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Israel, Hamas at critical juncture in negotiations for hostage deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

TEL AVIV — Israeli officials are becoming guardedly optimistic that a hostage deal with Hamas can be reached, but any agreement is likely to be interim and limited. A deal is likely to involve just a few dozen captive Israeli children and elderly, among them some dual nationals, including Americans, according to two Israeli officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic of hostages.The formalizing of humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza has helped progress the talks via the Qataris and Egyptians, the two officials acknowledged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its bombings in Gaza after almost two weeks of pressure from the Biden administration.But the two officials cautioned that there are still several outstanding issues that could easily derail a deal, including the Hamas militants withholding a complete list of the hostages being held in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas military leade...

Why a march against antisemitism became a headache for Macron

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

PARIS — The march against antisemitism planned for Sunday in the French capital was meant to mark unity in the face of a surge of antisemitic offenses in France. But instead it has spotlighted political divisions and is fast turning into a quandary for President Emmanuel Macron.At the center of the media storm over the march is whether the French leader himself will join the event, with reports swirling that the president is considering attending.But for Macron, that would mean walking in the same crowd as far-right leader Marine Le Pen and National Rally President Jordan Bardella, both of whom have confirmed they would attend Sunday’s march.The cross-party demonstration was initiated by the speakers of the two chambers of the French parliament, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérald Larcher, as a way to show support for the French Republic and to condemn antisemitism. France is home to the largest Jewish community and one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe and French authoritie...

Negotiations resume in Andover teachers strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

Negotiations resumed Saturday between bargaining teams for the Andover Education Association and Andover School Committee after members voted to strike on Thursday night. The bargaining session followed a day of picketing outside of Andover schools, which were scheduled to be open Friday, as well as a community rally that drew more than 1,000 people to the Andover Town Common.In a statement, the Andover Education Association said, “Our strike vote has initiated the kind of bargaining we have wanted for months. We have a lot of ground to cover, but both sides are talking and that is because the community has voiced its support for what educators are fighting for. We want to be back in our classrooms as quickly as possible. The Andover School Committee can make that happen by reaching fair agreements on wages, especially for instructional assistants, paid family leave, protected prep time, and more time for elementary school lunches and recess.”The stri...

Where to celebrate Veterans Day weekend across San Diego County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Veterans Day weekend has arrived, and San Diego County will be honoring those who have served the U.S. Armed Forces throughout in region. For those still looking for a way to celebrate the occasion, FOX 5 has created a compilation of Veterans Day events happening from North County to downtown. North County-- Veterans Day Event & 'Operation Homefront' Quilt Auction (Carlsbad)-- Veterans Day Military Review & Flyover at the Army and Navy Academy (Carlsbad)-- VetFest and Parade (Escondido) Free gas for veterans, active military members at these San Diego locations -- Veterans Day Event at The Shoppes at Carlsbad (Carlsbad)-- Veterans Day Oceanside Beach Cleanup (Oceanside)-- Veterans Day at Northern Pine Brewing (Oceanside)-- Veterans Association of North County hosts annual Veterans Day Ceremony (Oceanside)-- Veterans Day Ceremony at Veteran Park (Poway)-- Veterans Day Celebration at Memorial Park (San Marcos)East County-- Veterans Day Flag Raising/ Free Admiss...

Eastbound Gardiner re-opened following hay bale crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

The eastbound Gardiner Expressway has re-opened after bales of hay covered the highway causing a multiple vehicle collision on Saturday morning.At approximately 6:28 a.m. police arrived on scene to investigate. Paramedics transported three victims in total to hospital, a man in his 70’s and a woman in her 50’s both suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries. A third person suffered minor injuries.The Gardiner Expressway has re-opened as well as the Kipling Avenue on-ramp to the Gardiner.

Polish nationalists hold Independence Day march in Warsaw after voters reject their worldview

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

WARSAW. Poland (AP) — Thousands of people walked through Warsaw on Saturday in a march organized by nationalist groups as Poland celebrated its Independence Day holiday, 105 years after the nation regained its statehood at the end of World War I.Participants carried Poland’s white-and-red flag and some burned flares as they marched along a route leading from the city center to the National Stadium. While many patriotic events take place across the nation of 38 million each year, the yearly Independence March has come to dominate news coverage because it has sometimes been marred by xenophobic slogans and violence.This year’s event was attended by some 40,000 and passed off peacefully, the Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, said.It came as nationalist forces have seen their worldview rejected by voters. In a national election last month, voters turned out in huge numbers to embrace centrist, moderate conservative and left-wing parties after eight years of rule by a national...

Constitutional challenge to Georgia voting machines set for trial early next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The question of whether Georgia’s electronic voting system has major cybersecurity flaws that amount to a violation of voters’ constitutional rights to cast their votes and have those votes accurately counted is set to be decided at trial early next year.U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg issued a 135-page ruling late Friday in a long-running lawsuit filed by activists who want the state to ditch its electronic voting machines in favor of hand-marked paper ballots. The state had asked the judge to rule in its favor based on the arguments and facts in the case without going to trial, but Totenberg found there are “material facts in dispute” that must be decided at trial. She set a Jan. 9 bench trial, which means there will be no jury. But she also suggested that the two sides work together to reach a resolution.“The Court cannot wave a magic wand in this case to address the varied challenges to our democracy and election system in recent years, including tho...

Toronto library placed in hold and secure due to bomb threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

The Toronto Reference Library at Bloor and Yonge Streets has been placed in hold and secure due to a bomb threat.At approximately 8:44am the library received a bomb threat. The library is not open yet, employees are being let into the library but the library is under a hold and secure. Police are responding to clear the building and advise to stay out of the area.BOMB THREAT: (UPDATE)Bloor St & Yonge St8:44am– the library is currently in hold and secure– police are o/s– the building is currently being cleared #GO2612159^se— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) November 11, 2023

Danica Roem breaks through in Virginia Senate by focusing on road rage and not only anti-trans hate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lonely, poor and quite lost, Danica Roem thought she had nothing going for her back in 2016 except toned calves from toting kabobs up the stairs of apartments in Arlington, Virginia, in her dead-end food delivery job.“Picture it,” Roem, now a groundbreaking politician who also was a journalist back then, wrote later about that time: “a five-foot- eleven, long-haired brunette metal-head trans lady reporter wearing a rainbow bandana, an A-line skirt, and a black hoodie … screaming obscenities behind the wheel of her four-door ’92 Dodge Shadow America.”Not the usual gauzy pitch to voters. But in Tuesday’s election, the onetime scribe and heavy metal singer scored her fourth election victory, breaking through to the state Senate and overcoming a pitched effort from Republicans and their allies to use her transgender identity as a cudgel. In one of the latest battles in America’s culture wars, Republicans across the country tried in t...

‘Support students’: Some teachers say they won’t follow Saskatchewan’s pronoun law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:07:54 GMT

REGINA — Alex Schmidt says she knows she may face consequences for not following the province’s pronoun law, but it’s a risk she’s willing to take. The Regina public school teacher says she’d rather ensure gender-diverse children who could be put at risk by the law are safe.“Part of the process has always been: ‘No. 1, thank you for sharing this with me, and No. 2, how can I support you?'” Schmidt told The Canadian Press in an interview.“I think that respects the rights of parents. And if children say, ‘I need you to support me and not share this information until I understand how,’ then that is the way that I would support students.”Schmidt and dozens of other teachers have signed an online petition calling on school divisions not to follow the law. It says the legislation harms gender-diverse students, as it could force them to come out or have teachers misgender them.“We will continue to use the practice of l...