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Israel's military issues unprecedented orders to evacuate Gaza City ahead of feared ground offensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military told some 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza on Friday to evacuate the north, according to the United Nations, an unprecedented order for almost half the population of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel this week, dismissed it as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes, adding to widespread panic.The evacuation order, which includes Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparked confusion among civilians and aid workers already running from Israeli airstrikes and contending with a total siege and a territory-wide power blackout.“Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only concern now is just if you’ll make it, if you’re going to live,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the Palestinia...

The top 10 most expensive home sales in Palo Alto, reported the week of Sep. 25

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

A house that sold for $4.7 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Palo Alto in the past week.In total, 10 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $3 million, $1,583 per square foot.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Sep. 25 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $800,000, condominium in the first block of Newell RoadThe property in the first block of Newell Road in East Palo Alto has new owners. The price was $800,000. The condominium was built in 1973 and has a living area of 1,009 square feet. The price per square foot is $793. The condominium features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.Newell Road9. $1.5 million, single-family home in the 2100 block of Bowdoin StreetThe property in the 2100 block of Bowdoin Street in Palo Alto has new owners. The price was $1,500,000. The house was built in 1931 and has a...

Week 6 high school football preview: A battle for the ages on tap between King Philip, Foxboro

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

King Philip football coach Brian Lee was on the wrong side of a Jack Martinelli milestone win.He’s hoping history doesn’t repeat itself Friday night.Lee will take his undefeated Warriors into Foxboro Friday to face a 5-0 team in what has the potential to be the game of the year in the Hockomock League. Added to the suspense is the fact that Martinelli is one win away from becoming the seventh coach in state history to amass 300 wins.“He won his 250th game against us (17-15 on a John Cronin field goal in the final minute), so why does it have to be us again,” Lee said with a laugh. “I’ve known Jack since I was a little kid when he and my father (the former legendary Walpole coach John Lee) worked together at the Bay State Camp and we’ve been friends ever since.”In typical Martinelli fashion, he refuses to discuss the personal significance of a 300th win. It’s the way he’s operated since taking over the Foxboro program in 1982.“To me, Friday night i...

An employee at Israel’s Embassy in Beijing was attacked in unclear circumstances and is hospitalized

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — An employee of the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was attacked on Friday and later hospitalized, the country’s Foreign Ministry said. China did not immediately acknowledge the assault. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the attack, though it comes after Israel had criticized China for its statement that followed Hamas’ unprecedented and deadly incursion into southern Israel last Saturday that sparked the ongoing war between the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Israel. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement to journalists, saying the attack did not happen on the embassy’s grounds. The identity of the employee was not made public and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.“The employee was transferred to hospital and he is in a stable condition,” the statement said, without giving additional details. It added that Israeli officials were still trying to assess the “background” of what happened in ...

Israel orders unprecedented mass evacuation in northern Gaza ahead of feared ground offensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military told some 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza on Friday to evacuate the north, according to the United Nations, an unprecedented order for almost half the population of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous, and Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, dismissed it as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes.The evacuation order, which includes Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparked widespread panic among civilians and aid workers already running from Israeli airstrikes and contending with a total siege and a territory-wide blackout.“Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only concern now is just if you’ll make it, if you’re going to live,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokespe...

In the news today: Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza, Convoy trial in Ottawa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza helps at hospitalA Canadian doctor trapped in Gaza says he has been volunteering at the biggest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory since Israel began its massive retaliatory bombardment of the area.Dr. Ehab Bader is a resident of London, Ontario and says he went to Gaza to visit his elderly parents 12 days before Hamas militants crossed through Israel’s highly fortified separation fence and killed over 1,200 Israelis in a brutal rampage.Israel has retaliated with a massive bombardment of Gaza, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. Convoy trial to hear how protest affected busesThe criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is expected today to delve into how public transit was affected by the three-week protest that clogged downtown Ottawa streets last year.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are...

From high flying to burnout, pot industry faces downturn five years post-legalization

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

When Abi Roach thinks about the 20 years she spent fighting for Canada to legalize cannabis, she says pot legislation is like a clenched fist.The analogy, which Roach first heard from a former Toronto councillor, represents the tight grip on the cannabis market that legislators held for centuries. It meant Roach had to exploit a grey area of the law to run her popular cannabis consumption space HotBox, which opened in 2000, and its customers were accustomed to looking over their shoulders for cops before walking through the door.Roach has been a stalwart in Canada’s cannabis industry as a longtime advocate for legalization and queen of an empire that eventually spanned 15 different businesses, including a magazine, a tour company and lines of pot accessories and apparel. While regulations and attitudes have loosened since Canada legalized recreational cannabis five years ago, Roach said policy constraints and industry response mean there is still “a ton of room to go” before t...

Canadian universities face challenges navigating Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

MONTREAL — In the days since Hamas launched violent attacks on Israel, Canadian universities have been grappling with how to address a deeply divisive subject that has sparked grief, anger and heated debate on campuses and in wider society.Several universities have faced backlash for public statements, while others have been forced to respond to groups who expressed support for the militant group’s actions.Some schools, including Concordia University in Montreal and Western University in London, Ont., drew criticism online for statements that mentioned “violence in the Middle East” but did not mention Israel or the attack Saturday on its civilian population. Others, such as Waterloo, used stronger language, condemning the “reprehensible terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.” The University of Toronto wrote a statement on Oct. 8 expressing concern for students in “the Middle East region” before putting out another a day later condemning terr...

Canada’s top court to rule on validity of federal environmental assessment law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s top court is expected to rule today on the validity of the federal government’s environmental assessment legislation.The Supreme Court’s judgment on the Impact Assessment Act is to set the tone for how different levels of government work together to balance the economic benefits of resource development against the environmental risks.The Alberta government wants the law disallowed, arguing it opens the door to federal meddling in areas that the Constitution says are none of its business.Ottawa says its involvement in environmental matters is needed to ensure standards are consistent across the country and to meet national goals such as fighting climate change. Although the Alberta Court of Appeal has issued an opinion against the federal government, the Supreme Court has several times in the past affirmed a role for Ottawa in environmental issues. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2023. The Canadian Press

NDP convention a chance for ‘new direction,’ but grassroots could take up old debates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:45 GMT

HAMILTON — New Democrats are gathering for a three-day convention to focus on how to convince voters looking for change they are a better choice than Conservatives, despite having helped to keep the minority Liberal government in power.“We see a Liberal government that is out of gas, out of steam and no ideas,” said Brad Lavigne, who was national director of the NDP under former leader Jack Layton.“The New Democrats are positioning themselves as the chief alternative or the lead alternative to Conservatives. This convention will be an opportunity to take stock, and set that new direction.”It could also end up giving new life to older debates within the party, such as an emergency resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has the potential to distract from the agenda.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been in the role since 2017, will also face a mandatory leadership review — his first since the 2021 election. At the last convention held in April of t...