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Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza as US advises delaying ground war to allow talks on captives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and JOSEPH KRAUSS (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel ramped up its airstrikes Monday in Gaza, where the death toll was rising rapidly, and the United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages taken by Hamas terrorists.A third small aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel’s two-week seal. With Israel still barring entry of fuel, the U.N. said its distribution of aid would grind to a halt within days when it can no longer fuel its trucks. Gaza hospitals are struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.Heavy airstrikes demolished buildings across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinians were told to seek refuge, killing hundreds and sending new waves of wounded into already packed hospitals, according to Pales...

Massachusetts State Police searching for Gardner murder suspect Aaron Pennington: ‘Armed and dangerous’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

Massachusetts State Police were continuing to search on Monday for an “armed and dangerous” Gardner murder suspect, as authorities asked for the public’s help in the investigation.Police were looking for 33-year-old Aaron Pennington, who is wanted in connection with Sunday’s homicide of 30-year-old Breanne Pennington, of 42 Cherry St. in Gardner.According to State Police, the 6’2″ tall white man weighing about 175 pounds is believed to be driving a white BMW 320, Massachusetts Veterans plate 8A30.Pennington may have attached one of the following registrations to the white 2013 BMW 320 sedan: Texas plate: DTZ3103; or California plate: 6CWN728.The 33-year-old man, with blond hair and blue eyes, might have a gun on him.“He should be considered armed and dangerous,” State Police said in a statement. “Any member of the public who sees PENNINGTON or the vehicle is directed to not approach him but rather, to call 911 immediately.”...

It’s Day 20 with no House speaker, and lower-level names are starting to reach for the gavel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

By LISA MASCARO (AP Congressional Correspondent)WASHINGTON (AP) — Day 20 without a House speaker, and Republicans found themselves starting over on Monday — bumbling ahead with few ideas about who will lead, what they are fighting over and when they will get Congress working again.Nine lower-level Republican lawmakers are now running to be speaker, leader of the House and second in line to the presidency — none with any clear shot for the gavel. Senior-most is Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the former campaign chief who is now the GOP whip. The gruff former hockey coach is disliked by Donald Trump, but the two apparently spoke over the weekend.Late Monday, House Republicans are retreating behind closed doors, as they have most days since the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, to hear from the candidates ahead of internal party voting.McCarthy himself calls the whole spectacle “embarrassing” for the House Republicans whose majority is being wasted away and for the ...

World’s oldest dog ever dies in Portugal, aged 31

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A 31-year-old dog in Portugal that had been ranked as the world’s oldest dog ever has died, his owner said Monday. The guard dog, called Bobi, died over the weekend in a veterinary hospital, Leonel Costa told The Associated Press.Bobi lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with Costa and four cats. He was born on May 11, 1992, when his owner was just 8 years old. In an interview earlier this year, Costa told the Associated Press that Bobi’s secret to a long life was good food, fresh air and lots of love.“Bobi eats what we eat,” said Costa. What’s more, Bobi had never been put on a leash.Bobi claimed the Guinness World Record from Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, who died in 1939 aged 29 and had held the record for almost a century.Officials at the Guinness World Records on Monday said they were “saddened to learn of the death of Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever.” In a statement on their ...

Chevron buys Hess for $53 billion, 2nd megadeal in the oil patch this month as energy prices soar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN (AP Business Writer)Chevron is buying Hess Corp. for $53 billion and it’s not even the biggest acquisition in the energy sector this month as major producers seize the initiative while oil prices surge.Crude prices rose sharply in early 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and are hovering around $90 per barrel after ticking another 9% higher this year. That has made big drillers cash rich and they are looking for places to invest. The Chevron-Hess deal comes less than two weeks after Exxon Mobil said that it would acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for about $60 billion. Upward pressure on oil prices are being applied from a number of fronts including the war in Ukraine. Oil markets are being stretched by cutbacks in oil production from Saudi Arabia and Russia, and now, a war between Israel and Hamas runs the risk of igniting a broader conflict in the Middle East. While attacks on Israel do not disrupt global oil supply, according to an analysis by ...

Brooklyn Org’s rebrand ditches ‘foundation’ from its name for being ‘old’ and ‘controlling’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — To appeal to a new generation of philanthropists, the Brooklyn Community Foundation is ditching the word “foundation” and establishing itself with a new name: Brooklyn Org.Jocelynne Rainey, who took over as president of the 14-year-old grantmaker two years ago, said the name change is meant to convey that the foundation serves the residents of Brooklyn and highlights the expertise of its people, instead of suggesting a “top-down” approach sometimes taken by grantmakers.“There is nothing wrong with the word ‘foundation,’” she said. “But there’s a perception that we’re hearing from the next generation of givers that ‘foundation’ feels a little old and a little controlling.”Rainey’s goal is to attract new donors and make the grantmaker — which awards about $12 million each year to a range of causes, including justice reform, housing, and health — as recognizable as the Brooklyn Museum or the Brooklyn Academy of Music.To complete the name change, Brooklyn Org purchased t...

What to know about the St. Lawrence Seaway strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

MONTREAL — The St. Lawrence Seaway has shut down as hundreds of workers walked off the job Sunday. Here are answers to a few key questions about what’s going on: What is the St. Lawrence Seaway? The St. Lawrence Seaway is a marine shipping route that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes through a system of 15 locks between Lake Erie and Montreal. The seaway is co-managed by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., a not-for-profit established by the Canadian government, and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., a U.S. federal agency. When combined with the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. — managed separately by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the transit system stretches about 3,700 kilometres from Lake Superior to the Atlantic.What is the importance of the route? The full Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system, also known as “Highway H2O,” serves over 100 ports and commercial docks and helps Canada’s Prairie provinces and th...

MUST-WATCH: Uploading love into heaven

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

The third season of a romcom set in the afterlife has entered the MUST-WATCH! But will it enjoy the luxury of the top spot, or could it go to a new comedy about old dads learning how to raise their kids? Perhaps a documentary about one of the most famous authors in the English language? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!Upload (Season 3)Where to watch: Prime VideoFirst up, let’s return to the afterlife!Upload is a sitcom starring Robbie Amell (from the Babysitter) and Andy Allo (from Pitch Perfect 3) as a dead guy in a cybernetic afterlife and his living handler respectively. When we last left them, the two had decided to enter into a relationship despite the fact that one is alive and the other is dead. Things get complicated for then when a back-up clone of him arrives in the afterlife. This show also stars Allegra Edwards (from Briarpatch), Andrea Rosen (from Take Me To Your Mother), and Kevin Bigly (from Sirens).You can watch this new season on Prime Video now!...

40 years after Beirut’s deadly Marines bombing, US troops again deploying east of the Mediterranean

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Forty years after one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East, some warn that Washington could be sliding toward a new conflict in the region.On Oct. 23, 1983, a suicide bomber hit an American military barracks at Beirut International Airport, killing 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines – still the deadliest attack on Marines since the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. A near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.Washington blames the bombings on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a claim the Iranian-backed Hezbollah denies. The U.S. and French forces were in Beirut as part of a multinational force deployed amid Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The force oversaw the withdrawal of Palestinian fighters from Beirut and stayed afterward to help a Western-backed government at the time. The bombing prompted a U.S. withdrawal from Lebanon.The United States is now deploying forces again in the region in connection t...

Fraser says more housing measures are coming in fall budget update

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:39 GMT

OTTAWA — Housing Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government will reveal more housing measures in the fall budget update and in the coming months.In a news conference this morning, Fraser outlined some of the measures that are expected, including tying federal infrastructure spending to housing outcomes in local communities. He also says there will be more policies geared toward increasing the stock of social housing, and increasing workers’ skills and innovation in the construction industry. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has not announced the date for this year’s fall economic statement yet but it is expected in the coming weeks. The federal government is under pressure to address the housing crisis and has created policies aimed at building more housing, including removing the GST on purpose-built rentals and unlocking more low-cost financing for home construction. It has also reached deals with municipalities in recent weeks as part of the housing accelerato...