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Police charge director of Miss Nicaragua pageant with running ‘beauty queen coup’ plot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaraguan police said Friday they want to arrest the director of the Miss Nicaragua pageant, accusing her of intentionally rigging contests so that anti-government beauty queens would win the pageants as part of a plot to overthrow the government.The charges against pageant director Karen Celebertti would not be out of place in a vintage James Bond movie with a repressive, closed off government, coup-plotting claims, foreign agents and beauty queens.It all started Nov. 18, when Miss Nicaragua, Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition. The government of President Daniel Ortega briefly thought it had scored a rare public relations victory, calling her win a moment of “legitimate joy and pride.”But the tone quickly soured the day after the win when it emerged that Palacios had posted photos of herself on Facebook participating in one of the mass anti-government protests in 2018.The protests were violently repressed, and human rights officials ...

Bolivia’s Indigenous women climbers fear for their future as the Andean glaciers melt

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — When they first started climbing the Andes peaks, they could hear the ice crunching under their crampons. These days, it’s the sound of melted water running beneath their feet that they mostly listen to as they make their ascents.Dressed in colorful, multilayered skirts, a group of 20 Indigenous Bolivian women — known as the Cholita climbers — have been climbing the mountain range for the past eight years, working as tourist guides. But as the glaciers in the South American country retreat as a result of climate change, they worry about the future of their jobs.The Aymara women remember a time when practically every spot on the glaciers was covered in snow, but now there are parts with nothing but rocks.“There used to be a white blanket and now there is only rock,” said Lidia Huayllas, one of the climbers. “The thaw is very noticeable.”Huayllas said she has seen the snow-capped Huayna Potosí mountain, a 6,000-meter (19,600-feet) peak near the Bolivian c...

At U.N. climate talks, world leaders to pledge and plead on second day of leaders’ summit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A critical climate conference that began with world leaders acknowledging an Earth in crisis was set for a second day of leaders’ speeches on Saturday that organizers hope will set the stage for concrete action in coming days.The annual United Nations conference, known as COP28, was dominated Friday by presidents, prime ministers and royals laying out their plans to reduce heat-trapping emissions and urging each other to come together to avert climate catastrophe that seemed to draw closer than ever in 2023.With about 150 of the planet’s top decision-makers in attendance, opening speeches spilled into Saturday where some 60 nations had yet to speak before the major work of the conference, which runs through Dec. 12, begins.Missing from the conference are the heads of the top two polluting nations — Presidents Joe Biden of the U.S. and Xi Jinping of China. Vice President Kamala Harris was set to stand in Saturday for Biden.Harris’ appear...

No. 7 Texas looking for final Big 12 hurrah vs. No. 19 Oklahoma State for title, possible CFP berth

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas won the championship game in the Big 12's inaugural 1996 season and now will try to bid farewell to the conference with a bookend title.On the way out, the seventh-ranked Longhorns (11-1, No. 7 CFP) are the league's last hope for the four-team College Football Playoff. Even with a win over No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3) in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, SEC-bound Texas would still need a lot of help to make the playoff. Advice from an old friend helped Sarkisian, Texas make it back to Big 12 title game “We’ll talk more about that after the game. We’re in a great position. But I also know we have to take care of business," third-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "There is no College Football Playoff talk if we don’t play really good Saturday and try to find a way to win that game.”The last time the Longhorns won the Big 12 was 2009 to make the BCS national championship game, and their only other title was as the league's last national ch...

Nuggets survive Jusuf Nurkic’s big night for 119-111 win over Suns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

They needed to fend off a second-half surge from the Suns, but the Nuggets held on Friday in Phoenix for a 119-111 win over one of the top contenders in the West.Denver (14-6) shot 57% from the field and only turned the ball over nine times to win its fourth consecutive game. Next is the end of a road back-to-back Saturday at Sacramento.Jokic v. NurkicAs of late, the assists have been piling up for Nikola Jokic. He matched a career-high with 18 in New Orleans two weeks ago, and he has now averaged 12 in his last five games since getting ejected in Detroit. The first half in Phoenix was the clearest example so far this season of Jokic opting to fully be a distributor over a scorer. He had a unique line of six points (four shot attempts), two rebounds and 10 assists at halftime.Things changed in the third quarter. Jokic and former teammate Jusuf Nurkic started to go at it in an old-school, physical post battle at both ends. Jokic attempted nine shots in the quarter, starting 4 for 5 b...

Loved ones search for L.A. County girl missing for months

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

Loved ones are searching for a Los Angeles County girl who has been missing for months. Zoey Lopez, 16, disappeared on July 22. She was last seen leaving her La Puente home, according to The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.The girl’s mother, Adella Lopez, said everything seemed normal that day. When Zoey left the house, Adella believed her daughter was just heading out for a short walk. The missing girl, who was 15 at the time of her disappearance, has not been heard from since.Loved ones said Zoey has never gone missing before and her disappearance is, “very unusual behavior for her.”Authorities believe she could be in the San Bernardino, Santa Monica or Riverside areas. Zoey Lopez, 16, a La Puente girl who disappeared on July 22, 2023. (The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)Zoey Lopez, 16, a La Puente girl who disappeared on July 22, 2023. (The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)Zoey Lopez, 16, a La Puente girl who disappeared...

Fire at historic Tustin hangar finally extinguished

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

A fire that destroyed a hangar at the historic Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin has finally been extinguished, nearly a month after it started.The hangar ignited on the morning of Nov. 7, partially destroying the historic aviation landmark and sending toxic material into the air over the span of the following days and weeks.Firefighters were able to contain the blaze that day, but multiple flare-ups in the weeks that followed left many Tustin residents on edge after asbestos, nickel and arsenic were found in debris samples near the site.Those dangerous chemicals led to a local state of emergency declaration, school cancellations and the scrapping of multiple outdoor events in Tustin and the outlying communities.On Friday, the Orange County All-Hazards Incident Management Team declared that the final hotspot at the hangar site has been fully extinguished. Photos: Iconic Tustin blimp hangar destroyed in fire The fire in all its various forms lasted for 24 days and presen...

Pac-12 bowl picks: Washington heads to the CFP, Oregon awaits New Year’s Six bid as everything falls into place

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

The final, most anticipated Pac-12 championship game provided fabulous theatre Friday night in Las Vegas as Washington lost a big lead, then rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Oregon 34-31 and clinch a perfect regular season.The rest of the weekend should be relatively free of drama for the conference.We know the Huskies are headed to the College Football Playoff as a 13-0 conference champion with four wins over teams ranked in the CFP top-25 and eight victories over bowl-eligible teams.The only question is whether UW holds its ground as the No. 3 seed when the pairings are announced Sunday morning, or slips to fourth.Best guess: The Huskies are No. 3 and paired against No. 2 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, which hosts a semifinal.Either way, Washington will end the Pac-12’s six-year playoff drought in the conference’s final year of existence.Oregon won’t fall far from its No. 5 position in the CFP rankings. The selection committee typically is loath to punish teams ...

LIST: Bay Area bars showing Ryan Garcia fight vs. Oscar Duarte

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

(KRON) -- Boxing star Ryan Garcia returns to the ring Saturday night after suffering his first career loss against Gervonta "Tank" Davis in an April super fight. Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) will face Oscar Duarte inside the Toyota Center in Houston.The fight will be shown on subscription-based streaming service DAZN. If you don't have a DAZN subscription, these Bay Area bars are showing the full fight card, which will start at 5 p.m.The Abbey Tavern (San Francisco) Straw Hat Pizza (Hayward)Dave and Buster's (Concord) Dave and Buster's (Milpitas)Dave and Buster's (Fairfield)Dave and Buster's (Daly City)Irish Times (San Francisco)The Garcia-Duarte main event is expected to be around 8 p.m. Haney-Prograis: First SF title fight in years expected to sell out Chase Center Despite never having won a world title, the 25-year-old Victorville, Calif. native is one of the biggest stars in the sport. Garcia boasts 10.3 million Instagram followers and another 5.7 million on TikTok.One week later on ...

LeDee rallies San Diego State over UC San Diego 63-62

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jaedon LeDee grabbed the rebound off a missed 3-pointer and scored at the buzzer to rally San Diego State to a 63-62 victory over UC San Diego on Friday night.LeDee had a layup with 38 seconds left to play to pull the Aztecs (7-1) within 62-61. Bryce Pope missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go and LeDee grabbed the rebound. Lamont Butler misfired from beyond the arc at the other end with two seconds remaining, but LeDee was there to grab the miss and score the winning basket.Micah Parrish topped San Diego State with 15 points and 10 rebounds. LeDee and Elijah Saunders scored 13 apiece with LeDee adding 10 boards. Butler scored 10 with five assists.Francis Nwaokorie, Hayden Gray and Pope all finished with 15 points for the Tritons (4-4). Gray added five assists. ___Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here___AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/colleg...