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Live updates | Israel says it’s stepping up attacks on the Gaza Strip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

Aid deliveries have begun moving into the besieged Gaza Strip, two weeks after the militant group Hamas rampaged through southern Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes.Israel says Hamas has freed two American hostages who had been held in Gaza since the war began Oct. 7. Israeli airstrikes continued to hit southern Gaza, an area swollen by civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions. Israel’s military spokesman said the country is stepping up its attacks, coming amid growing expectations of a ground offensive.The war, in its 16th day Sunday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that the death toll has reached 4,385, while 13,561 people have been wounded.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial attack on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel. In addition, 203 people were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, the Israeli mili...

St. Lawrence Seaway to shut down as workers go on strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

Unifor says the St. Lawrence Seaway is poised to shut down as hundreds of workers walk off the job today.The halt is expected to affect cargo shipments immediately along the corridor, which runs between Montreal and Lake Erie and carried $16.7 billion worth of cargo last year.The union said this week that it remained miles apart from management on wages, which were the key wedge in discussions.The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation said Friday it remained committed to negotiating in good faith, but said progress had been slow and that the union’s wage demands could lead to higher tolls.Some 360 workers ranging from engineers to administrators comprise the five union locals who were in negotiations with the management authority until Saturday night.Talks began in June with the help of a federal mediator, and continued after Unifor issued a 72-hour strike notice to the employer.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2023.The Canadian Press

Philadelphia Orchestra and musicians agree to 3-year labor deal with 15.8% salary increase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra Association have ratified a collective bargaining agreement calling for minimum salaries to increase by 15.8% over three years.The deal announced Saturday night with Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians covers Sept. 11 this year through Sept. 13, 2026. Increases in the agreement include 6% in the first year, 4.5% in the second and 4.5% in the third. The agreement replaces a four-year contract that expired Sept. 10.“Following the unprecedented disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, our joint challenge was to find a new and financially responsible path forward,” Ralph W. Muller and Michael D. Zisman, co-chairs of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc., said in a statement.The union said the deal requires management to increase the number of musicians hired each year and to ensure the contractual level of 105 musicians and two librarians is met. Substitute and extra musicians...

Venezuelan opposition holds presidential primary in exercise of democracy, but it could prove futile

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans get a chance Sunday to pick who they think can end the decade-long crisis-ridden presidency of Nicolás Maduro.They will cast ballots in a primary election independently organized by the country’s opposition despite government repression and other obstacles.The contest is in itself an exercise in democracy because it required the deeply fractured opposition to work together to give the South American country its first presidential primary since 2012. But it could prove an exercise in futility if Maduro’s government wishes.While the administration agreed in principle at midweek to let the opposition choose its candidate for the 2024 presidential election, it also has already barred the primary’s frontrunner, Maria Corina Machado, from running for office and has in the past bent the law and breached agreements as it sees fit.Machado, a former lawmaker who supports free-market policies, is a longtime critic of the governing United Socialist Party of...

Mired in economic crisis, Argentines weigh whether to hand reins to anti-establishment populist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina could take an unprecedented turn Sunday as frustrated voters weigh handing the presidency to an anti-establishment, right-wing populist who has shaken up the political system and pledges to drastically overhaul the state.Javier Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist who admires former U.S. President Donald Trump, sent shockwaves through the nation after receiving the most votes in August primaries. The economist and first-year lawmaker has said he will slash public spending, halve the number of government ministries, eliminate the central bank and replace the local currency with the U.S. dollar. He first made a name for himself with angry tirades blasting what he calls the “political caste” on television, and has gained support from Argentines struggling to make ends meet amid annual inflation of 140% and a rapidly depreciating currency. His platform also calls for reshaping Argentine culture, and he casts himself as a crusader against th...

Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

MOSHCHUN, Ukraine (AP) — In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time. The mother and son live in trailers that were set up in their backyard after fighting in the early days of the war destroyed their house in Moshchun, a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Kyiv.“I have a feeling that when the cold sets in, they’ll start bombing again,” the woman said, echoing the sentiments of many Ukrainians. This time, however, they say they are better prepar...

North Dakota lawmakers are preparing to fix a budget mess. What’s on their plate?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers are scheduled to be back in Bismarck on Monday to begin a special session to fix a budget mess after the state Supreme Court struck down a major funding bill last month.Here is a preview of the issues involved in the special session and what awaits Republican Gov. Doug Burgum and the Republican-controlled Legislature.WHAT CAUSED THE SPECIAL SESSION?Last month, the North Dakota Supreme Court struck down a major budget bill as unconstitutional. The bill was mainly intended to fund the state Office of Management and Budget but has typically been used in the past as a catchall or cleanup bill passed at the end of the biennial legislative session.By embracing too many different topics, the court ruled the measure violated the state constitution’s single-subject requirement for bills.The surprising decision came as a result of a lawsuit brought by the board overseeing the state’s government retirement plans. The board targeted a cha...

Police dog’s attack on Black trucker in Ohio echoes history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — As Jadarrius Rose drove his 18-wheeler through rural Ohio, a simple missing mudflap caught the highway patrol’s eye. The trip ended with a police dog’s powerful jaws clamping down on Rose even as he tried to surrender. As he stood with his hands up beside the highway on July 4, at least six law enforcement officers surrounded him at a distance, one calling forcefully to the K-9 handler: “Do not release the dog,” highway patrol video shows.Nevertheless, a Belgian Malinois is seen on the video either breaking free or being set loose. At first, the animal seems confused, racing past Rose toward officers at the far end of the truck, then turning back and running for Rose, then 23.By then the trucker is on his knees, hands still high, as an officer shouts, “Get the dog off of him!”That day, Rose joined a long list of Black Americans attacked by police dogs, a history well documented by journalists, academics and filmmakers. Investigations into such cases ha...

Apple supplier Foxconn subjected to tax inspections by Chinese authorities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Foxconn, a Fortune 500 company known globally for making Apple iPhones, was recently subjected to searches by Chinese tax authorities, state media reported Sunday.Foxconn, a Taiwanese -headquartered company officially registered as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd, had its offices in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces searched by tax officials, according to a report in the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper.The Ministry of Natural Resources also inspected Foxconn offices in Henan and Hubei provinces, where the company has major factories. Foxconn employs hundreds of thousands of workers across China.The report did not provide more details about the searches, including when they occurred or what was found. However, the report quotes an expert who said that “while Taiwan-funded enterprises, including Foxconn, are sharing in dividends from development and making remarkable progress in the mainland, they should also assume corresponding social responsibilities and p...

Austin FC closes season with 1-1 draw vs. San Jose, Earthquakes make playoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:06 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cristian Espinoza scored a first-half goal to help San Jose earn a 1-1 draw with Austin FC on Saturday night and that was enough to get the Earthquakes into the postseason after the Houston Dynamo defeated the Portland Timbers.San Jose (10-10-14) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Espinoza took a pass from Jeremy Ebobisse and scored his 13th goal of the season. It was Espinoza's 26th goal contribution this season, second most in Earthquakes history for a single season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersOwen Wolff used passes from Nick Lima and Sebastián Driussi in the 32nd minute to score his second goal of the campaign for Austin (10-15-9), knotting the score at halftime.Brad Stuver saved seven shots for Austin. Daniel de Sousa Britto did not have a save for San Jose.Austin has won just three of its last 22 matches on the road in all compe...