Hurricane Otis unleashes massive flooding in Acapulco, triggers landslides before dissipating
Hurricane Otis ripped through Mexicoโs southern Pacific coast as a powerful Category 5 storm, unleashing massive flooding in the resort city of Acapulco, ravaging roads and leaving large swaths of the southwestern state of Guerrero without power or cellphone service.
Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico's Baja. Rare tropical storm watch issued for California
Hurricane Hilary is churning off Mexicoโs Pacific coast as a powerful Category 4 storm threatening to unleash torrential rains on the mudslide-prone border city of Tijuana before heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years.
China's foreign minister starts Pacific tour in the Solomons
Chinaโs Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation have arrived in the Solomon Islands at the start of an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijingโs military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region.
International aid reaches Tonga with clean water, supplies
Aid flights from Australia, Japan and New Zealand carrying food, water, medical supplies and telecommunications equipment landed in Tonga over the weekend, as the Pacific nation grapples with the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.
Gonzaga, Baylor sit atop AP Top 25; Kansas returns at No. 23
2 Baylor remained atop Monday's latest AP Top 25, where they have been for all 13 polls this season. 8 in the AP poll to pull closer to the committee's seeding of seventh overall shortly before the Crimson Tide scored 115 points in a win over against Georgia. THE TOP TIERCoach Mark Fewโs Bulldogs received 59 of 64 first-place votes in the new AP Top 25, while Scott Drewโs Bears claimed the other five. The Jayhawks fell out of last weekโs poll for the first time in 12 years. Kansas was one of three new additions to this weekโs poll, joined by No.
Gonzaga, Baylor top NCAA committee's initial rankings
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Ohio State are the top seeds in the initial rankings for the committee that will ultimately select the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were the top overall seed, followed by the Bears in rankings released Saturday by the NCAA Division I Menโs Basketball Committee. It's a snapshot of the top 16 seeds with a month to go before Selection Sunday. Gonzaga and Baylor have been 1-2 in The Associated Press menโs college basketball poll all season and remain unbeaten. 1 seed, followed by the fourth-ranked Buckeyes.
Tropical cyclones are nearing land more, except in Atlantic
A study released on Thursday, Jan, 28, 2021, finds that tropical cyclones around the globe are getting closer to land than they used to, except for Atlantic hurricanes. (NASA/NOAA via AP)Tropical cyclones across the globe, except Atlantic hurricanes, are moving closer to land in recent decades, a new study found. Also called typhoons, tropical cyclones generally have been moving westward by about 18 miles per decade (30 kilometers) since 1982, putting them closer to land and making them more dangerous, a study in Thursdayโs journal Science said. Storms that form just west of land, such as in the Pacific off the California and Mexican coasts, are usually moving away from land already, so this shift doesnโt spare more land. All these strange shifts are taking cyclones out of their preferred environment of warm tropical waters away from land, University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said.
Gonzaga, Baylor remain atop AP Top 25; Alabama cracks top 10
Alabama has won nine straight games, with several wins marked by hot shooting and blowout margins. They have scored at least 81 points in six straight games, including an 85-65 win at Kentucky and a 90-59 win against Arkansas. But they've won four straight games โ three by double-digit margins โ since returning and re-entered the poll Monday at No. CONFERENCE WATCHThe Big Ten and Big 12 lead the way among the conferences. Both have a national-best six ranked teams, though the Big 12 has five in the top 15 (Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, No.
Ex-Arizona official to head to prison for illegal adoptions
FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2019, file photo, former Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen, right, walks with his attorney, Kurt Altman, as they leave a court hearing in Phoenix. Marshall Islands citizens have been prohibited from traveling to the U.S. for adoption purposes since 2003. Petersen will serve his sentence in the Arkansas case at a federal prison near El Paso, Texas. He quit his elected job as Maricopa Countyโs assessor last year amid pressure from other county officials to resign. As assessor, Petersen was responsible for determining property values in the county that encompasses Phoenix.
Amid pandemic, Pacific islands work to offset food shortages
With a food crisis looming, many governments have begun community initiatives to help alleviate shortages: extending fishing seasons, expanding indigenous food gathering lessons and bolstering seed distribution programs that allow residents greater self-reliance. The project provides residents with vegetable seeds, saplings and basic farming equipment to help them grow their own home gardens. In Fiji, the government extended fishing season of coral trout and grouper that could be sold for income or used as food. โWhen I used to work, I used to buy whatever I wanted to eat when Iโd go to the supermarket,โ he said. โNow I save money on food, know where my food is coming from and just feel more secure about having food,โ she said.
Oregon State out of women's Top 25; Stanford still No. 1
Oregon State lost its lone game last week, falling to Washington State and dropping out of the poll from No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Louisville, UConn, North Carolina State and South Carolina followed the Cardinal again in the poll. Michigan State replaced Oregon State in the poll, coming in at No. South Carolina (157), Mississippi State (120) and Louisville (93) are the only other teams that had longer active streaks than Oregon State's.
Tara VanDerveer becomes winningest women's basketball coach
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, center, watches the action against Pacific during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stockton, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. With a win over Pacific, VanDerveer will become the winningest women's coach in history breaking Pat Summitt's record of 1,098. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)STOCKTON, Calif. โ Tara VanDerveer made history, and then took a moment to tell her Stanford players what they mean to her. VanDerveer became the winningest womenโs college basketball coach Tuesday night, passing the late Pat Summitt with her 1,099th victory as No. Tennessee womenโs basketball posted a photo of VanDerveer and Summitt on Twitter and a message that read: โ1099.
Asia Today: Virus arrives in once-clear Marshall Islands
Malaysia extended restricted movements in its biggest city Kuala Lumpur, neighboring Selangor state and the administrative capital of Putrajaya from Wednesday in an attempt to curb a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)WELLINGTON โ The Marshall Islands has reported its first cases of the coronavirus after two people who flew from Hawaii to a U.S. military base tested positive. The small Pacific nation had been among the last places in the world to have no reported cases of the virus. Home to about 78,000 people, the Marshall Islands maintains close military and civilian ties with the U.S. under a compact of free association. โ Australia has sought to prevent new coronavirus cases from reaching its shores by banning most of its residents from leaving in the first place.
Japan seeks to boost catch limits of prized bluefin tuna
FILE - In this March 5, 2007 file photo, a bluefin tuna swims inside farming pens prior to harvest near Ensenada, Mexico. At an online meeting that began Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, Japan is seeking to raise its catch limits for both smaller and larger bluefin tuna by 20%. An online meeting of countries that manage the Pacific bluefin that began Tuesday is studying the proposal to raise Japan's catch limits for both smaller and larger bluefin tuna by 20%. The report, Netting Billions 2020: A Global Tuna Valuation, put the market value of seven tuna species including bluefin at $40.8 billion in 2018. In 2019, Japan reported a catch of 3,757 tons of smaller tuna and 5,132 of larger tuna, according to documents prepared for the online meeting.
Tropical Depression 3 moves slowly westward in the Gulf
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Tropical Depression 3 formed in the Gulf on Monday afternoon and is expected to become Tropical Storm Cristobal later today. The unusual theme continues, a tropical storm that formed in the Pacific, Amanda, has broken down while crossing Mexico but then reformed as Tropical Depression 3 in the Gulf. This is because Amanda weakened below tropical depression status as the system crossed Mexico. Tracking the Tropics: Interactive map and moreAt 7a.m, the center of Tropical Depression Three was located near latitude 19.6 North, longitude 92.4 West. Slow strengthening is expected during the next couple of days, and the depression is forecast to become a tropical storm later today.
Tropical Depression 3 moves slowly westward in the Gulf
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Tropical Depression 3 formed in the Gulf on Monday afternoon and is expected to become Tropical Storm Cristobal later today. The unusual theme continues, a tropical storm that formed in the Pacific, Amanda, has broken down while crossing Mexico but then reformed as Tropical Depression 3 in the Gulf. This is because Amanda weakened below tropical depression status as the system crossed Mexico. Tracking the Tropics: Interactive map and moreAt 7a.m, the center of Tropical Depression Three was located near latitude 19.6 North, longitude 92.4 West. Slow strengthening is expected during the next couple of days, and the depression is forecast to become a tropical storm later today.
Parents of Prosecutor Killed on Remote Island Hope to Bring Home 12-Year-Old Girl She Planned to
The devastated parents of a slain American prosecutor have arrived on the Pacific island of Yap, where their daughter was gunned down last week. When they leave, they hope to take her body with them, as well as a local child their daughter had planned to adopt. Inside Edition's cameras were there as Rachelle's parents, Tom and Tammy Bergeron, landed, having traveled from their home in Wisconsin, a journey that took more than a day. Local reports say that investigators have a good idea of who shot Rachelle. Yap island is a former U.S. territory and one of the most remote places on Earth, situated about 4,500 miles west of Hawaii.
Mystery Surrounds Murder of American Prosecutor and Her Dog on Remote Island
Who killed an American prosecutor on the tiny Pacific island of Yap? Rachelle Bergeron, 33, was shot to death after going for a run with her dog Monday night on the island, where she served as acting attorney general. While there has been no official comment, it's believed her job could have been the motivation for the murder. Bergeron was originally from Wisconsin and moved to Yap back in 2015 to work as assistant attorney general. Yap Island is a former U.S. territory and one of the most remote places on Earth, situated about 4,500 miles west of Hawaii.