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UN says more than 1 in 4 people in Gaza are ‘starving’ because of war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFERY and COLLEEN BARRY (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday by the U.N. and other agencies that highlights the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.The extent of the population’s hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report. The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day,” blaming the hunger on insufficient aid entering Gaza.“It doesn’t get any worse,’’ said Arif Husain, chief economist for the U.N.’s World Food Program. “I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed.”Israel says it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas from northern Gaza, but that months of fighting lie ahead in the south.The war sparked by Ha...

At least 15 people die in a mass shooting at a Prague university

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

By KAREL JANICEK (Associated Press)PRAGUE (AP) — A lone gunman opened fire Thursday in a university building in downtown Prague, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting, police and the city’s rescue service said.The bloodshed took place in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the shooter was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said. The suspected gunman also died, authorities said. His name has not been released.Vondrasek said 24 were injured, and authorities warned that the death toll could rise. Police gave no details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups. Vondrasek said police believe the suspect killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, just west of Prague, earlier in...

San Diego police sergeant shot in head transported out-of-state for treatment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego police sergeant critically injured in a shootout at a 4S Ranch shopping center was transported to the airport Thursday for airlifting to an out-of-state hospital for a specialized procedure, the department confirmed to FOX 5.Around 9 a.m., a procession of about 20 SDPSD officers escorted Sgt. Anthony Elliott from the La Jolla hospital where he had been treated since the shooting on Dec. 8 to the semi-private AirCare terminal at San Diego International Airport.SDPD officials say Elliott remains in stable condition, but still has a long way to go towards recovery. They did not specify what procedure he is seeking at the out-of-state medical facility, where he is headed or how long he may be there. String of Carlsbad burglaries rally slew of residents, local leaders to talk solutions Elliott was identified by SDPD's union, the San Diego Police Officers Association, as the sergeant injured in the shooting in a social media post promoting a fundraiser for him ...

Giuliani files for bankruptcy after staggering $148M verdict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy Thursday, days after a jury ordered him to pay a staggering $148 million to two ex-Georgia election workers Giuliani baselessly accused of committing fraud in the 2020 election.Giuliani’s Chapter 11 petition, filed in U.S. bankruptcy court in New York, lists between $1 million and $10 million in assets and between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities, the filing shows.For months, the former New York City mayor has appeared to experience a cash crunch as he defended against increasing legal troubles in part for spearheading former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in court.But the bankruptcy filing was spurred by a jury’s verdict last week ordering him to pay about $148 million to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss following a four-day civil defamation trial.Giuliani vowed to appeal the verdict, calling the amount “absurd.” But at Freeman and Moss’s request, the judge on Wednesday ordere...

Honda to recall 297,000 cars in Canada due to fuel pump defect

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

Honda says it will recall approximately 297,000 Acura and Honda vehicles in Canada to replace their fuel pumps – a defect that can increase risks of engine failure or stalling while driving.This includes 2017 to 2020 models whose fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded, resulting in low-density impellers. A Honda Canada spokesperson said the car manufacturer had not received any reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue, noting that Canadian owners of affected vehicles will be notified of this safety recall by mail in Feb. 2024.The automaker said Thursday that it will replace fuel pumps for all vehicles impacted by the recall at no cost in separate phases.The recalled Acura models include the 2018-2020 ILX, 2018-2020 MDX, 2018-2020 MDX Sport Hybrid, 2017-2020 NSX, 2018-2020 RDX, 2018-2020 RLX and the 2018-2020 TLX.Honda models being recalled2018-2020 Accord 2017-2020 Accord Hybrid 2018-2020 Civic 2018-2020 Civic Type R&...

Two county officials in Arizona plead not guilty to charges for delaying 2022 election certification

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Two officials from a rural Arizona county pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges for delaying the certification of their county’s 2022 midterm election results. Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby had balked for weeks about certifying the results, in a process known as canvassing. They didn’t cite problems with election results. But they said they weren’t satisfied that the machines used to tabulate ballots were properly certified for use in elections, though state and federal election officials said they were.During brief arraignment hearings on Thursday, Judd and Crosby pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and interference with an election officer and were informed of future court dates, including a May 16 trial.“We feel like there is no basis for these charges,” Kurt Altman, an attorney for Judd, said outside of court. “She was charged for doing her job.”Crosby and Tim Grimm, a lawyer representing the supervisor, declined to comment a...

4 Indian soldiers killed and 3 wounded in an ambush by rebels in disputed Kashmir

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Four Indian soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in an ambush by militants fighting against New Delhi’s rule in disputed Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.The Indian military said militants fired at two army vehicles in southern Poonch district late afternoon on Thursday. The area is close to the highly militarized line of control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.Lt. Col. Suneel Bartwal, an Indian army spokesman, said soldiers retaliated to the fire and in the ensuing fight, four soldiers were killed and three others were injured. He said a search operation continued in the area.No other details were available and there was no independent confirmation of the ambush.Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of...

Dutch court orders Amanda Todd’s tormentor to serve six years of 13-year B.C. term

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

AMSTERDAM — The man who extorted and bullied British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd into suicide has had his 13-year sentence from a Canadian court converted to a six-year prison term in Europe. An Amsterdam court handed Aydin Coban the six-year sentence on Thursday, which is the maximum allowed under Dutch law and is longer than the 4 1/2 years prosecutors recommended to the court in July. Todd was 15 when she died by suicide at her home in Metro Vancouver in October 2012, weeks after posting a video watched by millions around the world describing being harassed and extorted by an online predator.Coban was convicted in B.C. Supreme Court last year on charges of child pornography, child luring and criminal harassment after the court heard he blackmailed Todd to expose herself in front of a webcam.He was already serving an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands after being convicted on similar charges involving the online extortion of 33 young girls and gay men. The sentence imposed Thur...

B.C. woman faces multiple charges for under-18 sex trafficking, say Langley RCMP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

LANGLEY, B.C. — Police in British Columbia say a woman faces more than a dozen charges related to an alleged human trafficking scheme involving sexual exploitation of people under 18. Langley RCMP say Jennifer Lynn Stephens faces 14 criminal charges for her alleged role in a human trafficking and pimping operation, including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and benefiting and advertising sexual services.Police say they were called to a gas station in Langley in early March 2023 where they found a “distressed adult female,” and an investigation led them to a hotel nearby before Stephens was first charged with assault. They say she failed to appear in court in July, leading to a Canada-wide warrant for her arrest. Police say they arrested Stephens on Dec. 7 after a complex investigation involving multiple agencies including Surrey RCMP, Vancouver police, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Insp. Erica Moir with Langley RCMP says ...

Harris to kick off 2024 with stops in Nevada, South Carolina, home to some of Democrats’ first votes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:14 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Nevada and South Carolina next month, two of the earliest states on the Democratic presidential calendar, where she’ll court voters she and President Joe Biden hope to win over.Harris will meet with members of the powerful casino workers’ Culinary Union in Las Vegas on Jan. 3, which offers one of the most powerful endorsements in Nevada Democratic politics, the White House said Thursday.Three days later, she plans to head to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, home of the Democrats’ leadoff primary, to address an annual women’s retreat of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest historically Black denomination in the U.S.Harris has been touring the country to tout the administration’s accomplishments, most recently angling to energize younger voters during a multi-stop college tour. Next month she plans to embark on a nationwide series of events to rally voters to give Biden a second term an...