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War, natural disasters left record 71 million people internally displaced in 2022, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

The war in Ukraine helped push the global total of people left internally displaced by conflict or natural disasters to a record high of 71.1 million last year, according to a report released Thursday by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.By the end of 2022, 5.9 million people had been forced to move inside Ukraine because of Russia’s invasion, bringing the global total of people internally displaced by conflict and violence to more than 62 million, an increase of 17% since 2021. Syria had 6.8 million displaced by conflict after more than a decade of civil war.The number of people displaced inside their country at the end of the year because of disasters like floods and famine reached 8.7 million, up by 45% from 2021.The total of 71.1 million internally displaced worldwide was a 20% increase since 2021.Internal displacement refers to people forced to move inside their own borders and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre’s repor...

‘Now or never’: Migrants seek to beat the end of pandemic-related asylum restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

MATAMOROS, Mexico (AP) — Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States.In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told Wednesday to begin releasing some migrants with instructions to appear at an immigration office in the United States within 60 days, according to a U.S. official. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and provided information to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The Biden administration has been unveiling measures to replace Title 42, which suspended rights to seek asylum since March 2020 on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. On Wednesday, the Homeland Security Department announced a rule to make it extremely difficult for anyone who travels through another country, like Mexico, to qualify for asylum. It also introduced ...

Ex-Kansas legislator who committed COVID relief fraud seeks to avoid prison sentence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas lawmaker who was convicted of 12 felonies for lying on applications for federal COVID-19 relief is trying to avoid spending any time in prison, with his attorney citing his Air Force service in a combat zone as one reason.But prosecutors have asked a federal judge to sentence former Republican state Rep. Michael Capps, of Wichita, to four years and three months in prison. They have argued in court documents that he “continues to show neither remorse nor contrition” over stealing nearly $500,000 in funds meant to help businesses remain afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren scheduled Capps’ sentencing for Thursday in Wichita. A jury convicted the 45-year-old former lawmaker in December of four counts of wire fraud, four counts of money laundering, three counts of making false statements on loan applications and one count of bank fraud. The jury acquitted him of six charges, and another charge was dismiss...

Idaho triple murder trial of slain kids’ mom drawing to end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho prosecutors have spent the last four weeks painstakingly detailing their case against a woman accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a bizarre doomsday-focused plot.On Thursday, they are expected to present their final arguments to the jury in the triple murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. Vallow Daybell’s defense team, meanwhile, will likely attempt to persuade jurors that there simply isn’t enough evidence to justify a conviction. Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, are charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Vallow Daybell’s two youngest children: 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and his big sister Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday in 2019. Prosecutors also charged the couple in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being t...

Vote for your favorite Twin Cities-area restaurant patio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

Voting takes place May 11-19.Submit your vote in the form below:Here’s a look at last year’s reader picks.And here’s the Twin Cities patio guide assembled by our Eat team last year.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Starbucks debuts two new limited-time summer beverages Restaurants, Food and Drink | Would you pay $47 for a burger with a Lego bun? Here’s your chance! Restaurants, Food and Drink | Habanero Tacos to open soon on Snelling Ave. in St. Paul Restaurants, Food and Drink | Quick Fix: Curried Chicken with Peppers Restaurants, Food and Drink | ROK Eatery in Schmidt Rathskeller changing concepts to tacos and cocktails

Man shot while trying to break up fight outside El Compadre in Hollywood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

A 42-year-old man is hospitalized in intensive care after trying to help a stranger who was being attacked outside a popular Hollywood restaurant following a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. Saturday morning outside El Compadre Mexican restaurant in the 7400 block of Sunset Boulevard.  “We were cleaning things up, putting our equipment away for the night and these two cars pull up, looked like they were already having an altercation,” Jorge Ramirez-Galdamez, an artistic events creator who had been hired by the restaurant, told KTLA.  As he was wrapping things up on the back patio, he said the argument between the two groups started to escalate.  “This guy came out of the backseat, ran to the other vehicle and through the window, while the window was down, proceeded to punch this woman repeatedly and then continued to open the door and punch her while she was unconscious,” Ramirez-Galdamez said.  When the 42-year-old came to t...

Bentley driver targeted by armed robber in Sherman Oaks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

Two victims riding in a Bentley in Sherman Oaks were targeted and shot at by an armed robber on Wednesday.The victims had arrived at an apartment complex to pick up a friend when they pulled into a gated parking lot.That’s when the masked robber approached the 27-year-old driver and his passenger, a woman in her 20s, at gunpoint.“The victim, in fear understandably, accelerated suddenly backwards into the street and struck an uninvolved motorist who was traveling southbound on Coldwater Canyon,” said the Los Angeles Police Department.At that moment, the gunman began shooting at the Bentley.Another sedan was also struck by the reversing Bentley. That driver was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.A Bentley driver was targeted and shot at by an armed robber in Sherman Oaks on May 10, 2023. (KTLA)A Bentley driver was targeted and shot at by an armed robber in Sherman Oaks on May 10, 2023. (KTLA)Parking lot where a Bentley driver was targeted and shot at by an armed robber in...

‘General Hospital’ actress Jacklyn Zeman dies at 70

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

Emmy-nominated actress Jacklyn Zeman, best known for her role as Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on the ABC daytime soap opera, “General Hospital” has died. She was 70 years old. Frank Valentini, “General Hospital” executive producer, took to Twitter to formally announce the news of Zeman’s passing. “On behalf of our @GeneralHospital family, I am heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved @JackieZeman,” Valentini wrote. “Just like her character, the legendary Bobbie Spencer, she was a bright light and true professional that brought so much positive energy with her to work.”Zeman began her acting career in 1976 when she played Bobbi in the mystery crime drama series “The Edge of the Night." She joined “General Hospital” a year later in 1977 and remained on the show for nearly 50 years, appearing in more than 800 episodes. “Jackie will be greatly missed, but her positive spirit will always live on with our cast and crew,” Valentini added. “We send our heartfelt sympathy to ...

San Francisco chess club working to diversify players

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – The game of chess is played around the world, and the oldest, continuously running chess club in the U.S. is in downtown San Francisco at the Mechanics Institute. The institute is a kind of cultural center that goes back to 1854. Chess is one of its big draws, so the institute is now ramping up efforts to diversify the people who play, saying there are so many benefits for everybody. This spring, some 300 children of all ages and backgrounds from all corners of the Bay Area showed up to compete in the institute’s scholarship chess tournament. Some of those same young people are part of the institute's chess school outreach. It includes 22 weekly classes in 16 private and public schools in San Francisco. In low-income communities, classes are free – all aimed at sparking new interest in the age-old game. “Our school outreach programs are really important to help provide interesting and new skillsets to the kids in our classes, things like patience, un...

Woll has 24 saves, Maple Leafs avoid sweep with 2-1 win over Panthers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:59 GMT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots in his first playoff start, Mitch Marner and William Nylander had the goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs staved off elimination by beating the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night.Nylander was the beneficiary of an odd bounce for a power-play score in the second period, Marner scored midway through the third and Woll did the rest as he took the place of injured starter Ilya Samsonov.Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which got 23 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers still lead the series 3-1, with Game 5 in Toronto on Friday night.Woll, who turns 25 on July 12, was bidding to become the youngest Toronto goalie to have a playoff shutout since Felix Potvin — then 23 — stopped 42 shots to beat Chicago 3-0 on May 9, 1995. He was 7:47 away from pulling it off.OILERS 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist as Edmonton evened the second...