20% this evening and again on Monday. Most of the area likely won't see any rain to start the week. There will be a marginal (1 out of 5) risk Monday for Lampasas and much of San Saba Counties. The unsettled weather pattern will continue for the rest of the week into next weekend. Rain chances go to 50% Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday...

Finding place to rent on one income a “harrowing journey” in metro Denver

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

Zoe Clemmons is turning 30 soon.The Denverite graduated and landed a solid job at a public relations firm, but the idea her generation was sold about working hard to one day earn the white picket fence doesn’t seem to be unfolding as promised.For the five years Clemmons has lived in Colorado, she’s relied on roommates to help pay the rent. Clemmons is grateful for her time sharing a 123-year-old house in Capitol Hill with two flatmates even if she has the memories of a mice infestation, no air conditioning and cracks in the ceiling to remind her of humble beginnings.“It’s been wonderful living there but I’m at the point where I’ll be 30 this year and want my own place to live,” Clemmons said. “I don’t think I could ever afford a house in Denver. That’s a dream of mine. I would like to pursue that at some point but it doesn’t seem realistic. There is this subconscious pressure to have to move up in the world, though, and have your own spot.”Clemmons took the leap, stepping out ...

The Prairie Chicken Festival in Kansas will test your mettle — and may even change you

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

Mom and I fancy ourselves birdwatchers. But we don’t begin to qualify as birders,  those obsessed people in earth-toned outdoor apparel who travel the globe to see as many rare birds as possible.So it was on a lark that we decided to drive from our Denver area homes to Hays, Kan., for the second annual Lek Treks Prairie Chicken Festival put on by Audubon of Kansas (AOK) in mid-April.Yet we (and other birdwatchers we met) didn’t fully grasp what we were in for. We thought a Prairie Chicken Festival sounded amusing and novel. It was that, but also a physically challenging and politically troubling experience for the uninitiated.Mom and I arrived without many useful things, including the wisdom of experience. For example, we had no spotting scope; no American Birding Association “life list” to track the birds we’ve seen in our lifetimes; no eBird or Merlin mobile apps loaded onto our phones; no pricey cameras with zoom lenses like portable Webb Space Telescopes slung across our shoulde...

Transporting harp from San Francisco no laughing matter … except in this case: Roadshow

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

Q: You recently asked readers to submit the most memorable Roadshow stories from over the years. Years ago, a reader, whose daughter was learning to play the harp, asked for advice on vehicles that could transport such an instrument. Several had suggestions, but one wrote that he solved this problem by leaving his harp in San Francisco. Perhaps it is my quirky sense of humor, but I thought that was hilarious.Tom Darby, San JoseA: How about the rest of you? I’m compiling favorite columns and stories and we will rerun some of them periodically.Q: I meant to send you this months ago, but forgot every time after going through the Interstate 680 – Highway 4 interchange. After improvements were completed there, the speed and sharp turn warning signs were not reinstalled for all ramps.Especially dangerous is the ramp for exiting southbound I-680 and entering eastbound Highway 4. There are no reduced speed signs, or sharp curve ahead warning signs for this very sharp ramp, hidde...

Are the Bay Area’s largest downtowns caught in a doom loop?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:10:52 GMT

On a recent gloomy afternoon in downtown San Francisco, a handful of tourists waiting to board the city’s famous cable cars watched paramedics strap a barefoot man, moaning and writhing in the throes of an apparent mental health crisis, onto a gurney. As he was loaded into a flashing ambulance, another man frantically shouted obscenities toward police officers at the scene.Just across the street, Amy Hahn was finishing dress shopping at the Nordstrom store in the Westfield mall. She planned to make a beeline to the nearest BART station. “I am wary of being out in that area,” said Hahn, 26. “I like to minimize that.”Nordstrom confirmed last week it plans to close the flagship store this summer, along with the nearby Nordstrom Rack — two of the most prominent department stores in the heart of the city. The company cited the changing “dynamics” of downtown, a thinly veiled reference to the perception that crime and homelessness are out of contr...