By Ben Jones, CNN

(CNN) — Europe wants to lure more people away from short-haul airlines and onto high-speed trains between its major cities. And as more and more travelers discover the joys of long-distance rail, there’s everything to play for.

But there’s one big problem: geography. Europe is a continent with mountain ranges slicing through it and seas severing countries from each other. And unlike planes, trains can’t simply skim over it all.

That’s why some of the world’s biggest and most daring construction projects are currently cutting, drilling and blasting their way through mountains that were once traversed only by the brave or the foolhardy.

The next decade will see the world’s longest rail tunnels completed in Austria, France and Italy, with the aim of revolutionizing rail connectivity between northern Europe and the industrial hubs of northern Italy. Billions of dollars are being invested in record-breaking tunnels and new approach lines to raise speeds and increase freight capacity on long-established corridors through the Alps.

Meanwhile, Denmark has long been tackling the seas, transforming rail and road travel with a chain of tunnels, artificial islands and soaring bridges linking its two biggest islands with mainland Europe and Sweden. In the early 2030s it will complete another road-rail link under the Baltic Sea to Germany, drastically shortening journey times between Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin.

And an even more ambitious plan to link Helsinki with Tallinn in Estonia and the other Baltic States via a 50-mile tunnel under the Gulf of Finland has also been proposed.

That’s the plan, at least. But creating the world’s longest rail tunnels is technically challenging and ferociously expensive, and Europe’s recent record of delivery is best described as “patchy.”

To no one’s surprise, construction costs have ballooned and delays are measured in years, or even decades, which means that the European Union will not meet its deadline of completing the core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)—the ambitious project to upgrade 10,850 miles of rail corridors across the continent by 2030, linking major cities, regions and ports.

In January, the European Court of Auditors reported that the costs of delivering eight major TEN-T projects have increased by an average of 82% over their initial estimates. The average delay across five projects is 17 years.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. EU member states see infrastructure investment as a key stimulus for economic prosperity and sustainable mobility. And these new mega-tunnels will revolutionize international travel within the next decade, knitting together regions and countries that have until now been separated by mountains and seas.

“Mega-projects like the Brenner Base Tunnel, Lyon–Turin and the Fehmarn Belt can be game-changers for European rail,” says Nick Brooks, secretary general of rail operator lobby group ALLRAIL.

Here are some of the most exciting projects underway.

Beating a natural border

For centuries the Alps have been a natural border separating northern and southern Europe. The high mountains were a land of mythical beasts and potentially lethal weather — a place to be feared and, if possible, avoided. From the 18th century, wealthy “Grand Tourists” from northern Europe hired sedan chairs and local guides to negotiate the treacherous Alpine passes on their way to Italy

Mid to high level clouds fill the skies early Tuesday morning. Expect some clearing due to the strong winds by the evening. A cold air mass pushes into the Central Coast today. You'll notice temperatures falling a few degrees. Highs max out into the 60s and 70s. Wind Advisories go into effect at 2pm and High Surf Advisories kick off at 5pm. Bring valuable items inside and use caution when headed to the beach.

A mix of clouds and sun are in the forecast for Wednesday. This is the coolest day of the week as the cold air mass is parked over the Central Coast. Misting and drizzle is possible from the marine layer early in the morning. Spotty showers and thunderstorms are likely around the Kern County boarder by the evening. Rain amounts will be less than a tenth of an inch and most beaches stay dry. Winds may be a nuisance, so bring valuable items inside.

We remain below average Thursday with some pop up light rain inland. After breakfast our rain chances diminish back to zero and we dry out. A weekend warming trend begins Friday with temperatures back to beach weather by the weekend.

The post Tracking a col;d front Tuesday, cool mid-week appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — As a courtroom interpreter in Texas’ immigration system, it was Meenu Batra’s job to make sure migrants understood the proceedings of immigration court – the good and the bad.

In March, Batra was exposed to the other side of the immigration system when she was detained by the Department of Homeland Security after decades spent living and working in the United States.

Batra, a mother of four US citizens who transitioned to interpreting in other courtrooms after years spent in immigration court, was detained for more than six weeks – a harrowing experience from which she says she’s still recovering.

She came to the US in 1991, she said, a fragile 18-year-old traumatized by the killing of her parents in a spate of anti-Sikh violence in India. She rejoined her older siblings who were already in the US and applied for asylum.

Batra declined to give details about how she entered the US but was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2000, under President Bill Clinton, according to DHS, her attorney and a judge’s ruling in her current case. But the same day, she was granted withholding of removal, a legal protection similar to asylum that says she cannot be deported to India. The government never appealed that decision, and she was released and spent the last 25 years without any formal interactions with immigration authorities, she says.

That’s until March 17, when she was detained at an airport while on her way to interpret Punjabi for a trial in Milwaukee.

DHS called Batra an “illegal alien” and said she was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation.”

“We will continue to fight for the removal of illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement when asked for comment about Batra.

The Trump administration has continually said officials are focused on deporting the “worst of the worst,” migrants with serious criminal records. But President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation campaign has seen people with no or minor criminal records detained for weeks on end or deported, too. Many of them have spent years building lives, careers and families in the US, like Batra, whose attorney said has no criminal record.

Batra said her experience in detention has given her even more insight into the experience migrants face in the American court system. In detention, she said, she fought to help other detainees understand their legal rights and advocate for themselves.

Now she hopes her experience will help highlight the ordinary people detained by DHS – and “how we are denying the basic human rights to people who have been and who are part of this society and this country.”

“I’m just hoping that this brings some attention to those who don’t have a voice,” she said.

Hope for a better life

Batra came to the US like many immigrants do: hoping for a better life.

In 1984, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards. The killing prompted organized pogroms against Sikhs across the country. Batra’s parents were among those killed, she says.

“I just became numb” after the killings, she said. When she came to the US, “I was leaving everything that was familiar to me, my friends. I didn’t get much chance to say goodbye to many of them.”

Batra spent a few years living on the East Coast before relocating to Texas in 2002. It was in the Lone Star State she first took advantage of her language skills and began working as an interpreter. She lived just 30 minutes from the US-Mexico border, where there were several DHS detention centers – and, she discovered, a need for interpreters of South Asian languages.

Her first experiences working in immigration court were disorienting enough that she considered quitting outright. “You have to go throug

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — As a courtroom interpreter in Texas’ immigration system, it was Meenu Batra’s job to make sure migrants understood the proceedings of immigration court – the good and the bad.

In March, Batra was exposed to the other side of the immigration system when she was detained by the Department of Homeland Security after decades spent living and working in the United States.

Batra, a mother of four US citizens who transitioned to interpreting in other courtrooms after years spent in immigration court, was detained for more than six weeks – a harrowing experience from which she says she’s still recovering.

She came to the US in 1991, she said, a fragile 18-year-old traumatized by the killing of her parents in a spate of anti-Sikh violence in India. She rejoined her older siblings who were already in the US and applied for asylum.

Batra declined to give details about how she entered the US but was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2000, under President Bill Clinton, according to DHS, her attorney and a judge’s ruling in her current case. But the same day, she was granted withholding of removal, a legal protection similar to asylum that says she cannot be deported to India. The government never appealed that decision, and she was released and spent the last 25 years without any formal interactions with immigration authorities, she says.

That’s until March 17, when she was detained at an airport while on her way to interpret Punjabi for a trial in Milwaukee.

DHS called Batra an “illegal alien” and said she was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation.”

“We will continue to fight for the removal of illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement when asked for comment about Batra.

The Trump administration has continually said officials are focused on deporting the “worst of the worst,” migrants with serious criminal records. But President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation campaign has seen people with no or minor criminal records detained for weeks on end or deported, too. Many of them have spent years building lives, careers and families in the US, like Batra, whose attorney said has no criminal record.

Batra said her experience in detention has given her even more insight into the experience migrants face in the American court system. In detention, she said, she fought to help other detainees understand their legal rights and advocate for themselves.

Now she hopes her experience will help highlight the ordinary people detained by DHS – and “how we are denying the basic human rights to people who have been and who are part of this society and this country.”

“I’m just hoping that this brings some attention to those who don’t have a voice,” she said.

Hope for a better life

Batra came to the US like many immigrants do: hoping for a better life.

In 1984, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards. The killing prompted organized pogroms against Sikhs across the country. Batra’s parents were among those killed, she says.

“I just became numb” after the killings, she said. When she came to the US, “I was leaving everything that was familiar to me, my friends. I didn’t get much chance to say goodbye to many of them.”

Batra spent a few years living on the East Coast before relocating to Texas in 2002. It was in the Lone Star State she first took advantage of her language skills and began working as an interpreter. She lived just 30 minutes from the US-Mexico border, where there were several DHS detention centers – and, she discovered, a need for interpreters of South Asian languages.

Her first experiences working in immigration court were disorienting enough that she considered quitting outright. “You have to go throug

Por Cristopher Ulloa, CNN en Español

No fue secreto: la 52ª edición de los American Music Awards (AMAs) celebrada en Las Vegas, Estados Unidos, estuvo cargada hacia el Kpop, y los organizadores y presentadores del evento contribuyeron a que se notara con las múltiples menciones que hicieron a BTS, la banda surcoreana más importante del mundo, durante toda la transmisión.

Tras un revolucionado paso por México -donde congregaron más de 50.000 personas en El Zócalo e incluso tuvieron una cita con la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum-, BTS volvió a demostrar por qué es un fenómeno cultural.

La banda se quedó con el trofeo en las tres categorías en las que estaban nominados: “Artista del año”, “Mejor artista masculino de Kpop” y también “Canción del verano”.

“Si bien los integrantes nunca se han posicionado directamente desde una perspectiva política, sí han transmitido a través de su música y arte mensajes relacionados con distintas problemáticas y aspectos de la sociedad. Eso también genera una forma de “soft power” e influencia cultural muy potente. Además, esto se refleja en el comportamiento de su fandom: en cómo se organiza, cómo se expresa y en los valores que muchas veces busca transmitir”, señaló a CNN Carolina Aballay, presidenta del Fans Club oficial del septeto en Chile.

Pero los chicos de BTS no fueron los únicos. La banda KATSEYE, conformada por cinco mujeres de distintos países, se quedó con el premio en las categorías “Nuevo artista del año”, “Mejor video musical” por “GNARLY” y también el de “Artista pop revelación”.

“Queremos agradecer especialmente a BTS esta noche por inspirarnos a representar nuestra cultura a escala global”, señaló la líder de la agrupación, Sophia Laforteza, tras recibir el trofeo. “Seguiremos representando nuestra cultura siempre. Muchísimas gracias”, agregó Yoonchae Jeung, la única integrante originaria de Corea del Sur.

Por último, los premios en la categoría “Canción del año”, “Mejor canción pop” y “Mejor performance vocal” recayeron en EJAE, Audrey Nuna y Rei Ami, las intérpretes detrás del éxito global “Golden” de la película “HUNTR/X: Las guerreras Kpop”.

La canción ya había ganado anteriormente un globo de oro y un Oscar.

“Muchas gracias por esto, ¡oh mi dios! Esta canción y esta película fueron impulsadas por los fans. Ustedes realmente sellaron la honmoon. El hecho de que este premio sea votado por los fans es la razón de que sea tan importante para nosotras”, señaló EJAE.

“Muchas gracias a todos los fans por votar, por ser un fandom tan apasionado. Gracias por todos los memes, los fanfics, por todo el apoyo. Gracias por reír, llorar y cantar junto a nosotras”, agregó Rei Ami.

En total, las tres agrupaciones de Kpop se quedaron con nueve reconocimientos, incluyendo las principales categorías de esta edición de los AMAs.

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The post BTS, KATSEYE y HUNTR/X: el auge del Kpop en los AMAs 2026 appeared first on News Channel 3-12.