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US defense secretary arrives in Israel and is expected to press for a more targeted approach in Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians.France, the U.K. and Germany — some of Israel’s closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the dozens of hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war.The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the U.N. and rushed munitions to its close ally while pressing it to...

Miss Manners: Snow shoveling has created an awkward situation with my neighbors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I live in the Northeast, where snowstorms are commonplace. Both of us are fortunate to have jobs that generally close in bad weather, so we have time to clear snow at our leisure.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Our houseguests canceled abruptly and implied we were running a frat party Advice | Miss Manners: If you’re the best man at this wedding, brace for embarrassment Advice | Miss Manners: I’m irritated by drivers who leave their car at the pump Advice | Miss Manners: I’m offended that they think my husband knows best Advice | Miss Manners: Do they think that as doctors they have some special aura? A friend of ours has grandparents who live in our neighborhood. They are relatively recent immigrants from a warm climate, and we have taken to shoveling their driveway and walkways whenever the weather warrants it.This friend’s whole family h...

Europe’s top soccer teams await draw for Champions League’s round of 16

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Europe’s top teams are waiting to discover who they will be playing in the round of 16 of the Champions League.The draw takes place from 1100 GMT at UEFA headquarters on Monday and it includes eight former champions who have combined to win 33 of the 67 titles since the European Cup started in 1955.Among them is defending champion Manchester City, who was a group winner along with Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.They’ll be facing the following teams who were second in their groups: Copenhagen, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig and Porto.In the last 16, teams cannot play an opponent from their own country or a team they already faced in the group stage. There’s no country protection after that.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Impulsado por la lluvia, este transportador de semillas podría ayudar a reforestar las zonas más remotas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

(CNN) –Los bosques del mundo están amenazados. Además de la tala para obtener madera y la tala para dar paso a la agricultura, el aumento de las temperaturas globales está causando incendios forestales más intensos . Este año será el más caluroso registrado y ha sido el peor récord en términos de incendios en bosques boreales en todo el mundo.La reforestación es esencial en la lucha contra el cambio climático y para proteger la biodiversidad, pero plantar árboles jóvenes a mano puede ser lento y requerir mucha mano de obra.En los últimos años, se comenzaron a utilizar drones para arrojar semillas en tierras deforestadas por incendios forestales; una empresa llamada Mast Reforestation, anteriormente DroneSeed, aplicó este método en el oeste de los Estados Unidos y más allá, y en todo el mundo. Wildlife Fund utilizó drones especializados para restaurar matorrales rurales en Australia. Pero para que vuelva a crecer, las semillas caídas tienen que llegar al suelo y germinar, y eso...

This new DC-area hospital is a one-stop shop for women’s health care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

In less than a year, doctors at VHC Health in Arlington, Virginia, planned, built and opened the D.C. area’s only one-stop health care center for women.The goal of the new Charlotte Stump Benjamin Center is to make appointments and follow-ups easy and convenient for women, said Dr. Kelly Orzechowski, the center’s chief medical officer.“A lot of times women are so busy caring for other loved ones that they don’t actually prioritize their own health care,” she said. “So, they’re more likely to delay a mammogram and that can affect the quality of life and health care, if things are picked up late.”Health care centers for women only are a national trend that has reached the D.C. area.Dr. Kelly Orzechowski, the center’s chief medical officer, speaks with guests during the grand opening ceremony. (Courtesy VHC Health)The center, located on the fifth floor of VHC Health’s outpatient pavilion, is the first of its kind in the area that of...

Tras su desaparición en 1982, Johnny Gosch se convirtió en uno de los primeros “niños del cartón de leche”. Su caso aún es un misterio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

West Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Johnny Gosch salió de casa por última vez un cálido domingo de finales de verano, a la pálida luz de la mañana, antes del amanecer. Tenía 12 años y le gustaba construir maquetas de cohetes. Poco antes de las 6 de la mañana, un vecino escuchó el ruido de una carreta por el patio y supuso que era Johnny tomando su atajo habitual de camino a recoger los periódicos. Otro repartidor de periódicos recordó haber visto a Johnny cerca del lugar donde dejaba los periódicos. El chico vio detenerse un vehículo azul y a Johnny hablando con un desconocido.Lo que ocurrió en los minutos siguientes resonaría durante las cuatro décadas posteriores, mucho más allá de las verdes colinas de Iowa. Johnny se convertiría en una trágica abstracción, un rostro en un cartón de leche, una historia que advirtió a otros niños de que se alejaran de las rutas de reparto de periódicos y cambió la forma en que la Policía trataba los casos de niños desaparecidos.Las razones de la d...

Stock market today: World shares are mostly lower as Bank of Japan meets, China property shares fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mostly lower on Monday, while U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.3% to 16,699.58 and in Paris, the CAC40 fell 0.5% to 4,066.69. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 7,592.11. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher. The Bank of Japan began a 2-day meeting that investors are watching for hints of a change to the central bank’s longstanding near-zero interest rate policy. Investors have been speculating for months that rising prices would push Japan’s central bank to finally shift away from its lavishly lax monetary policy. But the meeting that ends Tuesday is not expected to result in a major change.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6% to 32,758.98, while the U.S. dollar edged higher against the Japanese yen, rising to 142.36 from 142.11.The BOJ has kept its benchmark rate at minus 0.1% for a decade, hoping to goose investments and borrowing to help drive su...

Maryland-Eastern Shore visits Marist after Pascarelli’s 26-point performance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (2-6) at Marist Red Foxes (6-2, 2-0 MAAC)Poughkeepsie, New York; Monday, 7 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Red Foxes -11.5; over/under is 131.5BOTTOM LINE: Marist plays the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks after Josh Pascarelli scored 26 points in Marist’s 63-53 victory over the Dartmouth Big Green.The Red Foxes have gone 2-0 at home. Marist ranks fifth in the MAAC with 13.3 assists per game led by Isaiah Brickner averaging 3.7.The Hawks are 0-5 on the road. Maryland-Eastern Shore is 1-6 in games decided by at least 10 points.Marist is shooting 46.5% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points lower than the 47.6% Maryland-Eastern Shore allows to opponents. Maryland-Eastern Shore has shot at a 38.2% clip from the field this season, 1.9 percentage points fewer than the 40.1% shooting opponents of Marist have averaged.TOP PERFORMERS: Max Allen is shooting 59.1% and averaging 13.3 points for the Red Foxes. Pascarelli is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointe...

Morgan State plays Campbell, aims to stop road losing streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

Morgan State Bears (4-8) at Campbell Fighting Camels (5-6)Buies Creek, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fighting Camels -7; over/under is 135.5BOTTOM LINE: Morgan State visits Campbell looking to break its seven-game road slide.The Fighting Camels have gone 5-2 in home games. Campbell scores 66.5 points while outscoring opponents by 5.0 points per game.The Bears are 0-5 in road games. Morgan State is second in the MEAC with 37.9 rebounds per game led by Christian Oliver averaging 5.2.Campbell’s average of 5.8 made 3-pointers per game is 1.5 fewer made shots on average than the 7.3 per game Morgan State gives up. Morgan State has shot at a 45.7% rate from the field this season, 5.7 percentage points higher than the 40.0% shooting opponents of Campbell have averaged.TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Dell’Orso is averaging 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Fighting Camels.Oliver is averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Bears.LAST 10 GA...

Israel’s ‘killing rage’ hurting global support, warns ex-UK defense chief Ben Wallace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

LONDON — Israel’s “crude and indiscriminate” method of attack in the Israel-Hamas war risks fueling decades of conflict in the Middle East, the U.K.’s former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned.In an op-ed for the Telegraph, Wallace — who led Britain’s Ministry of Defense until August — directly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for both “missing” the initial October 7 attacks by Hamas and then embarking on “a killing rage” in response. “What I am saying is Israel needs to stop this crude and indiscriminate method of attack. And it needs to combat Hamas differently,” Wallace wrote.“Netanyahu’s mistake was to miss the attack in the first place. But if he thinks a killing rage will rectify matters, then he is very wrong,” Wallace added.The former U.K. defense chief warned Israel risks losing “international support” and fueling the conflict “for another 50 years̶...