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2 victims of Maui wildfire identified. Death toll rises to 106. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii, killing dozens of people and destroying the historic town of Lahaina. The wildfires are the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. The cause was under investigation. Even where the fires have retreated, authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes.Maui County released the names of two people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina Tuesday evening, as the death toll rose to 106.A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify remains, as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains,...

India and China pledge to maintain ‘peace and tranquility’ along disputed border despite tensions

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese and Indian military commanders pledged to “maintain the peace and tranquility” along their disputed border, China’s Defense Ministry said, in an apparent effort by the sides to stabilize the situation after a rise in tensions.China’s Defense Ministry issued a joint statement on social media late Tuesday saying the 19th round of commander-level talks between the sides held on Sunday and Monday had produced a “positive, constructive and in-depth discussion” centered on resolving issues related to the Line of Actual Control in the border’s western sector.The statement said they “agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner,” but there is no indication that either side is willing to offer concessions. However, both appear eager to avoid the sort of clashes between their troops that have led to bloodshed in recent years. “In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas,” the state...

Death toll from devastating Maui fire reaches 106, as county begins identifying victims

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — A mobile morgue unit arrived Tuesday to help Hawaii officials working painstakingly to identify remains, as Maui County released the first names of people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina a week ago and raised the death toll to 106.The county named two victims, Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, adding in a statement that a further three victims have been identified. Those names will be released once the county has identified their next of kin. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for response.“It’s going to be a very, very difficult mission,” Greene said. “And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.”The county said in a statement...

Who wants to fly over Taliban-held Afghanistan? New FAA rules allow it, but planes largely avoid it

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States has begun easing rules that could allow commercial airlines to fly over the country in routes that cut time and fuel consumption for East-West travel. But those shortened flight routes for India and Southeast Asia raise questions never answered during the Taliban’s previous rule from the 1990s to the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. How, if at all, do you deal with the Taliban as they block women from schools and jobs, and engage in behavior described by United Nations experts as potentially akin to “gender apartheid?” Can airlines manage the risk of flying in uncontrolled airspace over a country where an estimated 4,500 shoulder-launched anti-aircraft weapons still lurk? And what happens if you have an emergency and need to land suddenly?Who wants to fly over such a country? The OPSGroup, an organization for the aviation industry, recently offered a simple answer...

Evacuations ordered as Northern California fire roars through forest near site of 2022 deadly blaze

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

HAMBURG, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire pushed by gusty winds from a thunderstorm raced through national forest land near California’s border with Oregon on Tuesday, prompting evacuations in the rural area.The blaze in Siskiyou County, dubbed the Head Fire, was one of at least 15 fires — most of them tiny — that erupted in the Klamath National Forest as thunderstorms rolling through the area brought lightning and downdrafts that drove the flames through timber and rural lands.In the space of a few hours, the blaze had grown to more than 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) and spot fires from the main blaze had jumped the Klamath River, according to the U.S. Forest Service. There weren’t any immediate reports of injuries or homes burned Tuesday night. However, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for several areas, including one south of Hamburg, a riverside community of around 100 people. State Route 96 also was closed.The Head Fire was burning ne...

North Carolina GOP seeks to override governor’s veto of bill banning gender-affirming care for youth

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Transgender rights take center stage in North Carolina again Wednesday as GOP supermajorities in the General Assembly attempt to override the governor’s vetoes of legislation banning gender-affirming health care for minors and limiting transgender participation in school sports.The state House will hold the first of two votes Wednesday afternoon in a bid to enact the bills over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition. If House Republicans quickly muster the votes needed, the Senate might aim to complete the override with a decisive final vote Wednesday evening, the Senate leader’s office said.The GOP holds veto-proof majorities in both chambers for the first time since 2018, affording Republicans a clear path to consider certain LGBTQ+ restrictions that had not previously gained traction in North Carolina. Initial votes indicate Cooper’s vetoes of both bills are likely to be overridden.If the Republicans who control the General Assembly are suc...

President Tokayev Reaffirms Kazakhstan’s Commitment to OSCE

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underscored Kazakhstan’s commitment to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a reliable member state at an Aug. 11 meeting with Bujar Osmani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia and OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Astana. The President stressed that the OSCE is irreplaceable despite the divisions that unfortunately exist within the organization, emphasizing the need to maintain its potential. According to Tokayev, it is vital to ensure that the OSCE continues to serve as a unique platform for dialogue ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act in 2025, an agreement signed by 35 nations that concluded the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Helsinki, Finland. “Our strong partnership with the OSCE is based on the shared vision of building a secure community, enshrined in the Astana Declaration of the 2010 OSCE Summit,” he said. Elaborating on the prospects for strengthen...

Man shot by police on golf course allegedly armed with two guns

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

A man believed to have a fired a gun inside his Fontana home and who was later spotted on a nearby golf course allegedly carrying two firearms was shot by police Tuesday.  Officers with the Fontana Police Department responded to a residence near the Sierra Lake Golf Club, located at 16600 Clubhouse Drive, just before 4 p.m. on reports of shots fired.  Authorities are still investigating the circumstances around the incident, but KTLA was told that there was a dispute inside the man’s family home where shots were fired. A relative then called police, saying the man was distraught and had been drinking. The man reportedly then left the home with two guns.  When police arrived to the scene, they located the suspect on the golf course, near the clubhouse and a police shooting occurred.  Multiple sources told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that the man shot by police was an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy. However, authorities in Fontana have yet to confirm that....

Video captures violent brawl at Target in San Bernardino County

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

Video captured the moment a violent brawl broke out in a Target store in Redlands as terrified shoppers looked on.The fight took place at a store on West Lugonia Avenue on Monday night as four men were seen assaulting a victim.“They start swinging towards the Latino guy,” said Laura Sanchez, a witness. “It was like four against one.”Sanchez had walked into the store around 8:15 p.m. and was on her way to the bathroom when the fight broke out. “We just heard noises in the background and out of nowhere, they just come up and started fighting,” Sanchez said. “We’re like, ‘What happened?’”A Target employee was seen in the video asking customers to move away from the group of brawling men.Video captured the moment a violent brawl broke out in a Target store in Redlands on August 14, 2023. A Target store in Redlands on on West Lugonia Avenue. (KTLA)Video captured the moment a violent brawl broke out in a Target store in Redlands on August 14, 2023. Video captured the moment a violent...

Woman violently dragged by purse-snatcher in Hacienda Heights

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:11:44 GMT

Video captured the terrifying moment a woman was dragged across the ground by a purse snatcher in Hacienda Heights.The violent robbery happened Monday afternoon outside a Bank of America on Azusa Avenue and Pepper Brook Way.Video captured at the scene shows a male thief dragging the victim by the arm as he attempts to steal her purse.After dragging the woman across the parking lot, the thief finally yanks the purse from her before fleeing the scene.The woman is left lying on the ground as bystanders are seen chasing the suspect off. Locals said the incident has left them shaken. Video captured the terrifying moment a woman was dragged across the road by a purse snatcher in Hacienda Heights on August 14, 2023. (KTLA)Video captured the terrifying moment a woman was dragged across the road by a purse snatcher in Hacienda Heights on August 14, 2023. (KTLA)Video captured the terrifying moment a woman was dragged across the road by a purse snatcher in Hacienda Heights on August 14, 2...