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Israel and US show sharp divisions; Hamas tunnels flooded with seawater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel and the United States showed their sharpest public disagreement yet over the conduct and future of the war against Hamas terrorists as the two allies became increasingly isolated by global calls for a cease-fire.The dispute emerged Tuesday while Israeli forces carried out strikes across Gaza.President Biden said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” and that Netanyahu should change his government, which is dominated by hard-right parties.Biden’s comments came as the White House national security adviser heads to Israel this week to discuss with Netanyahu a timetable for the war — and what happens if Hamas is defeated.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Israel next week for a visit the Pentagon said aims to show U.S. support for Israel but also to press the need to avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.The U.S. has urged Israel to do more to reduce civilian c...

Harvard campus: Israel-Palestine tensions flare over Corporation support for President Gay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

Following the Harvard Corporation’s statement of “unanimous support” for President Claudine Gay, the stress between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine stances strained again on the historic campus.“A lot of people don’t have much energy to talk about this anymore,” said a visibly weary Harvard student who stopped to talk to pro-Palestinian protestors at a campus entrance off Massachusetts Ave. on Tuesday. “It’s difficult to talk about. We all see the images of what’s happening. So many people have family over there, family they may fear is dead. And it hasn’t been happening since Oct. 7; it’s been happening for a long time.”The student was one of several who spoke only on the condition of anonymity amid the campuswide climate of fear and tension around the issue.Several students on campus expressed support for Gay and the Corporation’s decision to stand by her after controversial comments at a Congressional hear...

What caused the whale to wash ashore in PB?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 52-foot young female fin whale was found dead and washed ashore in Pacific Beach early Sunday morning.To put 52 feet into perspective, it's almost (about 8 feet less than) the distance from home base to the pitcher's mound at Petco Park, or about the length of a semi-truck trailer.According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there's an estimated up to 90,000 fin whales left in the world after they were hunted until the last century for their oil, meat, etc.The WWF estimates that fin whales can grow to be 80 feet long and weigh up to 80 tons. 52-foot whale washes up on Pacific Beach in San Diego “They are huge, huge whales," SDSU Geologist Professor Emeritus Pat Abbot said. “They are large even among whales.” He said this whale in particular was young and hadn't reached its full maturity.He said they don't typically come close to shores. On Sunday afternoon, the whale was rolled and towed back into the Pacific Ocean to be part of the environment once again.“This ...

Plaintiffs in a Georgia redistricting case are asking a judge to reject new Republican-proposed maps

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The people who sued to overturn Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts on Tuesday attacked plans that Republican state lawmakers claim cure illegal dilution of Black votes while preserving GOP power, calling them a “mockery” of federal law and a “total failure of compliance.”The three sets of plaintiffs in the case filed briefs with the federal judge who ruled in their favor in October, urging him to reject Georgia’s proposed maps and draw new voting districts himself in time for 2024’s legislative and congressional elections.U.S. District Judge Steve Jones has scheduled a Dec. 20 hearing on whether he should accept the plans. The state is supposed to file its defense of the plans next week. Republican legislative leaders repeatedly said during a special legislative session that ended last week that their goal was to comply with Jones’ directive. He told lawmakers they had to draw an additional Black-majority congressiona...

Woman allegedly armed with scissors tased by Toronto police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

Toronto police say a woman allegedly armed with scissors was tased by responding officers on Tuesday.Authorities were called to the St. Clair West and Caledonia Road area in Earlscourt just after 4:30 p.m. for what police described as a threatening call. A police spokesperson tells CityNews officers received reports of a woman armed with scissors in the area making threats to others. Once authorities arrived, the woman refused to cooperate.Video submitted to CityNews shows an officer deploying his taser, and the woman is subdued. She is now in police custody.A police spokesperson said no members of the public or officers were harmed. No charges are pending.

Judge vacates murder conviction of Chicago man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man who spent 35 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit was freed Tuesday after a judge vacated his conviction and dismissed all charges. Brian Beals, 57, struggled to find the right words to describe his feelings as he stood outside Robinson Correctional Center in Crawford County, some 210 miles (338 kilometers) south of Chicago, and embraced his sister and niece. “Relief, happiness, it was just amazing to walk out of there,” he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I’m ready to begin life again.” Beals was convicted in the 1988 murder of 6-year-old Demetrius Campbell. At the time, Beals, a 22-year-old student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, was home in Chicago during Thanksgiving break. He was approached by a drug dealer and they argued, according to news accounts at the time. Attorneys say Beals got in his car and drove off. Bullets fired in Beals’ direction hit two bystanders, the boy and his mot...

3rd Marineland beluga that moved to U.S. aquarium dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

A third beluga from Marineland has died at a U.S. aquarium after arriving there two years ago.Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut says the beluga named Kharabali exhibited abnormal swimming behaviour in November and was eventually moved to its intensive care facility 11 days ago.Mystic says staff were giving Kharabali round-the-clock care for “multiple health issues” before she died. Marineland, a tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ont., sold five belugas to Mystic and they were moved to the U.S. aquarium in May 2021.Mystic said one whale died within months of the move while the second died about a year later, due to pre-existing conditions.The belugas’ move came at the same time the Ontario government had declared all marine mammals at Marineland in distress due to water problems.The U.S. aquarium’s workers are devastated by Kharabali’s death, Mystic said.“Her spirit touched us all, and we are heartbroken by her passing,” said Allison Tut...

Five whales came to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021. Three have now died

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — A 9-year-old beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium named Kharabali has died, marking the third death among five whales that were transported there from Canada in 2021.Kharabali began swimming abnormally in November, and “her strange behavior continued to progress.” She was eventually moved to the intensive care facility at the aquarium’s Aquatic Animal Study Center and died Monday, the aquarium announced Tuesday.A necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause of her death.“Her spirit touched us all, and we are heartbroken by her passing. Kharabali received the utmost care and love during her time with us, and we will always cherish the moments we shared,” Dr. Allison Tuttle, the chief zoological officer, said in a news release.Kharabali is the third whale from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to die after arriving at Mystic Aquarium. A male beluga named Havok died in August 2021, and a female name Havana died in February of 2022. Both of those whales ha...

Universities of Wisconsin regents to vote again on GOP deal to cut diversity spots for cash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Universities of Wisconsin regents have decided to vote again on a deal with Republican lawmakers that calls for reducing diversity positions in exchange for funding to cover employee raises and campus construction projects, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison.The regents rejected the deal on a 9-8 vote Saturday. They met in a closed video conference Tuesday morning, however. Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman declined to reveal what was discussed to reporters. Hours later, the regents posted notice that they’d scheduled an open meeting for late Wednesday afternoon to vote again on the proposal. The agenda indicates that Regent Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, who voted against the deal on Saturday, is now requesting adoption. She did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Tuesday evening. The voicemail at her Madison law office was full. Republican Chris Kapenga, president of the state Senate, tweeted on Monday t...

Congressional candidate’s voter outreach tool is latest AI experiment ahead of 2024 elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:48 GMT

A phone-banking tool powered entirely by artificial intelligence is getting its first real-world test in a Pennsylvania Democrat’s congressional campaign.The chatbot, named Ashley, calls voters and engages in two-way, interactive conversations about candidate Shamaine Daniels, one of seven Democrats running so far in next year’s primary. The voice tool from the startup Civox represents one of many ways AI technology is breaking into politics ahead of the 2024 campaigns, but experts say its direct contact with voters could threaten data security and has the potential to undermine voter trust.Daniels announced the partnership with Civox on Tuesday, saying the the first-of-its-kind political campaign tool had already completed more than 1,000 calls with likely Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania’s 10th House district, which includes the state capital, Harrisburg.Unlike other robocallers, Ashley doesn’t use canned responses or give call recipients a menu of optio...