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PBS Short Film Fest explores DC shoes, opioid crisis and prison pregnancy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews the PBS Short Film Fest (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The 12th annual PBS Short Film Festival returns to the nation’s capital for your enlightenment and enjoyment.This year’s theme is “Stories in Bloom,” featuring 23 short documentary and narrative films from its 330 member stations across the country that will be available to stream on all P...

US beats Canada 3-2 in shootout after 2-2 tie to reach CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Matt Turner told his American teammates not to worry when their match against Canada went to penalty kicks.“He had the last word before we went out to the field,” U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said. “It’s just encouraging the guys to stay calm, stay committed to what they’ve practiced.”Turner stopped two penalty kicks, and the American beat Canada 3-2 in the shootout after a 2-2 draw Sunday night for a berth in a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal against Panama. The U.S. had not won a shootout since 2005.“A lot of the penalties that I had seen on my sheets or in my preparation, most of those guys were off the pitch by the time the pens were there,” Turner said. “I just trusted my instincts, really, and typically when I do that, I find myself having a lot more success.”Brandon Vázquez gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 88th minute, but Steven Vitória tied the score in the third minute of stoppage time with a penalty kick after a hand ball on Miles Robinson. Jacob Shaffel...

Two arrested in connection with fatal Mission Beach attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities have arrested a 17-year-old and 18-year-old in connection to a fatal attack in Mission Beach last week, San Diego police said in a release.The 18-year-old, identified as El Cajon resident Daniel Ruben Martin, was taken into custody by law enforcement on Friday, July 7 around 11:20 p.m. after a traffic stop in the 1200 block of Sea World Drive, SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said.Two days later, the 17-year-old suspect was arrested after self-surrendering at SDPD Headquarters at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The teenager's identity is being withheld by law enforcement, given their status as a juvenile.Authorities started investigating the incident after a concerned citizen reported a body in Bonita Cove Park at 900 block of West Mission Bay Drive on Wednesday, July 5 around 6:19 a.m., according to Shebloski.Upon arrival to the scene, officers found the man, identified as 65-year-old Michael Shook, suffering from multiple facial and upper body injuries that indicated he had ...

Chinese employers ordered to limit outdoor work as country struggles with heat, flooding and drought

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers were looking Monday for seven people missing in a landslide triggered by torrential rains while employers across much of China were ordered to limit outdoor work due to scorching temperatures as the country struggled with heat, flooding and drought.Rescuers were looking for survivors of a landslide Saturday that buried a highway construction site and killed at least one person in the central city of Yichang in Hubei province. Five people were injured, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the executive deputy mayor of Yichang, Ye Yang.Elsewhere, the weather agency issued an orange alert, its second-highest-level warning, for heat across southern China and much of the north and northeast.Temperatures above 40 C (104 F) were forecast in Beijing, the capital, and across central China to the southeastern coast. Heat above 37 to 39 C (99 to 102 F) was forecast in parts of populous Sichuan province in the southwest. Elsewhere, temperatures above 35 C (95...

Extreme flooding overwhelms New York roadways, killing 1 person

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Heavy rain spawned extreme flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night, as much of the rest of the Northeast U.S. began bracing for potentially punishing rains.As the storm moved east, the National Weather Service extended flash flood warnings into Connecticut, including the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, before creeping into Massachusetts. Forecasters said some areas could get as much as 5 inches (12 centimeters) of rain.In New York’s Hudson Valley, rescue teams were attempting to retrieve the body of a woman in her 30s who drowned after being swept away while trying to evacuate her home. Two other people escaped.The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed the woman’s house and damaged part of its wall, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus told The Associated Press.“Her house was completely surrounded by water,” he said.“She was trying to get through (...

Syria revokes BBC accreditation over alleged bias after report on high-level ties to drug trade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s Information Ministry revoked the BBC’s media accreditation, days after the British public broadcaster aired a report linking members of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s family and senior army officials to the production and smuggling of illicit drugs.The documentary, broadcast in late June, describes a multibillion dollar business involving the highly addictive amphetamine known as CaptagonThe Syrian ministry said it revoked the BBC’s accreditation after repeated warnings about what it claimed were “misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.” The ministry made no mention of the documentary and did not back up its claims of biased reporting.The BBC dismissed the ministry’s allegations, saying it provides impartial and independent journalism.“We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts,” the BBC said in a statement emailed to The ...

Myanmar violence and sea disputes to dominate ASEAN talks joined by US, Russian and Chinese envoys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Myanmar’s prolonged civil strife, tensions in the disputed South China Sea and concern over arms buildups in the region are expected to dominate the agenda when Southeast Asia’s top diplomats gather for talks this week in Indonesia.Russia’s year-old invasion of Ukraine and the U.S.-China rivalry will also be under the spotlight as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang participate as dialogue partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.North Korea has yet to say whether its foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual regional security meeting.It’s also unclear who among the key figures in the world’s most intractable conflicts will meet on the sidelines of the group’s ministerial meetings.The top diplomats of ASEAN, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao...

SCO member states to further strengthen solidarity, co-operation for peace, development

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured) will attend the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video conference from Beijing on July 4 and deliver important remarks, writes He Yin, People's Daily.Xi will map out the future development of the SCO with the leaders of other countries attending the summit, expound on Chinese plans and raise cooperation initiatives on building a closer SCO community with a shared future.The SCO, as an organization for regional cooperation with the largest population and the largest landmass in the world, is a constructive force in international and regional affairs.In the past more than 20 years since the organization was established, the SCO member states have always followed the SCO Charter and the principles and purposes of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the Member States of the SCO.They pursue and carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, namely, mutual tru...

Evacuations ordered after landslide in L.A. County neighborhood destroys homes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

Residents of a Los Angeles County neighborhood were forced to evacuate their homes Saturday night after a giant landslide prompted police, fire and utility company officials to respond early Sunday morning and close down the area.  At least 12 homes were evacuated in Rolling Hills Estates along Peartree Lane next to the canyon area, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. Several other homes caved in and were completely destroyed. A total of 16 residents were forced to leave their residences after one of the homeowners reported problems.  According to the L.A. County Fire Department, cracks were first discovered in the structure of one home, which led crews to find that the damage had progressed to neighboring residences. SoCal Edison shut off power in the area, and Southern California Gas Company crews were called in to make sure no gas lines had been ruptured.  "It’s concerning. A lot of families live here," homeowner Abtin Hashemian told KTLA. Hashem...

Yankees fire hitting coach Dillion Lawson in 1st midseason change under GM Brian Cashman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hitting coach Dillon Lawson was fired by the New York Yankees after Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs, a rare midseason change by a franchise that has prized stability since Hal Steinbrenner took over from his father as controlling owner.New York’s .231 batting average is 28th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of only Detroit and Oakland. The Yankees are batting a major league-worst .218 in 31 games since Aaron Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe on June 3, going 14-17 and entering the All-Star break in fourth place of the AL East 49-42.New York is fifth in the majors with 129 homers, but 18th in runs and its .300 on-base percentage is 26th.No replacement was announced. General manager Brian Cashman, who had never before fired a coach during a season, said he will hire a successor from outside the organization before the Yankee begin the second half Friday at Colorado.Cashman said assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson will be retain...