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Babies evacuated from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital arrive in Egypt, state-run media say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egypt’s state-run media say babies evacuated from Gaza’s embattled Shifa Hospital have arrived in Egypt.The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said it was transporting 28 premature babies from a hospital in southern Gaza to another across the border in Egypt on Monday.Egypt’s Al-Qahera satellite channel broadcast images of the babies inside Egyptian ambulances, without specifying how many had arrived. Over the weekend, 31 babies were evacuated from Shifa.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy fighting erupted Monday around a hospital in northern Gaza where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, as Israel pressed an offensive it says is aimed at eradicating Hamas and uprooting their militant infrastructure.A shell struck the second floor of the Indonesian Hospital, killing at least 12 people, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled G...

Chilly Few Days, Midweek Storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

Starting off the Thanksgiving travel week on a good note, not just here in New England but also up and down the East Coast. That should help out air travel (at least today) with quiet weather across the major hubs. But that will change tomorrow as we track a midweek storm.Today is quiet, cold, and deceiving. Looking outside you’ll see plenty of sun today, but the sun will be accompanied by cold temperatures — highs only making it to about 40° this afternoon. For perspective, we should be at about 50° for highs. Of course the breeze will make it feel colder and keep wind chills around the freezing mark this afternoon. Tomorrow features less wind but clouds will increase in the afternoon ahead of our next system Tuesday night and Wednesday.Of course in between two cold days is a cold night. And that will be the case tonight with many of us seeing temperatures fall to near 20° tomorrow morning.We’ll watch an area of low pressure move east from the Plains and it will l...

Lucas: Where is the US response to attacks on troops in Syria, Iraq

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

How many? The line came back to me as I watched John Kerry, Joe Biden’s climate czar, sitting across the table from Chinese President Xi Jinping at San Francisco’s summit of Asian leaders.Perhaps Kerry should have been there because Biden believes that climate change is “the ultimate threat to humanity,” and not the communist Chinese or a nuclear armed Iran or North Korea—or even Donald Trump.That remark just about lets all U.S. enemies off the hook.Speaking of remarks, Kerry’s was uttered in 1971 before a much-publicized anti-Vietnam War hearing before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.Dressed in military fatigues Kerry, a decorated war veteran who became a leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement, took center stage during a period when the U.S. was seeking ways to get out of the unpopular war with some semblance of dignity.Then a young man, Kerry stole the show with his testimony about alleged atrocities committed by U.S. troops—most of which were imagined—and dramat...

More than 400,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan following crackdown on migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 400,000 Afghans returned to their home country following the ongoing crackdown on illegal foreigners in the country, Pakistani authorities said Monday.Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesperson of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, confirmed the number and told The Associated Press that the majority have been using the border crossings of Torkham and Spin Boldak to return home.An estimated 1.7 million Afghans had been living in Pakistan when authorities announced its nationwide crackdown, saying that anyone without proper documents had to leave the country by October 31 or else get arrested.However, Pakistani officials said the other 1.4 million Afghans registered as refugees need not worry as only people without proper documentation were sought after.In the 1980s, millions of Afghans fled to neighboring Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of their country. The numbers witnessed a spike after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan also...

Los Angeles freeway is fully reopened after arson fire, just in time for Monday morning’s rush hour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed for more than a week because of an arson fire reopened ahead of Monday morning’s commute, at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate.“Welcome back, Los Angeles!” Mayor Karen Bass posted late Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter.The Nov. 11 blaze, fed by flammable materials stored under the roadway in violation of a company’s lease, shut a mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown, snarling traffic as repair crews worked around the clock. Officials had said last week that all lanes were expected to reopen by Tuesday, but moved it up to Monday after significant progress. Gov. Gavin Newsom said recent safety inspections showed the span was safe to start reopening Sunday evening and that the freeway would be “fully operational” before Monday’s rush hour. “It wasn’t just speed that we were after. We wanted to make sure this thing was safe,” Newsom said at a ...

Weeklong negotiations for landmark treaty to end plastic pollution close, marred in disagreements

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The latest round of negotiations to craft a treaty to end global plastic pollution closed late on Sunday after strained talks in Nairobi, Kenya, where delegates failed to reach a consensus on how to advance a draft of the treaty after a week of negotiations.Environmental advocates criticized the outcome of the weeklong United Nations-led meeting on plastic pollution, saying oil-producing countries successfully employed stalling tactics designed to weaken the treaty.Delegates were expected to discuss a draft published in September that represented the views from the first two meetings. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics is mandated with creating the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution in five rounds of negotiations.Member states decided to move forward with a revision of the draft, which has become longer during this third round of negotiations and will be even more difficult to advance, participants said. State...

The Albanian opposition disrupts a Parliament vote on the budget with flares and piled-up chairs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers disrupted the Parliament’s session again on Monday to protest against what they say is increasingly authoritarian rule by the governing Socialists. Democratic lawmakers lit flares and piled chairs on top of each other in the middle of the hall the minute Prime Minister Edi Rama took his seat to vote on next year’s budget. A cordon of bodyguards stopped opposition lawmakers from getting near the seats of the Cabinet.The left-wing Socialists, who hold 73 seats in the 140-seat Parliament, made a quick vote in principle and closed the session in 5 minutes. A debate on each budget item is expected later this week.One of the flares sparked a small fire, that was extinguished by opposition lawmakers.The opposition wants to create parliamentary investigative commissions to probe alleged cases of corruption involving Rama and other top government officials.The Socialists say the opposition’s requests are not in line with constitution...

Not just kid play: Toy companies aim more products at older adults

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Toymakers are tweaking original classic games or coming out with new ones that embrace an audience that’s been around for a while: people over 65 years old. The products are being marketed as a way for older folks to sharpen their brain skills as well as allay loneliness by helping them connect with other family members and friends, although some experts have raised doubts about toymakers’ claims. Toymaker Hasbro penned a licensing deal with Ageless Innovation — which designs toys with older people in mind — to come out with new versions of Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Life with a tagline “Generations” that offer bigger fonts on tiles and bigger game pieces. The new “Generations” versions of Life and Trivial Pursuit also have expanded their content to cater to younger and older people alike. For instance, the answer to a question in Trivial Pursuit about fitness can be Jack LaLanne or Zumba, depending on the player’s age. The new offerings hit stores in ...

Papua New Guinea volcano erupts and Japan says it’s assessing a possible tsunami risk to its islands

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A volcano in Papua New Guinea erupted on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding it was assessing a possible risk of a tsunami for Japanese coasts.Mount Ulawun on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea erupted at around 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) Monday, spewing volcanic smoke as high as 15,000 meters (50,000 feet), the agency said, quoting the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, Australia, The agency said it was assessing a possible impact, including the risk of a tsunami approaching Japan later Monday. First tsunami waves could reach Izu and Ogasawara islands about three hours after the shaking caused by the eruption, JMA said.The agency has not issued any tsunami advisory or warning. It said that no notable change to sea levels has been detected at observation sites in and outside Japan. Papua New Guinea’s Geohazards Management Division, a government agency that monitors earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, did not immediately respond to a ...

No Thanksgiving 'food orgy'? New obesity meds change thoughts of holiday meals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:21 GMT

For most of her life, Claudia Stearns dreaded Thanksgiving. As a person who struggled with obesity since childhood, Stearns hated the annual turmoil of obsessing about what she ate — and the guilt of overindulging on a holiday built around food.Now, after losing nearly 100 pounds using medications including Wegovy, a powerful new anti-obesity drug, Stearns says the “food noise” in her head has gone very, very quiet.“Last year, it felt so lovely to just be able to enjoy my meal, to focus on being with friends and family, to focus on the joy of the day,” says Stearns, 65, of Somerville, Massachusetts. “That was a whole new experience.”As millions of Americans struggling with obesity gain access to a new generation of weight-loss drugs, Stearns’ experience is becoming more common — and more noticeable at the times of year when cooking, eating and a sense of abundance can define and heighten gatherings of loved ones and friends. Medical experts and consumers say the drugs are shifting n...