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WTOP’s Book Report: Don’t-miss books of 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

This story was written as part of the WTOP Book Report series authored by Terik King. Read more of that coverage. In 2023, WTOP’s Book Report series took us many places. We’ve conversed with a law professor about the complicated history of police lawsuits, chatted with a journalist about the power of cancel culture, heard from a cryptologic linguist who spent years translating the Taliban’s conversations, and even talked to twin sisters about their co-authored mystery novel.As the year draws to a close, a few favorites emerge as the cream of the crop across various genres, highlighted here as a collection of “don’t miss” books to bring into 2024.MYSTERY/SUSPENSE FICTION“Everyone Here Is Lying” by Shari LaPena(Cover art courtesy Pamela Dorman Books / Viking)One of the most interesting fiction books of the year, this nail-biting suspense thriller grabs you from the first page. After family man William Wooler has an affair that ends horribly, he retu...

Hallan muerto al actor de ‘Parasite’ Lee Sun-kyun, dice la policía

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

(CNN) — El actor surcoreano Lee Sun-kyun, conocido por su papel en la película ganadora del Premio de la Academia “Parasite”, murió, según la policía de Seúl. Tenía 48 años.La policía dijo en un comunicado que habían recibido un informe de persona desaparecida del gerente de Lee en su línea directa. Lee fue encontrado en su auto el miércoles por la mañana.Lee recibió elogios por su papel de Park Dong-ik, el padre de la adinerada familia Park, en “Parasite”.También obtuvo elogios por sus papeles en la serie de televisión de 2007 “Behind the White Tower”, la serie de 2010 “Pasta” y la serie de suspenso y ciencia ficción “Dr. Brain”, por la que fue nominado a un premio Emmy internacional.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

Former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif will seek fourth term in office, his party says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will seek a fourth term in office, his party said Wednesday, noting he would be its consensus candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections and the office of the prime minister.Sharif, who has served as prime minister three times, returned to Pakistan in October after four years of self-exile in London to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges. However, his conviction and sentences were overturned on appeal after his return, making him eligible to run for a seat in the parliament, which will elect the new prime minister after the Feb. 8 vote. “There is no doubt about it. Nawaz Sharif is our candidate for the office of the prime minister,” said Rana Sanaullah Khan, a senior leader in Sharif’s party. Sharif stepped down as prime minister in 2017 over the corruption charges. In July 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison over purchases of luxury apartments in London. In December that year...

She died weeks after fleeing the Maui wildfire. Her family fought to have her listed as a victim.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Sharlene Rabang and her calico cat fled the wildfire that destroyed her town on Maui and arrived at a family home on another Hawaii island after a 24-hour odyssey that included sleeping in a car.Dazed, coughing and weak, the frail but feisty 78-year-old headed straight for the bedroom. Her daughter headed for a drugstore, thinking the coughing might be asthma or the flu. It wasn’t.Rabang died with her daughter holding her hand nearly a month later. She had a history of cancer, COVID and high blood pressure, and the doctor initially neglected to attribute her death to the wildfire. It wasn’t until November that, at the urging of her family, Honolulu’s medical examiner said a contributing cause of death was the thick, black smoke that Rabang breathed as she fled.The report made Rabang the 100th victim of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The Aug. 8 fire devastated the onetime capital of the former kingdom of Hawaii. It wiped o...

Wild weather leaves at least 9 dead in Australian states of Queensland and Victoria, officials say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Wild weather has left at least nine people dead in the eastern Australian states of Queensland and Victoria, officials said on Wednesday.Three men, aged 48, 59 and 69, were killed after a boat with 11 people on board capsized in rough weather in Moreton Bay off the south Queensland coast on Tuesday, police said.Ambulances took the eight survivors to a hospital in stable conditions.The men were aboard the 39-foot pleasure craft on an annual fishing trip, The Courier Mail newspaper reported.Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Andrew Pilotto said those who were rescued were lucky to survive.“The storm was still raging when they were rescued,” Pilotto said. “It would have been very difficult to survive in those conditions anywhere.”A 59-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in the Queensland city of Gold Coast on Monday night. The body of a 9-year-old girl was found on Tuesday in the neighboring city of Brisbane hours after she disa...

L.A. neighbors on edge after man destroys car in apparent anti-Semitic hate crime

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

Neighbors are on edge after video captured a man yelling anti-Semitic remarks outside a Pico-Robertson home before destroying a family's vehicle.The apparent hate crime incident, which happened on Dec. 23, has left residents concerned as incidents of antisemitism are on the rise in Los Angeles and across the country.The video of the hateful tirade has left neighbors shocked, disappointed and angry.“There’s no logic to it,” said one neighbor.“It was very shocking and frightening, especially so close to our home,” said Chaya Nourafchan, another neighbor.The suspect was heard screaming obscenities and anti-Semitic rhetoric outside of the Jewish family’s home before launching a brick through the back windshield of the family’s car.A suspect remains at large after smashing a family’s car window while yelling anti-Semitic remarks outside a Pico-Robertson home on Dec. 23, 2023.A suspect remains at large after smashing a family’s car window while yelling anti-Semitic remarks outside a Pico-...

Oakland: Feds charge ‘large drug trafficking group’ with possessing kilograms of fentanyl for sale

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

OAKLAND — A trio of alleged Bay Area drug traffickers have been indicted on charges of possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine for sale, including more than six pounds of fentanyl found during raid on an Oakland home, according to court records.Maria Valle-Rodriguez, Jonsan Valle-Rodriguez, and Emilson Valle-Zuniga were indicted on charges of fentanyl distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. The charges resulted from an undercover Drug Enforcement Administrative investigation, as federal and state authorities continue to try to make a dent in the open air drug markets in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.During the investigation, Maria Valle-Rodriguez allegedly revealed to an undercover agent that her brother, “Lolo,” had been killed just nights before. Police believe she was referring to a Nov. 25 gunfight in the Tenderloin that resulted in one man being killed and another injured.Jonsan Valle-Rodriguez —...

Guaranteed Rate Bowl Winners

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

Dec. 26, 2023 — Kansas 49, UNLV 36Dec. 27, 2022 — Wisconsin 24, Oklahoma St. 17Dec. 28, 2021 — Minnesota 18, West Virginia 6Dec. 26, 2020 — Canceled due to Covid-19 pandemicDec. 27, 2019 — Air Force 31, Washington State 21Dec. 26, 2018 — TCU 10, California 7, OTDec. 26, 2017 — Kansas State 35, UCLA 17Dec. 27, 2016 — Baylor 31, Boise St. 12Jan. 2, 2016 — West Virginia 43, Arizona St. 42Jan. 2, 2015 — Oklahoma St. 30, Washington 22Dec. 28, 2013 — Kansas St. 31, Michigan 14Dec. 29, 2012 — Michigan St. 17, TCU 16Dec. 30, 2011 — Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14Dec. 28, 2010 — Iowa 27, Missouri 24Dec. 31, 2009 — Iowa St. 14, Minnesota 13Dec. 31, 2008 — Kansas 42, Minnesota 21Dec. 31, 2007 — Oklahoma St. 49, Indiana 33Dec. 29, 2006 — Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41, OTDec. 27, 2005 — Arizona St. 45, Rutgers 40Dec. 28, 2004 — Oregon St. 38, Notre Dame 21Dec. 26, 2003 — California 52, Virginia Tech 49Dec. 26, 2002 — Pittsburgh 38, Oregon St. 13Dec. 29, 2001 — Syracuse 26, Kansas St. 3Dec. 28, 2000 — Iowa St...

Bean throws for 6 TDs, Kansas overcomes flags to beat UNLV 49-36 in Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Jason Bean threw for 449 yards and all six of his touchdown passes to two receivers, and penalty-plagued Kansas outlasted UNLV 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night.The Jayhawks (9-4), ranked 14th nationally for fewest penalties with 55 during the regular season, were flagged 18 times for 210 yards, including four personal fouls.They made up for it with an explosive offense that produced 591 total yards at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.Luke Grimm had four catches for 16 yards and three touchdowns. Lawrence Arnold added six catches for 132 yards and three more scores, giving Kansas two receivers with three touchdowns in a game for the first time in program history.Bean finished 19 of 28 and overcame two interceptions in the third quarter to lead Kansas to its first postseason win since the 2008 Insight Bowl, also in Phoenix.Jayden Maiava threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter to rally UNLV (9-5) nearly all the way back from ...

Morant scores 31, Grizzlies top Pelicans 116-115 in OT

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:12:01 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant let out a triumphant yell as he threw down an alley-oop dunk in overtime that punctuated his third 30-point performance in just the fourth game of his return to the resurgent Memphis Grizzlies.Morant scored 31 points and the Grizzlies defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 116-115 in overtime on Tuesday night to improve to 4-0 since Morant made his season debut in same arena a week earlier.“Obviously excited to be back,” Morant said. “But being able to come back and win four games now and continue to take this momentum to the next game, and the next day, is bigtime for us.” Desmond Bane scored 27, including a 3 in the final minute of regulation that helped Memphis erase a 15-point, second-half deficit. Bane also made what turned out to be a clinching free throw to give the Grizzlies a 4-point lead with 4 seconds left in overtime.Memphis also won with defense, finishing with 17 blocked shots — five by Xavier Tillman — and 10 steals.“We know what we’re ca...