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41 Indian construction workers rescued from collapsed tunnel where they were trapped for 17 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

UTTARKASHI, India (AP) — Forty-one construction workers emerged dazed and smiling Tuesday from a collapsed tunnel in northern India where they had spent the last 17 days — a happy ending to an ordeal that had gripped the country and led to a massive rescue operation that overcame several setbacks.Locals, relatives and government officials erupted in joy, set off firecrackers and shouted “Bharat Mata ki Jai” — Hindi for “Long live mother India — as happy workers walked out after receiving a brief checkup by doctors. Officials hung garlands around their necks as the crowd cheered. Nitin Gadkari, the country’s minister of road transport and highways, said in a video posted on the social media platform X that he was “completely relieved and happy” that all of the workers were rescued from the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, a town in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. “This was a well-coordinated effort by multiple agencies, marking one of the most significant rescu...

Why RTD is switching its seats from cloth to vinyl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you're a frequent light rail rider, you're familiar with the fabric seat covers and their bright, eye-catching stripes.Those seat covers will soon be replaced with vinyl covers sporting a blue-gray background and a subtle dot pattern out of RTD's brand colors. The first rail cars with the new seat covers went into service on Nov. 14, and the conversion is expected to take about three years. Out-of-state group files civil rights lawsuits against University of Colorado The timeframe is because the agency has committed to completing one car per week until RTD's whole fleet of about 200 light rail vehicles. RTD unveiled the light rail in 1994 with wool seat coverings, which were seen as plush and inviting.With new technology, the agency can use new materials to create comfortable, inviting seat covers that are also far easier to clean.RTD's old seat covers are seen in this screenshot from an RTD YouTube video.RTD's new seat covers are seen in this screenshot from a...

Tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A tribute service honoring the life of first lady Rosalynn Carter will take place Tuesday at Emory University in Atlanta.Among those expected to attend the service is her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who is currently in hospice care."The fact that everything they did, they did together in such a collective way of being supportive of each other is just indicative of a 77-year marriage," said Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center."She's not just his wife, but she's a force to be reckoned with herself."President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are also set to be among the guests attending the service."The president and the first lady certainly look forward to being there and to offering, you know, offering their condolences," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.All of the living former first ladies — Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump — are set to attend.Carter died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96.Three d...

Family returns to court to advocate for teen murder suspect’s transfer to juvenile facility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

The family of 13-year-old Derek Rosa continues their battle to have him moved from the adult Metro West Detention Center, where he is held as a murder suspect.During a recent court hearing on Tuesday, emotions ran high as Derek’s father waved and blew a kiss to his son, while Derek’s grandmother shed tears.The teenager stands accused of murdering his mother in her Hialeah apartment on October 12. Allegedly, Rosa stabbed his mother while she slept next to his newborn half-sister before calling 911 to confess to the crime.In October, the family pled not guilty on Derek’s behalf, with his father, Jose, advocating for a second chance. “I guess what we’re asking for is another opportunity – a second chance – to help him grow and become mature as a grown man to put this behind him,” said Jose Rosa.The question of where Derek Rosa should be held has been a subject of legal contention. The judge, who has twice delayed a decision, emphasized the need...

Democratic lawmaker puts forward resolution to expel Santos in bid to force vote this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California has put forward a resolution to expel indicted Rep. George Santos in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee investigation into the New York Republican.The resolution from Garcia is privileged, which will require GOP leadership to take up the matter within two legislative days, though it could potentially be pre-empted if leadership calls up another expulsion resolution first. Before Thanksgiving, House GOP Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi and the Ethics Committee chair, introduced his own resolution to expel Santos.Santos has survived previous attempts to oust him from the House, but there is growing momentum for this latest effort. Following the ethics investigation, a number of Republicans who had previously not backed expulsion indicated that they would now vote in favor.It’s still not yet clear though whether there will be enough votes to expel Santos. Expulsion is exceedingly rare and requires a two-thirds major...

Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to 27 years in prison for nearly 2 dozen state financial crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

Alex Murdaugh – the disgraced former South Carolina attorney serving two life sentences for the murders of his wife and son – was sentenced to another 27 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to nearly two dozen state financial crimes, including money laundering, breach of trust, conspiracy, forgery and tax evasion.Murdaugh pleaded guilty earlier this month in a deal that prosecutor Creighton Waters of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said would ensure Murdaugh remained “in state prison for a very long time.”Prosecutors asked for the 27 years in prison, which Waters said would be independent of the two sentences of life without parole he is already serving.“I just want you to know that we are very satisfied that this is a very, very strong sentence that has been agreed to by the parties,” said attorney Eric “EB” Bland, who, along with his partner Ronnie Richter, represents a number of Murdaugh’s victims.“It sends a clarion bell signal to not only attorneys, bu...

Hamas and Israel exchange more hostages for prisoners on fifth day of temporary cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released 12 hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday, the fifth day of a fragile cease-fire that has enabled humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and that mediators hope to extend even as Israel pledges to resume the war.Israel said 10 of its citizens and two Thai nationals freed by Hamas returned to Israel. Soon after, Israel released the Palestinian prisoners. The truce is due to end after one more exchange Wednesday night.CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, who heads Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, were in Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, to discuss extending the cease-fire and releasing more hostages, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. A U.S. official confirmed Burns was in Qatar, speaking anonymously because the director’s travel plans are not publicized for security reasons.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region this week, also ...

Police: Mother killed in Daytona Beach arson murder was found with 100 stab wounds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — The 30-year-old mother found dead in Daytona Beach after a house fire was stabbed 100 times, an arrest affidavit shows.On Nov. 21, the Daytona Beach Police Department responded to a house fire on Beville Road around 11:47 p.m. According to the affidavit, the apartment was fully engulfed with flames and large plumes of black smoke were emitting from the windows and doors.When fire rescue entered the building, they were able to locate three young children. A 10-month-old baby was pronounced dead at the Halifax Medical Center, and the other two children were transported to Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville.Den’Jah Moore, who was pronounced dead on-scene, was found to be suffering from approximately 100 knife wounds in addition to severe burns, the affidavit reads.Officials also noted in the affidavit that all four burners on the kitchen stove were turned on and had large amounts of miscellaneous burnt paper and a box located on top.Th...

Gripping short film ‘Hammer’ starring Eric Roberts delivers chills in just 14 minutes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

In the spine-tingling short film ‘Hammer,’ directed by Orlando Cicilia III, the story revolves around Bill, portrayed by actor Eric Roberts, who comes home to surprise his wife only to be met with an unexpected twist.Orlando Cicilia III: “Hammer is the unfortunate story of Bill, played by Eric [Roberts], who comes home to surprise his wife and ends up with a surprise of his own.”Bill is portrayed by actor Eric Roberts, who says it didn’t take too much for him to nail the character.Eric Roberts: “When I play these kind of really extreme people, I don’t become them. I pretend to be them. It’s just fun and games. I don’t have to put myself through a whole psychological evolution to play them.”The film is kind of brief.It’s only 14 minutes long and it was shot in one take but there are plenty of scares to go around.Orlando Cicilia III: “It’s a horror thriller, smack you in the mouth kind of suspenseful movie t...

Racists behind Dublin riot could attack immigrants and politicians, government warned

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:50 GMT

DUBLIN — The emboldened racists who ravaged downtown Dublin will end up assaulting racial minorities and politicians if the government doesn’t shut down their extremist organizations and social media groups, Ireland’s justice minister was warned Tuesday as she rejected calls to resign.Helen McEntee promised extra powers, equipment and discretion for police to use force to avoid any repeat of Thursday’s unprecedented rioting, which was sparked by the stabbing of three children and an afterschool teacher outside a primary school in the heart of the capital. A 5-year-old girl and the teacher remain hospitalized, the child in critical condition.After right-wing bloggers identified the attacker as an Algerian, extremists using such noms de guerre as “kill all immigrants” quickly rallied supporters via WhatsApp groups to confront and overwhelm Ireland’s lightly-armed and ill-prepared police force. Hours of clashes ended with 60 officers injured, at least 48 suspected rioters arrested, a l...