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Takeaways of AP investigation into a missing boat of 180 Rohingya refugees

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

TEKNAF, Bangladesh (AP) — On Dec. 1, 2022, a boat carrying around 180 Rohingya refugees set out from Bangladesh, bound for Indonesia. On board were babies, pregnant women and children fleeing surging violence in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. One week later, the boat vanished.The Associated Press has reconstructed the passengers’ journey based on dozens of interviews, audio recordings of calls from the boat, photos and videos. The AP’s reporting reveals the boat sank during a storm a week into its journey.Human rights advocates say what happened to those on board is the latest example of political inaction and global apathy toward the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar. At least 348 Rohingya died or went missing while attempting to cross the Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea last year — the highest death toll since 2014, according to the UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency. Yet the UNHCR says its repeated pleas to maritime authorities to rescue some of these distresse...

A boat carrying 180 Rohingya refugees vanished. A frantic phone call helped untangle the mystery.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

TEKNAF, Bangladesh (AP) — The wind had whipped the waves to nearly three times the woman’s height when her panicked voice crackled over the phone. “Our boat has sunk!” Setera Begum shouted, as a storm threatened to spill her and around 180 others into the inky black sea south of Bangladesh. “Only half of it is still afloat!”On the other end of the line, hundreds of miles away in Malaysia, was her husband, Muhammed Rashid, who picked up the phone at 10:59 p.m. his time on Dec. 7, 2022. He had not seen his family in 11 years. And he had only learned days earlier that Setera and two of their daughters had fled surging violence in Bangladesh’s camps for ethnic Rohingya refugees.Now, Rashid feared, his family’s frantic bid to escape would cost them the very thing they were trying to save — their lives. For despite Setera’s pleas, no help would come, not for her or for the babies, the 3-year-old afraid of the sea or the pregnant women also on board.Rashid listened to his wife’s terr...

Soccer players demand change for rampant online racist abuse, turn to AI for protection

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Missing penalties in a major international soccer final was bad enough for three Black players on England’s national team. Being subjected to a torrent of racial abuse on social media in the aftermath made it even worse.Monkey emojis. Being told to go home. The N-word.The even sadder part? Everyone knew it was coming.“It’s stupid,” said Nedum Onuoha, a retired Black player who was in the top divisions of English and U.S. soccer for 16 years. “But are we surprised?”It’s the latest form of racism: technology-fueled, visual, permanently intrusive and 24/7 — a haunting reminder of the 1980s-style monkey chants and banana-throwing in a social media era.And it is spiraling out of control on platforms where anonymity is the golden ticket for racists.“Every time it happens, it knocks you back and floors you,” Onuoha told The Associated Press. “Just when you think everything is OK, it’s a reminder that it’s not. It’s a reminder of how some people actually see you.”Racism is the...

Missouri man facing execution for killing 2 jailers in failed bid to help inmate escape in 2000

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

A man who shot and killed two rural Missouri jailers nearly 23 years ago during a failed bid to help an inmate escape is set to be executed Tuesday evening.Michael Tisius, 42, is scheduled to die by injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Leon Egley and Jason Acton at the small Randolph County Jail on June 22, 2000. Tisius’ lawyers have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block the execution, alleging in their appeals that a juror at a sentencing hearing was illiterate, in violation of Missouri law.The Supreme Court has already turned aside another argument — that Tisius should be spared because he was just 19 at the time of the killings. A 2005 Supreme Court ruling bars executions of those under 18 when their crime occurred, but attorneys for Tisius argued that even at 19 when the killings occurred, Tisius’ should have his sentence commuted to life in prison without parole.Advocates for Tisius also have said he was largely neglected as a child and was homel...

Stanford tops Texas A&M to win regional, Cardinal to host Longhorns in supers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Saborn Campbell tripled and scored the go-ahead run, Malcolm Moore added a two-run home run and Stanford beat Texas A&M 7-1 on Monday night to win the Stanford Regional.Top-seeded Stanford (42-17) won its third straight regional and 23rd overall. The Cardinal will be shooting for their 19th College World Series appearance when they square off against Texas in the super-regional opener. Stanford won back-to-back titles in 1987-88 and finished as the runners-up in 2000-01 and 2003.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersTexas A&M (38-27), the No. 2 seed, fell short of winning back-to-back regional titles. The Aggies made their seventh CWS appearance last season.The teams traded home runs in the second inning. Jace LaViolette, who had three of the team's seven hits, homered to give Texas A&M the lead. It lasted until Braden Montgomery went deep...

Here's why I'm sold on Apple's $3500 headset

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

Apple made a lot of announcements at their Worldwide Developers Conference 2023, but one is getting a lot of people talking.It's a $3500 virtual reality headset called Apple Vision Pro.I was there as Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked things off at the company's impeccable campus in Cupertino."Welcome to what's going to be our best WWDC ever," said Cook, foreshadowing what would come later.First, Apple showed off a new 15-inch MacBook Air laptop, then new features coming in iOS 17, then new iPad features, Apple Watch updates and even a handy way that the iPhone will help you find a lost Apple TV remote.Then finally, a moment so big, Cook brought back one of Steve Jobs' favorite phrases.There's "one more thing..." The audience, filled with Apple employees, journalists, tech influencers and developers from around the world, clapped in anticipation.Soon, the future, as we always imagined, was right in front of us.A pair of ski-like goggles called Apple Vision Pro. Incredibly slick and capable, ...

Illegal narcotics delivery service busted in Ventura County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

A 40-year-old man and four accomplices have been arrested for running an illegal narcotics delivery service in Ventura County, authorities announced on Monday.  A three-month investigation was launched after detectives with the Ventura County Narcotics Street Team learned about the organization in March. Over the course of their investigation, authorities discovered members of the service were delivering narcotics, including counterfeit prescription pills, heroin and methamphetamine to customers from Thousand Oaks to Ojai on a daily basis.  Colton resident Edgar Nunez, 40, was identified as the head of the delivery service and was acting “as the full-time dispatcher,” according to a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office news release. Authorities also identified three delivery service drivers, 31-year-old Javier Cruz from Canoga Park, Irving Villa and Esteban Moran, both from Colton.  Alexander Hernandez, 26, from Tijuana, Mexico, was identified as another associate of the i...

Drive-thru only Chick-fil-A opening in Lancaster

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

One of America's most popular fast food restaurants is opening a new location in the Antelope Valley, and you won't need (or be able) to get out of your car to order.Chick-fil-A will be opening a drive-thru only restaurant later this week in Lancaster. The fast food company says the new operation will bring in 120 full- and part-time jobs to the local community.The new restaurant is located at 1331 W. Avenue K. The new location will offer drive-thru ordering, outdoor seating and a walk-up window for carry out orders. The restaurant will also offer on-site parking for those wishing to eat on the spot.It'll be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but will be closed Sundays as part of Chick-fil-A's longstanding corporate guidelines.As part of the special grand opening, Chick-fil-A is recognizing 100 "local heroes" in the Lancaster community, and awarding them with free entrees for an entire year.The global Chick-fil-A corporation will also be making a $25,000 to Feed...

Former Bay Area news anchor Frank Somerville arrested in Berkeley

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

(KRON) -- Former Bay Area news anchor Frank Somerville was arrested Monday night, the Berkeley Police Department confirmed to KRON4. Berkeley police responded to a home in the 800 block of Indian Rock Avenue at 6:36 p.m. for the report of a family altercation. The home is owned by Frank Somerville's brother, BPD said. Gunman opens fire on Oakland carjackers Officers found Somerville being restrained by his brother when they arrived, police said. BPD also said that Somerville was intoxicated. He was arrested for criminal threat, assault, public intoxication and violation of probation. Somerville was previously a longtime anchor at KTVU in the Bay Area. He was arrested for DUI in Oakland on Dec. 30, 2021. KRON ON is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100...

Bobrovsky pulled, other stars struggle as Panthers fall behind 2-0 in Stanley Cup Final

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:36 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two games into the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers look like an 8 seed for the first time all playoffs.Florida was torched for a second consecutive game, losing 7-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday to fall into a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series.And while the series may be far from over as the scene shifts to Florida for Games 3 and 4, the Panthers will need a much better effort from their contingent of stars that led them past three of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference and into the Cup Final.“The parts of our game that we know that we can improve, we’re going to have to get to real fast. There’s no doubt about that,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “We’ll have a pretty simple game plan. I don’t think it’s about scoring goals in this series because I think it’s about defending the rush, and we weren’t great at that tonight.”The Panthers allowed an average of 2.6 goals through their first 16 playoff games, but have been lit up for 12 i...