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Live updates | With communications down, UNRWA warns there will be no aid deliveries across Rafah

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

Despite the dire need for humanitarian aid in Gaza, there would be no deliveries across the Rafah border crossing from Egypt on Friday, according to the communications director for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Gaza appeared to be left with downed communications systems for a second day Friday, halting cross-border deliveries of humanitarian supplies even as aid agencies warned that most people in the Gaza Strip already do not have adequate food or clean water. A severe lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip shut down all internet and phone networks Thursday, the main Palestinian telecom provider said, effectively cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world. “We have seen fuel and food and water and humanitarian assistance being used as a weapon of war,” Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, the aid agency for Palestinian refugees, said Thursday.At least 11,470 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, ...

At a Global South summit, Modi urges leaders to unite against challenges from the Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged leaders of developing nations to unite in the face of growing challenges due to the Israel-Hamas war as he convened a virtual summit of more than 100 countries Friday.“This is the time when the countries of the Global South should unite for the greater global good,” Modi said in a speech, referring to developing nations.The Voice of Global South Summit was convened to follow up on decisions made during the Group of 20 top world economies meeting in September that New Delhi claimed was a diplomatic success and where the African Union was added as a member.India sees itself as a leader of the Global South and says the world should make progress on key issues important to these countries.“We are more than 100 countries but our priorities are similar,” Modi said at the summit, while emphasizing on issues critical to developing nations, including resource efficiency, poverty reduction and food security.“Voice of the Global South ...

At talks on cutting plastics pollution, plastics credits are on the table. What are they?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two groups that want reduced plastics production published a report Friday highly critical of plastics credits, calling them a flawed tool that won’t help with worldwide pollution from the material.The groups — Break Free From Plastic and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives — said the credits often amount to corporate greenwashing. They issued their report in Nairobi on the sidelines of United Nations-led negotiations for a treaty aimed at cutting plastics pollution.They analyzed publicly available databases of two prominent proponents of plastic offsetting, the accreditor Verra and the Plastic Credit Exchange marketplace. Their report cited “serious flaws” in financing, transparency and basic auditing, and said credits being issued for plastic incinerated in cement kilns were substituting one form of pollution for another. Verra, the world’s leading certifier of carbon offsets, said in a presentation alongside the talks that plastic cr...

Commission sends request for information to Amazon under the Digital Services Act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

The European Commission has formally sent Amazon a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting Amazon to provide more information on the measures it has taken to comply with obligations related to risk assessments and mitigation measures to protect consumers online, in particular with regard to the dissemination of illegal products and the protection of fundamental rights, as well as on compliance of recommender systems with the relevant provisions of the DSA.Amazon must provide the requested information to the Commission by 6 December 2023. Based on the assessment of Amazon's replies, the Commission will assess next steps. This could entail the formal opening of proceedings pursuant to Article 66 of the DSA.Pursuant to Article 74 (2) of the DSA, the Commission can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information. In case of failure to reply by Amazon, the Commission may decide t...

Man takes own life after fiery pursuit crash in Orange County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

WARNING: This article discusses suicide. A man is dead after a high-speed pursuit sped through several Orange County cities and ended in a fiery crash and suicide in Costa Mesa, authorities announced Thursday evening.  Officers with the Garden Grove Police Department initiated a traffic stop of a brown pickup truck in the area of Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue at around 4:25 p.m., according to a GGPD news release.  While the driver of the pickup initially looked as if he was going to pull over, he suddenly accelerated, and a police pursuit ensued.  “The pursuit traveled through multiple cities at which time officers were able to observe that the driver was armed with a firearm,” the release stated. “Officers eventually discontinued the pursuit when the suspect’s driving became reckless and posed a danger to public safety.”  Authorities continued to track the suspect’s vehicle from a police helicopter.  When the driver entered the intersection o...

Who are these guys? Unlikely sources help with San Jose Sharks’ offensive outburst

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have played with too much trepidation in recent games, understandable since their margin for victory has been so small that even minor mistakes can have disastrous consequences.Thursday was a different story, at least in the eyes of Sharks coach David Quinn.“I think we’ve been pretty passive lately, and I think that can happen when you’ve been losing the way we have,” Quinn said. “I think you play with a little bit of fear, and I thought we played fearless tonight. When you do that, good things happen.”The Sharks released five weeks’ worth of offensive frustration in one evening at SAP Center, scoring four second-period goals to earn a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, improving to 3-3-0 in the last 10 days since starting the year 0-10-1.Leading by a goal after the first period, the Sharks (3-13-1) scored three times in the first 3:25 of the second, blowing it open to enjoy a rare laugher in a season filled with adversity.San Jose Sharks goaltend...

Salary Arbitration Eligibles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The 245 players eligible for salary arbitration. Contracts must be tendered by 8 p.m. EST on Nov. 17 and proposed salaries will be exchanged Jan. 12:AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (17) — Keegan Akin, lhp; Danny Coulombe, lhp; Austin Hays, of; Sam Hilliard, of; Cole Irvin, lhp; Jorge Mateo, ss; Ryan McKenna, of; John Means, lhp; Ryan Mountcastle, 1b; Cedric Mullins, of; Ryan O’Hearn, 1b-of; Cionel Pérez, lhp; Anthony Santander, of; Dillon Tate, rhp; Ramón Urías, inf; Jacob Webb, rhp; Tyler Wells, rhp.BOSTON (5) — Reese McGuire, c; Nick Pivetta, rhp; John Schreiber, rhp; Luis Urías, 3b; Alex Verdugo, of.CHICAGO (7) — Dylan Cease, rhp; Garrett Crochet, lhp; Matt Foster, rhp; Michael Kopech, rhp; Touki Toussaint, rhp.CLEVELAND (9) — Christian Bethancourt, c; Shane Bieber, rhp; Enyel De Los Santos, rhp; Sam Hentges, lhp; James Karinchak, rhp; Ramón Laureano, of; Triston McKenzie, rhp; Josh Naylor, 1b; Nick Sandlin, rhp.DETROIT (6) — Akil Baddoo, of; Austin Meadows, of; Ca...

Fiala, Kings halt Panthers’ 5-game win streak by holding on for 2-1 victory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, Anze Kopitar scored on the power play and the Los Angeles Kings halted the Florida Panthers’ five-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory on Thursday night.Cam Talbot made 30 saves, and the Kings won in their own building for the second time in eight games.“It’s no secret that we need to make this building a little tougher to play in, and I think tonight’s a good step in the right direction,” Talbot said.Sam Reinhart scored for the third straight game, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 26 shots, and the explosive Panthers were held to their lowest-scoring output since being shut out at Minnesota in their season opener on Oct. 12.“I thought we were a little slow,” coach Paul Maurice said. “I would expect them to be quick, they were sitting on four days’ rest. But I thought we just didn’t move the puck the way we wanted to.”Fiala, whose offensive production has been offset by his inconsistent puck-handling and mis...

Mike Hoffman scores 2 goals as San Jose Sharks beat St. Louis Blues 5-1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Mike Hoffman scored two goals, and the San Jose Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Thursday night.Givani Smith had a goal and an assist for San Jose, which had dropped three in a row. William Eklund and Luke Kunin also scored in the Sharks’ highest-scoring game of the season.San Jose is 3-3 in its last six games after dropping its first 11 games of the season.“I think we’ve been pretty passive lately, and I think that can happen when you’ve been losing the way we have,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “I think you play with a little bit of fear, and I thought we played fearless tonight. When you do that, good things happen.”Pavel Buchnevich scored for St. Louis, which had won three in a row. Joel Hofer stopped 17 of 21 shots before he was replaced by Jordan Binnington in the second period.The Blues had won their last eight games against the Sharks. San Jose jumped in front on Hoffman’s second goal of the season 2:02 into the first. The Sharks g...

Shakur Stevenson wins WBC lightweight belt with unanimous decision over Edwin De Los Santos

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:06:26 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shakur Stevenson won the WBC lightweight championship on Thursday night via unanimous decision over Edwin De Los Santos in a fight that had fans booing the lack of action.Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) picked up a title in a third weight class. The Newark, New Jersey, native also won the WBO featherweight title in 2019 and the WBO junior lightweight championship in 2021.Judges Tim Cheatham and Steve Weisfeld both scored the bout 116-112, while David Sutherland scored it 115-113.An announced — and displeased — gathering of 6,703 was on hand for a rare Thursday boxing card inside T-Mobile Arena, mere steps away from Las Vegas Boulevard, where Formula One cars were buzzing by during a practice session on opening night of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Qualifying for the race is Friday night and the race itself takes place on Saturday night.De Los Santos, who dropped to 16-2, kept Stevenson moving backward for much of the fight and found himself chasing and missing when opportu...