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Israel battles militants in Gaza’s main cities, with civilians trapped in the fighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants in Gaza’s two largest cities on Monday, with civilians still trapped in the fighting even after hundreds of thousands have fled to other parts of the besieged territory.Israel has pledged to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and returns all of the hostages taken by terrorists during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack into Israel that ignited the war. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.The U.S. has provided unwavering diplomatic and military support for the campaign, even as it has urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties and further mass displacement. The war has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and driven nearly 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.Residents said there was heavy fighting in and ar...

Report: 15 members of Air National Guard disciplined after alleged Jack Teixeira military secret leaks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

An internal Air Force report released  Monday revealed that 15 members of the Air National Guard have been disciplined following an inquiry into airman Jack Teixeira, accused of posting a cache of classified military documents online, according to reports.The Air Force filed its internal report with Congress Monday, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the development.The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman is accused of sharing more than 40 images of classified documents largely regarding the war in Ukraine to the roughly 50 members of a Discord server he led. A “server” is what the gaming-dominated social media platform Discord calls individual groups or forums.The Air Force investigation determined that Teixeira likely smuggled the documents and posted them online on his own, but also found that other personnel, “had information about as many as four separate instances of his questionable activity,” according to the Washington Post.“After interviewing higher le...

Wisconsin GOP leader says he’s finished negotiating with university over pay raises, diversity deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s top Republican lawmaker said Monday that he is finished negotiating with the Universities of Wisconsin over a deal that would have given the university system’s employees a pay raise and paid for the construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.The UW Board of Regents rejected the deal in a hastily called special meeting on Saturday after regents voiced concerns about its targeting of DEI efforts. The fight in Wisconsin comes amid a broader cultural battle playing out across the nation over college diversity initiatives.Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who reached the deal with UW President Jay Rothman, said Monday on WISN-AM that he hopes the regents will reconsider, but that he’s not open to making any changes. “This deal was negotiated in good faith,” Vos said. “We’re not changing one thing in this deal. We are not going backwards. If anything...

List of 2024 Golden Globe nominees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The nominees for next year’s Golden Globe Awards have been announced. BEST DRAMA MOVIE“Anatomy of a Fall”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Past Lives”; “The Zone of Interest”BEST MOVIE MUSICAL OR COMEDY“Air’; American Fiction”; ”Barbie”; “The Holdovers”; “May December”; “Poor Things”FEMALE ACTOR IN A MOVIE DRAMAAnnette Bening, “Nyad”; Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Sandra Huller, “Anatomy of a Fall”; Greta Lee, “Past Lives”; Carey Mulligan, ”Maestro”; Cailee Spaeny, “Priscilla”ACTOR IN A MOVIE DRAMABradley Cooper, “Maestro”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Colman Domingo, “Rustin”; Barry Keoghan, “Saltburn”; Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”; Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDYFantasia Barrino, “The Color Purple”; Jennifer Lawrence, “No Hard Feelings”; Natalie Portman,” May December”; Alma Poysti, “Fallen Leaves” Margot Robbie...

Missed opportunity or dodged bullet? What Ohtani’s L.A. pick means for Rogers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

TORONTO — While baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s decision not to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend has left fans wondering what might have been, one sports economist says team owner Rogers Communications Inc. is better off for having struck out.Ohtani said Saturday he’d be signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with reports indicating his deal is worth a record US$700 million over 10 years, after a courtship process in which the Blue Jays were among the final suitors.Off the field, some who study the business of sport were bullish on the potential payoff of such a deal for Rogers, saying the increased sales of tickets and merchandise could justify his salary.But Concordia University’s Moshe Lander says that despite all the hype, Rogers dodged a bullet and that some of the potential boons for the company were overplayed.While the company could have raked in added revenue through advertising, especially given Ohtani’s significant following in his nat...

Young Thug trial delayed at least a day after co-defendant is stabbed in jail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — One of the five co-defendants on trial with rapper Young Thug has been stabbed at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, delaying the proceedings for at least a day, authorities said.Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Natalie Ammons confirmed that Shannon Stillwell had been stabbed and said her office would provide further details later.The racketeering conspiracy trial for Stillwell, Young Thug and four others began last month after about 10 months of jury selection. Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury for the day Monday morning, saying one of the defendants had “a medical issue.” Glanville told the jurors they should return Tuesday “and we’ll just see how things go at that point in time, and we’ll take the week as it comes.”The jail has long been plagued by violence and other problems, and a lawyer for the sheriff’s office last month told state lawmakers that inmates had fashioned weapons from broke...

Multiple security failures led to the Air Force classified documents leak, inspector general finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive classified documents leak by an Air Force service member earlier this year was made worse by the intentional failure of multiple officials to take required action on his suspicious behavior, the Air Force inspector general reported Monday. Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira is accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform. In its investigation of the leaks, the Air Force inspector general found both security gaps where personnel had access to classified documents without supervision and instances in which Airman 1st Class Teixeira was caught violating security policies but none of the personnel who caught him took the actions necessary in response. “Based on the preponderance of the evidence gathered during the investigation, three individuals in the unit who understood their duty to report specific information regarding A1C Teixeira’s intelligence-seeking and insider threat indicators to security ...

Prince Harry ordered to pay Daily Mail publisher legal fees for failed court challenge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A judge ordered Prince Harry on Monday to pay nearly 50,000 pounds (more than $60,000) in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid for his failed court challenge in a libel lawsuit.The Duke of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. over an article that said Harry tried to hide his efforts to retain publicly funded protection in the U.K. after leaving his role as a working member of the royal family. Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled Friday in the High Court in London that the publisher has a “real prospect” of showing that statements issued on Harry’s behalf were misleading and that the February 2022 article reflected an “honest opinion” and wasn’t libelous. “The defendant may well submit that this was a masterclass in the art of ‘spinning,’” Nicklin wrote, in refusing to strike the honest opinion defense.Harry has claimed the article was “fundamentally inaccurate” and the newspaper defamed him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statemen...

Grocer profits set to exceed record in 2023, expert says, ahead of committee meeting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

VANCOUVER — The Centre for Future Work says profits in the Canadian grocery sector will likely exceed $6 billion in 2023, setting a new record as they rise eight per cent from last year. New research by the centre found that food retailers are now earning more than twice as much profit as they did pre-pandemic. Jim Stanford, economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, is set to present the report’s findings later today to a House of Commons agriculture committee meeting on stabilizing food prices. Eric La Flèche, president and CEO of grocer Metro Inc., is scheduled to present during the first half of the committee meeting.Last week, executives from Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Walmart Canada and Empire Co. Ltd. presented before the committee.The major grocers have been under pressure from the government to enact plans that will help stabilize food prices for Canadians. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:MRU)The Cana...

Minnesota judge sets aside murder conviction of man imprisoned as teen for 2004 flower shop killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:28 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge on Monday set aside the murder conviction of a man who was sent to prison for the 2004 killing of a man in a Minneapolis flower shop, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.Marvin Haynes, who was 16 at the time of the killing, was expected to be released from prison Monday. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says Haynes’ release comes after prosecutors agreed Haynes had recently proven in court that his constitutional rights were violated during his 2005 trial for the killing of Randy Sherer, 55.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement that a “terrible injustice” occurred when the state prosecuted Haynes.“We inflicted harm on Mr. Haynes and his family, and also on Harry Sherer, the victim, his family, and the community. We cannot undo the trauma experienced by those impacted by this prosecution, but today we have taken a step toward righting this wrong.”The Associated Press