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Israel green-lights Cypriot aid plan for Palestinians as military pounds Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Israel will allow ships from several European countries to deliver aid directly to war-torn Gaza, the country’s top diplomat said Sunday, as the Israeli military ramped up large-scale air attacks across central Gaza.Ships from countries including France, Greece, the Netherlands and the U.K. can “immediately” start shipping aid packages via a proposed sea corridor that goes through Cyprus, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told local radio on Sunday. The measure could mean a partial lifting of Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza, first imposed in 2007 after the Hamas militant group took control of the Palestinian enclave.Under the plan, originally proposed by Nicosia last month, ships would travel to Cyprus for security checks before heading 370 kilometers to Gaza’s coast in a route that would avoid Egyptian or Israeli borders. Paris, Athens, Amsterdam and London have yet to officially comment on the plan, though the U.K. and Greece have previously indicate...

Poway restaurant destroyed by fire Saturday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

POWAY, Calif. -- A taqueria in Poway was destroyed in a fire Saturday night in what was believed to be an equipment malfunction, authorities confirmed. The Poway Fire Department responded to Chamoy Tacos + Fruit, a taqueria and fruiteria at 12612 Poway Rd., at 5:43 p.m. Saturday. Staff and customers evacuated the building ahead of firefighters arrival. Major part of SB 2 gun law moves forward Chamoy Tacos + Fruit destroyed in fireFirefighters worked to battle the kitchen fire, but weren't able to save the restaurant. Poway Fire Chief Ray Fried told FOX 5 the restaurant is a total loss and the cause of the fire appears to be related to an equipment malfunction. Enforcement results: Chula Vista Police hold Friday night DUI checkpoint Fire investigators do not believe any foul play was involved, however the investigation remains ongoing at this time.

Major part of SB 2 gun law moves forward

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO-- Just weeks after a judge temporarily blocked a state law that bans Californians from carrying guns in most public spaces, late Saturday, a federal appeals court reversed that decision, allowing the law to go into effect in the new year, at least for now.Signed by the Governor Newsom in September, the law known as SB 2 would have banned Californians from carrying firearms in 26 types of public places including parks, sports stadiums, amusement parks and houses of worship. Michael Swartz, the executive director of the San Diego County Gun Owners Pac, said SB 2 turns non-sensitive areas into sensitive areas.“The problem is that it expands it so much that it really leaves nowhere for people to carry for self-defense in public,” said Michael Swartz, executive director, San Diego County Gun Owners Pac. New traffic laws bringing changes for California drivers in 2024 Schwartz said the San Diego County Gun Owners Pac exist in protecting the rights of t...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 7-13

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Jan. 7-13:Jan. 7: Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner is 78. Singer Kenny Loggins is 76. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 75. Actor Erin Gray (“Silver Spoons,” ″Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”) is 74. Actor Sammo Hung (“Martial Law”) is 72. Actor David Caruso is 68. TV anchor Katie Couric is 67. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 65. Bassist Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s) is 65. Actor David Marciano (“Homeland,” ″The Shield”) is 64. Actor Hallie Todd (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 62. Actor Nicolas Cage is 60. Singer John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting is 59. Actor Rex Lee (“Entourage”) is 55. Actor-rapper Doug E. Doug (“Cool Runnings,” ″Cosby”) is 54. Actor Kevin Rahm (“Desperate Housewives,” ″Judging Amy”) is 53. Jeremy Renner (“The Avengers,” ″The Bourne Legacy”) is 53. Country singer John Rich of Big and Rich is 50. Actor Reggie Austin (“Agent Carter,” ″Pretty Little Liars”) is 45. Singer-rapper Aloe Blacc is 45. Actor Lauren Cohan (“The Wal...

John Pilger, Australia-born journalist and filmmaker known for covering Cambodia, dies at 84

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

LONDON (AP) — John Pilger, an Australia-born journalist and documentary filmmaker known for his coverage of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 84. A statement from his family, posted on X, formerly Twitter, said Pilger died on Saturday in London. “His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family he was simply the most amazing and loved dad, grandad and partner,” the statement said. Pilger, who has been based in Britain since 1962, worked for Britain’s left-leaning Daily Mirror newspaper, broadcaster ITV’s investigative program “World In Action” and for the Reuters news agency.He won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1979 film “Year Zero: The Silent Death Of Cambodia,” which revealed the extent of the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities. He followed that with a 1990 documentary titled “Cambodia: The Betrayal,” which examined international complicity in the Khmer Rouge remainin...

Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi is declared winner of election that opposition wants redone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi won reelection with more than 70% of the vote, the country’s election commission said Sunday. The preliminary results of the Dec. 20 election were announced in the capital, Kinshasa, amid demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to massive logistical problems that put the validity of the outcome into question. Tshisekedi was followed by businessman Moise Katumbi, who received 18% of the vote, and Martin Fayulu, who received 5%. Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a physician renowned for treating women brutalized by sexual violence in eastern Congo, got less than 1%.The election had more than a 40% turnout with some 18 million people voting. The results will be sent to the constitutional court for confirmation, election chief, Denis Kadima said.___Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal Sam Mednick And Jean-yves Kamale, The Associated Press

Off-duty police officer is killed in North Carolina after witnessing a crime at a gas station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — An off-duty police officer was shot and killed in North Carolina after witnessing a crime at a gas station and approaching the two suspects, officials said.The police sergeant, whose name hasn’t been released, was a 22-year veteran of the Greensboro Police Department, Chief John Thompson said during a news conference Saturday night. Thompson didn’t specify what crime the off-duty officer witnessed or provide additional details about the events leading up to the shooting earlier that afternoon. Police were searching for two men in their 20s and a black Chevrolet Equinox, according a statewide alert sent to the public by the the Greensboro Police Department. The Blue Alert was sent about two hours after the shooting and canceled roughly two hours later. A Blue Alert is used when a law enforcement officer has been seriously injured, killed or gone missing. Thompson said another off-duty Greensboro officer and a paramedic were on scene when the shooting occurred ...

Toronto to open city warming centres Sunday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

The City of Toronto’s warming centres will be opening up their doors at 5 p.m. Sunday night due to the current forecast.The four warming centres are activated when temperatures reach -5 C or when Environment Canada issues a winter weather event warning. Temperatures are expected to dip down to -6 C with a chance of flurries.The locations of the warming centres are 136 Spadina Road, 75 Elizabeth Street, North York Warming Centre and 885 Scarborough Golf Club Road.Walk-ins are welcome and individuals don’t need to contact Central Intake in order to access a warming centre. If someone arrives at a centre at capacity, the City will assist with transportation to another warming centre.A number of drop-in programs are also available throughout the day.Advocates have been urging the City to keep warming centres open 24/7 this winter amidst a spike in people experiencing homelessness. The temperature threshold was dropped this year from -15 C to -5 C.

Sunday Forecast: Winter Weather Advisory until noon, freezing drizzle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

Sunday: Winter Weather Advisory until noon. Some freezing drizzle is changing over to some light snow this morning. Cloudy, breezy & bursts of light snow. WNW 10-20 mph. High: 34Sunday Night: Overcast, breezy & periods of light snow tapering off late. NNW 5-10 MPHTemp around midnight 32 degrees. Low: 25Monday: Partly sunny, gusty & seasonally chilly. NNW 10-15 MPH & gusty. High: 36Extended outlook calls for more clouds on Tuesday with temps getting close to 40. This will likely be our warmest day this week. Cloudy skies on Wednesday with a chance of some light snow by the afternoon/evening with highs in the mid 30s. Partly sunny and 33 for Thursday and mid 30s for Friday. 

US Navy helicopters fire at Yemen's Houthi rebels and kill several in latest Red Sea shipping attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:29 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military said they attacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing several of them in an escalation of the maritime conflict linked to the war in Gaza.In a series of statements, the U.S. Central Command said the crew of the USS Gravely destroyer first shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired at the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou late Saturday after the vessel reported getting hit by a missile earlier that evening as it sailed through the Southern Red Sea. Four small boats then attacked the same cargo ship with small arms fire early Sunday and rebels tried to board the vessel, the U.S. Navy said. Next, the USS Gravely and helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier responded to the Maersk Hangzhou's distress call and issued verbal warnings to the attackers, who responded by firing on the helicopters.“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,” sinking three of the four boats and killing the people on board while the fou...