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Canadian women terrified for loved ones in Gaza as Israel orders evacuation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

Canadians with loved ones in Gaza say they’re terrified their relatives will soon die now that Israel’s military has told about one million Palestinians to evacuate northern parts of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion.The United Nations has warned that an evacuation on that scale – almost half the Gaza population – could be calamitous and urged Israel to reverse the order. Hamas, which staged a brutal attack on Israel nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, called on people to stay in their homes.For Montreal resident Dalya Shaath, the barely 24 hours since Israel’s evacuation order has been deeply distressful. “My family is dying,” Shaath said as she wept during a phone interview on Friday morning. “My one cousin sent me a message on Facebook saying, ‘Dalya, my love, I don’t know if I’m gonna talk to you again.'”Another cousin in Gaza called at 2 a.m. to say some family member...

Stock market today: Wall Street struggles as war worries collide with hope for stronger profits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — US. stocks are mostly falling Friday as fears about war in the Middle East collide in financial markets with hopes for stronger profits at big U.S. companies.Oil prices leaped, and Treasury yields fell after Israel’s military ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion, according to the United Nations, which warned of potentially “devastating humanitarian consequences.” But several of the biggest U.S. banks at the same time said their profits during the summer were better than feared, which offered hope on Wall Street for an earning reporting season that may deliver the first growth in a year. All the push and pull left the S&P 500 0.6% lower in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged, as of 1:42 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% lower.Some of the strongest action was in the oil market, where a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude jumped 5% to $87.09. Brent crude, the international ...

Copa airliner bound for Florida returns to Panama after a bomb threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A Copa airline flight bound for Tampa, Florida, returned to Panama City’s international airport Friday following a bomb threat, the country’s civil aviation authority said.The Boeing 737-800 landed at Tocumen International Airport at around 11 a.m. local time and moved to an isolated stretch of the tarmac, where 144 passengers were taken off the plane, Panama’s Civil Aeronautics Authority said on the social media platform X.An anti-explosives team began inspecting the aircraft.The Associated Press

Cardinals complex in the Dominican Republic broken into by armed robbers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic — Armed robbers broke into the St. Louis Cardinals complex in the Dominican Republic on Friday. A statement from the Cardinals said no one was injured, but the burglars stole money, cellphones, jewelry and baseball equipment in the break-in, which took place in the early morning hours. Players and staff at the complex were shaken, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “This was scary on many fronts,” Mozeliak said in the statement. The team will reassess its security at the complex immediately, he said. Local authorities came to the complex to investigate, the team said. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbThe Associated Press

Minnesota man who shot officers told wife it was ‘his day to die,’ according to complaint

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota man accused of shooting five law enforcement officers told his wife it was “his day to die” when he learned that drug task force officers were at his home, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.Karl Thomas Holmberg, 64, was charged Friday with six counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer and six counts of first-degree assault of a peace officer.The charges stem from an exchange of gunfire Thursday as officers sought to serve a search warrant at his property in rural Glendorado Township, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis.The officers sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck said Thursday at a news conference. The complaint says officers knocked and announced, “police, search warrant” before entering the home. The first gunshots were fired seconds later. The shooting led to a nearly four-hour standoff before Holmberg was taken into custody.It said Holmberg’s wife...

Russian athletes won’t be barred from the Paris Olympics despite their country’s suspension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Russian athletes can be directly invited to next year’s Paris Games despite the suspension of their country’s Olympic committee, the IOC said Friday.International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach commented on the issue a day after the Russian Olympic Committee was suspended for violating the territorial integrity of its Ukrainian counterpart by unilaterally adding sports councils in four occupied regions as members.Isolating the ROC, which now is blocked from getting millions of dollars in IOC revenue, won’t affect the process of evaluating individual Russian athletes for neutral status to help them qualify for and compete at the Paris Olympics.“These will be direct invitations which we will manage with international federations and, if needed, then with the respective national federations,” Bach said at a news conference.Bach reiterated the current IOC position that “we do not punish or sanction athletes for the acts of their officials ...

Putin calls for ex-Soviet states to expand their influence and comments on Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a Friday summit of a Moscow-dominated alliance of several ex-Soviet nations and commended the growing cooperation between them despite Western sanctions against Russia.Putin met in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, with the leaders of most fellow members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. He told reporters that economic exchanges between Russia and the alliance’s other nations have increased despite Western threats to punish them for maintaining ties with Moscow.He specifically hailed a new deal on joint air defenses with Kyrgyzstan, saying it would help further bolster military ties. Kyrgyzstan, a member of a Moscow-led security pact, already hosts a Russian air base.At the same time, Putin sought to downplay Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s failure to attend the summit in Bishkek. He noted that Pashinyan has a lot on his plate after Azerbaijan reclaimed control last month of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking a mass exodu...

NYC lawmaker arrested after bringing a gun to protest at Brooklyn College

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A pro-Israel lawmaker in New York City was arrested Friday for bringing a handgun to a student demonstration supporting Palestinians.Inna Vernikov, a Republican member of the City Council, was seen in photos and videos with the butt of a pistol jutting out from her waistband while attending a student protest at Brooklyn College, according to the New York Police Department.She turned herself in on Friday morning, was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon and released.Vernikov, who obtained a license last month to carry a concealed weapon, surrendered her firearm following the arrest, police said. Under New York law, licensed gun owners may not bring weapons to certain sensitive locations, including protests and school grounds. The state requires people licensed to carry handguns to keep them hidden from public view.Vernikov did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The phone at her district office in Brooklyn rang unanswered Friday. ...

Suburban man was high on marijuana while striking, killing 81-year-old, prosecutors allege

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — A suburban man was charged last week for allegedly striking and killing a 81-year-old man earlier this year while high on marijuana.On the night of April 8, police responded to the area of Buffalo Grove Road and Golf View Terrace on the report of a crash involving a pedestrian.At the scene, officers discovered 81-year-old Alex Gorn, of Buffalo Grove, suffering from critical injuries. He later died at the hospital.The driver, 33-year-old Shalmil Naftaliev, of Hoffman Estates, stayed at the scene and was not injured. ‘I’m going to fall’: Northwest Indiana woman accused of letting kids ride on roof of car; daughter injured On Oct. 4, Naftaliev was charged with an aggravated DUI for allegedly being over the legal blood limit for cannabis. He turned himself in, police said. Naftaliev was released and given his next court date of Nov. 3

Officials assessing storm damage in Calumet City

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:50:34 GMT

CALUMET CITY, Ill. — Residents who suffered damage during last month's severe weather in Calumet City could get some help.President Joe Biden has already issued a disaster declaration for Cook County for the summer storms but Friday’s focus was on the storms that happened in September. Teams with FEMA, the state emergency management, county and local officials went door to door to talk to homeowners in Calumet City. They conducted preliminary damage assessments and gathered information for the governor. FEMA opens Chicago area recovery centers for those affected by summer storms If the governor declares a disaster for the September 16 and 17 storms, then that would get the ball rolling to FEMA and Biden to see if another federal disaster declaration would be issued. This the way for federal assistance for homeowners .From the summer storms, the deadline to apply for relief has been extended through the end of this month. Homeowners who were initially denied can also appeal.Fo...