UR MAG

BEIJING (AP) — Liu Zhiquan was waiting for a 30-plus hour train journey to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, some 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) from Beijing, where he works in construction.

He's one of the hundreds of millions expected to travel to their hometowns as part of the world's largest movement of humanity, or "chunyun" as it's called in China, ahead of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 17.

"Things feel worse this year than last. The economy is bad and it's getting harder to make money," he said.

Liu chose a slower train to save money: a high-speed train would take just nine hours but costs more than twice as much.

Nonetheless, he chose to make the 30-hour journey to be home for the festival, the one time of year workers across the country take breaks and spend time with their loved ones.

China's government estimates that 9.5 billion trips will be made during the 40 day-period around the festival, a record high, according to information from the National Development and Reform Commission. Some 540 million of those trips will be made via train, and 95 million by air. The rest will be on the road.

In a country where workers are expected to put in long hours — including on weekends — and get few days of annual leave, the Lunar New Year festival is a precious time.

At a train station in Beijing, passengers were crowded in the waiting areas with large bags and suitcases as they waited for their trains. Others snacked on instant noodles, an easy snack as stations provide hot water for free.

Tian Duofu, a young woman who recently started working full time in Beijing, said she was looking forward to the nine-day holiday, which begins Feb. 15. "It has become more difficult for a big family to get together. After I started working, I realized such a long holiday is rare and we see each other less and less in person, which makes the Spring Festival significant."

"The new year is the festival of the year, and if we don't go back home, we won't be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere," said Tian Yunxia, a woman from Henan province who runs a breakfast stall in Beijing. "I want to go home to see my children, my grandchildren and my husband."

(Corrects the title of prosecutor from the acting chief prosecutor to deputy prosecutor in paragraph 12)

By Alex Lefkowitz

SOFIA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Six people were found dead in the mountains of ​western Bulgaria over the past week, in a case marked by conflicting accounts and strange ‌circumstances that led a prosecutor to liken the two triple deaths to the 1990s mystery series "Twin Peaks".

"This is a case without ‌comparison in our country," Zahari Vaskov, the director of the national police general directorate, told a press conference on Monday.

Prosecutors suspect the deaths may have been murder-suicides or suicides, a lack of clarity that has fuelled speculation and conspiracy theories among Bulgarians.

On Sunday, the police discovered the bodies of three people, including a 15-year-old boy, ⁠in a camper van in the ‌Okolchitsa Peak area. Investigators believe they were connected to a triple killing that took place a week earlier by a mountain hut near Petrohan, which was later ‍burned down.

The hut was used as the base of a non-governmental organisation devoted to nature protection, though some accounts have also described its members as "forest rangers" who for years patrolled the area near the Serbian border and assisted border police.

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Five ​of the dead were members of the National Agency for Control of Protected Areas NGO and ‌had lived at the hut, police said. The boy was the son of a friend.

No member of the group could be reached for comment.

Police released CCTV footage from outside the hut recorded on February 1, the day of the killings, showing all six deceased bidding each other farewell. The three who remained at the hut were later filmed setting it on fire.

Police said the NGO members were involved in Tibetan ⁠Buddhism, adding that Buddhist books and banners were found inside ​the hut. Police also cited a relative of one member who ​spoke of "exceptional psychological instability" within the group.

Four shell casings, two handguns and a rifle were found near the bodies, police said, and forensic experts determined that shots were ‍fired from close range.

Police later ⁠tracked down the other trio, only to find them dead in the camper van. Two of the dead had head injuries, while the autopsy of the third was still ongoing.

"We can conclude, ⁠for both investigations, that one of the main versions that we are working on is murder-suicide and suicide," said Natalia Nikolova, ‌the deputy prosecutor at the Appeal Prosecutor's Office in the capital Sofia.

(Reporting by Alex ‌Lefkowitx, writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Ros Russell)

MANILA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. avoided impeachment on Tuesday, a largely expected outcome after allies in the lower ​house of Congress voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the complaints against him.

The vote ‌came a week after the House of Representatives' justice committee dismissed two impeachment complaints against Marcos, ‌saying they lacked substance. Marcos was accused of betraying the public's trust, committing graft and corruption, and violating the constitution.

"The impeachment complaints filed against the president, Ferdinand 'Bongbong' R. Marcos Jr. are hereby dismissed," House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin told House ⁠members.

Following the dismissal, impeachment efforts ‌now shift toward Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing another round of complaints after surviving a similar bid last year.

Impeaching ‍Marcos needed a one-third vote from more than 300 members in the lower house, where 284 members voted to dismiss the complaints. Only eight lawmakers voted for impeachment while ​four abstained. A constitutional rule prohibits subsequent impeachment complaints against Marcos until ‌next year.

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Among the seven Philippine presidents since democracy was restored in 1986, only Joseph Estrada has been impeached, but his 2001 trial was aborted when prosecutors walked out in protest after senator-judges voted against opening an envelope that contained evidence against the then leader.

The complaints against Marcos included his decision to allow ⁠his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to be arrested and taken to ​The Hague to face trial at the International Criminal ​Court over thousands of killings during his notorious "war on drugs".

Marcos, 68, was also accused of abusing his authority in spending public ‍funds that led to ⁠a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects. His alleged drug use, which he has denied, also made him unfit to run the country, according to one ⁠of the complaints.

Five top officials have been impeached in the Philippines and only one of ‌those, a former chief justice, was convicted and removed from office.

(Reporting ‌by Mikhail Flores; Editing by David Stanway)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Toumani Camara scored a career-high 30 points and shot 8 of 10 from 3-point range, Deni Avdija had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers used a huge third quarter to cruise to a 135-118 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, whoplayed without Joel Embiidon Monday night.

76ers Trail Blazers Basketball

Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan each added 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed 65-64 at halftime before outscoring the 76ers 49-22 in the third to take control.

Embiid, who scored 33 points in a win at Phoenix on Saturday night, sat out against Portland to rest his right knee after an off day. Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. 19 for the 76ers, who wrapped up a 3-2 Western road trip and lost for just the second time in eight games overall.

Philadelphia took a 67-64 lead coming out of halftime on Andre Drummond's layup, but the 76ers never led again.

Grant made a 3-pointer to tie it and Avdija — who sat out last Saturday in a win against Memphis with a back ailment — followed with a 3 of his own to put Portland ahead. That set off an 18-4 run that was capped by another 3 by Avdija to make it 82-69.

The Trail Blazers took their biggest lead of the game at 28 points on Robert Williams III's 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the third to put Portland up 113-85.

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Scoot Henderson, who sat out last Saturday with a left hamstring ailment after making his season debut for the Trail Blazers the previous night, returned and had 12 points and seven assists.

Portland finished 22 of 54 from 3-point range.

76ers: Host the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Trail Blazers: Play at Minnesota on Wednesday night.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Six former women's basketball players from the University of Pittsburgh are suing the school and its coach, Tory Verdi.

The six individual civil suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania on Friday, Feb. 6. Each player is represented by the same attorney, Keenan Holmes. Each suit alleges Title IX violations and that Verdi inflicted "emotional, psychological, and physical abuse" against the players and that he created a "hostile, discriminatory, and retaliatory environment."

Much of the allegations in the six lawsuits — which USA TODAY Sports obtained copies of — read similarly and cite the same instances to back up their allegations that Verdi "weaponized his authority to manipulate, demean, and emotionally destabilize players through targeted mistreatment, verbal abuse, gaslighting, and retaliatory conduct."

"Verdi used his position of authority to engage in emotionally abusive conduct, retaliation, and psychological manipulation that transcended poor coaching and entered into constitutional violations," one lawsuits reads. "The program was defined by fear and emotional volatility as players were routinely demeaned, psychologically isolated, and pressured to perform under abusive conditions."

Spokespersons for Pitt's athletic department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

The lawsuits were filed by Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson. Their suits also claim that Pitt knew about the players' complaints about Verdi, but took no action.

Concerns, according to the lawsuits, were raised with Senior Woman Administrator Jennifer Tuscano, former athletic director Heather Lyke, and Laurel Gift — Pitt's Assistant Vice Chancellor for Compliance, Investigations, and Ethics. Lyke is now the Special Advisor to the Chancellor and Athletic Director at Syracuse.

Often the first specific incident cited in the lawsuits is one that allegedly occurred after a practice during the 2023-24 season when Verdi told the team, "Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you." The former players say this "caused fear, emotional distress, and confusion among players."

Four of the six lawsuits cite another incident where, before playing a game against Clemson, Verdi allegedly "directed xenophobic and culturally insensitive remarks" toward a foreign-born player, telling her to "go back home because ICE is coming." One lawsuit claims that Verdi told foreign-born players, "We speak English here," when they would use their native languages or accents.

In her lawsuit, Perkins alleges that Verdi once told her during the summer of 2024 in a private meeting, "I don't like you as a player, but I'd let my son date you."

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Perkins also says that she was "routinely denied adequate medical care" and forced to play while injured. Perkins said she confided in the team doctor about the "hostile and abusive environment perpetuated by Coach Verdi." That disclosure was reported to Verdi, Perkins alleges, and it was met with retaliation. Perkins adds that her request for a medical redshirt was denied because Pitt mishandled her submission to the ACC.

Two lawsuits make the allegation that Verdi berated the team after the death of one player's father, allegedly telling them, "I knew you guys were bad basketball players, but I didn't know you were bad people too."

Four of the six players also claim that Verdi mocked one player's appearance and weight, telling her "you look pregnant," while she was recovering from injury. The six players also claim that Verdi "intentionally created and exploited racial division" and that "players of color were subjected to harsher discipline, less patience, and fewer opportunities than similarly situated white teammates."

One former player, Elmore, says she "made a good-faith report" to Pitt's compliance office regarding repeated NCAA practice-hour violations by Verdi. Elmore claims that the compliance office disclosed her identity to Verdi and nothing was done.

Another former player, Ayodele, says that when she was injured, Verdi didn't speak to her for nearly six months and ignored "her medical and emotional needs and isolating her from team support."

Some of the former players say they have had to seek mental health treatment and therapy after playing for Verdi. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and a declaration that Pitt violated Title IX.

Verdi is in his third season coaching thePanthers, who currently have an overall record of 8-17, a mark that includes a loss to Division III Scranton. He has a record of 29-60 while leading Pitt. The Panthers have not posted a winning record in ACC play since the 2014-15 season, which is also the last time they made the NCAA tournament.

Previously, Verdi was the head coach at UMass and Eastern Michigan, where he won a combined 200 games. Verdi signed a six-year contract with Pitt when he was hired in 2023.

Riding an eight-game losing streak, Pitt is scheduled to play again on Thursday night at home against Syracuse.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Pitt women's basketball coach accused of abuse in lawsuits by players