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US urges American citizens to evacuate Lebanon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

The U.S. State Department on Friday recommended that U.S. citizens in Lebanon evacuate while flights are available due to an “unpredictable security situation” amid the escalating regional conflict.“You should have a plan of action for crisis situations that does not rely on U.S. government assistance,” the statement read. “The best time to leave a country is before a crisis if at all possible.”“There is no guarantee the U.S. government will evacuate private U.S. citizens and their family members in a crisis situation,” the statement added. “In the event that a U.S. military-assisted evacuation does occur, our focus will be on helping U.S. citizens. The U.S. government generally cannot provide in-country transportation during a crisis. That includes transportation to points of departure.”The release recommended that such individuals review flight options at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.The statement comes as back-and-forth strikes between the Israeli Defense Forces...

Gaza in communications blackout as Israel intensifies bombing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

The Israeli military expanded its ground operations in northern Gaza earlier Saturday, cutting off communications and internet connections and claiming the killing of senior Hamas officials.Aid groups and civil society organizations said they have lost touch with staff and families in the Gaza Strip as a result of the connection outages.“Last night, the ground forces entered and continued expanding the ground force operations. Infantry, engineering and artillery are accompanied by heavy gunfire,” Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said on Saturday. Senior Hamas officials, including the head of the militant group’s aerial operations, were killed, he said.“Overnight, IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the head of Hamas’ Aerial Array. Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas’ UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defense,” the IDF said on social media. Abu Rakaba took part in planning the October 7 attack by Hamas mil...

Patriots-Dolphins preview: How Bill Belichick can pull another upset in Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

Now do it again.Last weekend’s upset of the Bills won’t be enough for the Patriots (2-5) to reverse course on their season, but beating Miami could start an impressive U-turn. The Pats are slated as 9-point underdogs in South Florida, where they’ve struggled historically. The Patriots are 2-8 in their last 10 visits, and haven’t beaten the Dolphins on the road in the post-Brady era.Expect them to follow a similar formula to what they executed against Buffalo: quick passing, more run-pass-options, defensive schemes to get instant pressure and an eye on the field position battle.Here’s how Sunday should go down in Miami:When the Patriots runSuddenly, the Pats are among the steadiest rushing teams in the NFL.They rank ninth in success rate over the last three weeks, indicating an ability to stay on-schedule and move the chains. Moving right guard Mike Onwenu over to right tackle factored into some of their success, though something must be said for overall...

Man suffers life-threatening injuries in Lawrence West and Weston shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

A man has taken himself to hospital after a shooting near Lawrence West and Weston Road early Saturday morning.Toronto police were called to the intersection to reports that a man had been shot outside an establishment. Shortly after, a man in his 40s arrived at a Toronto hospital on his own. His injuries are considered life-threatening.No further details about the incident or any suspects has been released.

Hundreds of mourners lay flowers at late Premier’s Li Keqiang’s childhood residence in eastern China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of mourners lined the streets and laid flowers near former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s childhood residence on Saturday, a day after he died of a heart attack. Li was born in Hefei in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where he spent most of his childhood and youth. People came overnight to Li’s former residence at Hongxing Road No. 80 with bouquets of chrysanthemums and other flowers. Some bowed in respect, while others cried.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠”Everyone is in sorrow,” said Fei Wenzhao, who visited the site on Friday night. She said that the flowers laid out stretched 100 meters (yards). The road leading to the residence was closed to traffic Saturday afternoon to allow people to pay their respects. The line stretched hundreds of meters.Li, 68, was China’s top economic official for a decade, helping navigate the world’s second-largest economy through challenges such as rising political, economic and military tensions with the United States and the COVID...

2 men stabbed near King and Spadina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

Two men are in hospital after an early morning stabbing near King Street and Spadina Avenue.Toronto police were called to the intersection just before 3:30 a.m. to reports of an altercation in a laneway. Two people were reportedly stabbed in the incident.Two men in their 30s were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The suspect or suspects fled the area shortly after. Police continue to investigate the incident.

Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

For many of the university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense. The bloodshed has roiled campuses in the United States, at times sparking rival rallies and competing demands.Kaiser Aslam, Muslim chaplain at the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University, has been helping students wrestling with complex questions and anxieties — from why there is suffering to whether public advocacy for Palestinians or criticism of Israel could jeopardize future career opportunities or spark other repercussions. Some, he said, are grieving family members killed during Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.Meanwhile, Rabbi Esther Reed, with Rutgers Hillel, recalled trying to comfort a student who was sobbing uncontrollably on learning a friend was killed in Israel in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants that triggered the latest fighting. Another student, she said, asked if police could escort her from cl...

At least 32 people were killed in a multi-vehicle pileup on a highway in Egypt, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A passenger bus slammed into a parked vehicle on a foggy Saturday morning on a highway linking the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing at least 32 people, authorities said.The multi-car pileup, which set some vehicles ablaze, left at least 63 others injured, said the Health Ministry. Ambulances rushed to the scene of the crash on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road to transport the injured to nearby hospitals, it said.Local media reported that the bus was on its way to Cairo when it hit the parked vehicle. Other cars slammed into the bus with some catching fire.Footage circulating online showed many burned vehicles on the side of the road with firefighters extinguishing the fire. In one footage many vehicles were seen on fire with thick plumes of smoke billowing from them. The state-run daily al-Ahram reported that 29 vehicles were part of the crash which took place at the town of Nubariya, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Ca...

Live updates | Palestinian officials say death toll rises from expanded Israel military operation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

Israel launched an expanded ground operation on Saturday after knocking out communications and creating a near-blackout of information in the Gaza Strip with increased bombardment and artillery fire overnight.Israel said infantry and armored vehicles were backed by “massive” strikes from the air and sea, including the bombing of Hamas tunnels, which are a key target in its campaign to crush the territory’s ruling group.Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall Friday as the Israeli military said it was expanding ground operations in the territory, signaling a move closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza after the bloody rampage by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7.The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services as the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people were largely cut off from contact with the outside world. Some satellite phones continued to...

Movie review: ‘The Holdovers’ an instant addition to holiday movie canon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:59 GMT

There’s a double-layered sense of self-reflective nostalgia baked into Alexander Payne’s misfit holiday movie “The Holdovers.” Set in 1970, there’s nostalgia for the time period, which is textured and rendered with care and conviction on-screen. But the film itself, a warm, spicy brew of humor, poignancy and irascible charm, also inspires the odd desire to be rewatching it while you’re watching it, a kind of nostalgia for the present moment. That funny feeling is reflected in the plot too, in which a trio of near strangers form an unlikely but indelible bond over Christmas break at a Massachusetts boarding school.“The Holdovers” crackles and pops with film grain, like a roaring fire might. Right away, Payne places us in a vintage setting, with 1970s-style production logos aiding his time travel mission, allowing us to settle into the era, like sinking into a brocade sofa with a few fingers of Canadian Club in a coffee cup.There is a certain warmth to “The Holdovers,” though the envi...