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As desperation in Gaza grows, Israel pledges to block vital aid until Hamas releases hostages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military pulverized the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, prepared for a possible ground invasion and said Thursday its complete siege of the territory — which has left Palestinians desperate for food, fuel and medicine — would remain in place until Hamas militants free some 150 hostages taken during a grisly weekend incursion.A visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with shipments of U.S. weapons, offered a powerful green light to Israel to drive ahead with its retaliation in Gaza after Hamas’ deadly attack on civilians and soldiers, even as international aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel has halted deliveries of basic necessities and electricity to Gaza’s 2.3 million people and prevented entry of supplies from Egypt.“Not a single electricity switch will be flipped on, not a single faucet will be turned on and not a single fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home,” Israeli Energy Minister Israel ...

Trump’s criticism of Israel’s Netanyahu draws strong condemnation from GOP rivals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Several of former President Donald Trump ‘s Republican rivals denounced him on Thursday for lashing out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after Hamas’ deadly attack, a rare moment in which multiple competitors directly criticized the GOP front-runner.Trump at a rally Wednesday night said Netanyahu “let us down” just before the U.S. killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020. He also said Israeli leaders needed to “step up their game” and referred to Hezbollah, the group Israel fears may launch a large-scale attack from the country’s north, as “very smart.” In an interview that aired Thursday, he added to his criticism, saying Netanyahu “was not prepared” for the deadly weekend incursion from Gaza.“Now is not the time to be attacking our ally,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s 2024 rivals, echoing denunciations from the White House and elsewhere. More than 2,700 people are dead on both the Israeli an...

1 officer convicted, 1 acquitted in death of Elijah McClain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — Jurors Thursday convicted a Denver-area police officer of criminally negligent homicide and 3rd-degree assault and acquitted another in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a Black man whose name became a rallying cry in protests over racial injustice in policing.Aurora police officer Randy Roedema was found guilty by the 12-person jury, and officer Jason Rosenblatt was found not guilty.McClain died after being put in a neck hold by a third officer and pinned to the ground, then injected by paramedics with an overdose of ketamine. The third officer and two paramedics are awaiting trial.The case initially did not receive widespread attention, but protests over the killing of George Floyd the following year sparked outrage over McClain’s death. His pleading words captured on body camera footage, “I’m an introvert and I’m different,” struck a chord.Colleen Slevin And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

TECOLUCA, El Salvador (AP) — With tattoo-covered faces, and wearing white shirts and shorts, gang members captured during El Salvador’s state of exception are gradually filling the country’s new mega prison.Unveiled earlier this year, the prison 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of the capital now holds some 12,000 accused or convicted gang members, barely a quarter of its 40,000 capacity.Prisoners here do not receive visits. There are no programs preparing them for reinsertion into society after their sentences, no workshops or educational programs.The exceptions are occasional motivational talks from prisoners who have gained a level of trust from prison officials. Prisoners sit in rows in the corridor outside their cells for the talks or are led through exercise regimens under the supervision of guards. They are never allowed outside.President Nayib Bukele ordered its construction when El Salvador began making massive arrests early last year in response to a surge in gang violen...

Northwestern State football player shot and killed near campus, coach calls it ‘a tremendous loss’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — A Northwestern State University football player was shot and killed early Thursday near an apartment complex not far from campus in Natchitoches, police said.Ronald Caldwell, a 21-year-old junior from Austin, Texas, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds by Natchitoches police officers who responded shortly after 1 a.m. to a report of a shooting. The coroner’s office pronounced Caldwell dead at the scene.No arrests have been made, said Cpl. John Greely, a spokesperson for the department.“This investigation is ongoing and the Natchitoches Police Department will release more details as they become available,” the department said in a statement on Facebook.The university canceled Saturday’s football game at Nicholls State University as a result of the shooting. Decisions regarding future football games will be made as the season progresses, the school said.“The Northwestern State family has suffered a tremendous loss,” head football coach Brad ...

Prosecutor removed from YNW Melly murder trial after defense accusations of withholding information

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida judge removed the lead prosecutor in the double murder retrial of rapper YNW Melly on Thursday after defense attorneys claimed prosecutors didn’t reveal that the lead detective in the case had been previously accused of being willing to lie as he gathered evidence.Broward Circuit Court Judge John Murphy granted the defense’s motion to recuse prosecutor Kristine Bradley in an abundance of caution. The judge didn’t find that Bradley’s integrity had been comprised but agreed that she couldn’t serve as a prosecutor on the case if the defense was planning to call her as a witness regarding the credibility of one of the investigators.Jury selection is set to begin next week, and no replacement for Bradley was immediately announced.Last week, attorneys for Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, asked Murphy to remove the Broward State Attorney’s Office from the case and potentially dismiss the case entirely. The reques...

Small-cap companies not ready for climate disclosure rules: TMX Group CEO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

CALGARY — Most of Canada’s small and mid-sized publicly traded companies are not at all prepared for potentially forthcoming new requirements that could force them to disclose their climate impacts, the CEO of the company that operates the Toronto Stock Exchange said Thursday.TMX Group CEO John McKenziesaid small-cap companies in particular — which may have a market capitalization of less than $10 million and between 10 and 50 employees — are nowhere near ready for new requirements that are currently under consideration for adoption by Canadian securities regulators.The rule would require publicly traded companies in Canada to disclose to investors a range of information related to climate change and their company’s environmental impact.“In terms of readiness, for the majority of these (junior) companies, I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it’s zero,” McKenzie said during a panel discussion at an Alberta Securities Commission conference in Calgary.“They ...

In the Amazon, millions breathe hazardous air as drought and wildfires spread through the rainforest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Thick smoke has enveloped extensive areas of the Brazilian Amazon on Thursday as the region grapples with a surge in wildfires and a historic drought. In Manaus, a city of 2 million, air quality ranked among the worst globally, leading to the suspension of college classes and the cancellation of various activities, including an international marathon.In the first 11 days of October, Amazonas state recorded over 2,700 fires. This is already the highest number for the month since official monitoring began in 1998. Virtually all fire is human-caused, primarily for deforestation or pasture clearance.Over the past six weeks, Manaus and other cities of Amazonas state have intermittently been blanketed by thick smoke, making it difficult to breathe. The city’s air quality index fluctuated between unhealthy and hazardous levels during the last two days, resembling the conditions in some major Asian metropolitan areas.On Wednesday, the city’s major universities cancel...

Attorney general investigates fatal police shooting of former elite fencer at his New York home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

A New York man killed after police said he came at them with swords in his hands was a former elite fencer who won a medal for the United States at the Pan American Games in 1995.The state attorney general’s office said Thursday that it had opened a probe into the killing of Alan Weber, 54, who died Tuesday night after being shot at his home on Long Island by a Suffolk County police officer.Suffolk County police said officers had gone to the home in response to a 911 call about a man acting violently inside, and heard Weber screaming and breaking things. Authorities said he refused to come outside.Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Weber was wearing a fencing mask and had the swords when officers entered, and didn’t comply with commands to drop the weapons. He said an officer used a stun gun to no effect.According to police, one of the officers fired when Weber charged, and Harrison said he felt there was “no other choice.” Under state law, the attorney general’s of...

Tom Skilling announces retirement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:57 GMT

Tom Skilling, a fixture of Chicago television and beloved by generations, announced Thursday he will retire next year after 45 years at WGN.His last day on air will be February 28, 2024."There's no formula for this. I am going to retire at the end of February after a marvelous 45 years at this incredible television station," Skilling said during his announcement on the WGN Evening News Thursday. "We all get to a point where we have to make a decision. 'Is it time to retire. It's the toughest decision."Skilling started his successful career at the unheard-of age of 14 in Aurora, while still in high school. He had a series of radio and TV jobs in Illinois and Wisconsin before coming to WGN-TV in August of 1978. Known for his in-depth and highly detailed weather segments, Tom has elevated the audience’s understanding of not just the weather, but the science behind it. The Master at Work: Tracking a storm with Tom Skilling In addition to his weather forecasts on WGN News, Skilling hos...