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Live updates | Israel escalates its bombardment in the Gaza Strip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

Israel is escalating its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas militants. The war is rapidly raising the death toll in Gaza, and the U.S. fears could the fighting could spark a wider conflict in the region.Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the Hamas attack on Israeli towns Oct. 7. The aid convoys allowed into Gaza so far have carried a fraction of what’s needed, and the U.N. said distribution will have to stop if there’s no fuel for the trucks.The war, in its 18th day Tuesday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Health Ministry said at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas...

Two ships have collided off the coast of Germany and several people are missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Two cargo ships collided in the North Sea off the German coast on Tuesday and several people were missing, German authorities said.The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 22 kilometers (14 miles) southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.One of the ships, the British-flagged Verity, apparently sank. The emergency command said one person was rescued from the water and was being given medical treatment, and rescuers were searching for several more people who were missing. It said the ship was headed from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham.The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board. The Associated Press

Israel increases strikes on Gaza, as two more hostages are freed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel escalated its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip, the military said Tuesday, ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas militants that the U.S. fears could spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops.The stepped-up attacks, and the rapidly rising death toll in Gaza, came as Hamas released two elderly Israeli women who were among the hundreds of hostages it captured during its devastating Oct. 7 attack on towns in southern Israel.Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in Israel since the war started, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, meeting with the families of others held hostage in Gaza before heading to talks with top Israeli officials.Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the attack. A third small aid convoy entered Gaza on Monday carrying only a tiny fraction of the cargo aid groups say is...

Washington state senator Jeff Wilson arrested in Hong Kong for gun possession and granted bail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Washington state senator was arrested in Hong Kong for carrying a gun that was not registered in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, his website and local media reported. He was released on bail on Monday.Jeff Wilson, a Republican from Longview, was arrested after landing at the Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday. Wilson was traveling with his wife for a five-week vacation in Southeast Asia, his website said. His gun was not registered in the financial hub but is registered in Washington, the statement added. According to Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK, Wilson appeared in court Monday to face the charge of possession of arms without a license and was granted bail. “It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,” he was quoted as saying on his website. It said Wilson’s next hearing is due on Oct. 30. After Monday’s hearing at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts, Wilson had to surrender his travel documents, the local...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after US stocks wobble as Treasury bond yields veer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Shares mostly rose Tuesday in Asia after Wall Street wobbled to a mixed close as yields on U.S. Treasury bonds fell back after creeping above 5%. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Shanghai and Taiwan, but fell in Hong Kong. Rapidly rising yields in the bond market that have been pressuring stock prices since the summer seemed set to climb further after the 10-year Treasury briefly topped 5.02% to touch its highest level since 2007. The S&P 500 quickly slumped 0.8%, but the 10-year yield eventually eased back to 4.84%, down from 4.91% late Friday, as oil prices tumbled to take some pressure off inflation and relax the vise on the stock market. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.2% in afternoon trading to 31,062.35. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2% to 6,856.90. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.1% to 2,383.51. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.8% to 17,033.00, while the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.8% to 2,963.70. Taiwan’s Taiex was ...

Four years after fire engulfed California scuba dive boat killing 34 people, captain’s trial begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — By the time the scuba dive boat sank off the Southern California coast after catching fire, 34 people had been killed in the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history.The Labor Day tragedy in 2019 spurred changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and civil lawsuits. Now four years later, a federal trial for the Conception’s captain, Jerry Boylan, is set to begin Tuesday with jury selection in Los Angeles.It’s been a long, frustrating wait for the families of those who perished. They say a judge’s ruling that their loved ones should not be called “victims” at trial has only added to their pain. “The past four years have been like living in a nightmare that you don’t wake up from,” said Kathleen McIlvain, whose 44-year-old son Charles was killed. The 75-foot (23-meter) boat was anchored off the Channel Islands, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Santa Barbara, on Sept. 2, 2019, when it caught fire before dawn on the last d...

EU packaging waste generation with record increase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

From parcels for online purchases to coffee-to-go cups, packaging is almost everywhere. In 2021, the EU generated 188.7 kg packaging waste per inhabitant, 10.8 kg more per person than in 2020, the biggest increase in 10 years, and almost 32 kg more than in 2011. In total, the EU generated 84 million tonnes of packaging waste, of which 40.3% were paper and cardboard. Plastic represented 19.0%, glass 18.5%, wood 17.1% and metal 4.9%. In 2021, each person living in the EU generated an average of 35.9 kg of plastic packaging waste. Out of this, 14.2 kg were recycled. Compared with 2020, both plastic packaging waste generation and recycling increased: generation increased by 1.4 kg per capita (+4.0%) and recycling by +1.2 kg per capita (+9.5%).  Source dataset: env_waspac Between 2011 and 2021, the amount per capita of plastic packaging waste generated increased by 26.7% (+7.6kg/per capita). The recycled amount of plastic packaging waste increased over the same period by 38.1% (+3.9...

Happy European Statistics Day!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

Statistics have been a part of the European project since the start, with the creation of the statistics division of the Coal and Steel Community (ESCS) in 1953. 70 years have passed since then, and now Eurostat is widely known as the provider of objective data on Europe. To commemorate statistics, today we celebrate European Statistics Day, initiated to promote the value of official statistics in making informed decisions and holding public debates. 2023 is the European Year of Skills, and we want to focus on how the EU is doing in this regard, on how EU people are striving to increase their skills to fetch higher quality jobs. For example, in 2022, 11.9% of the EU people between 25-42 years old participated in lifelong learning programmes, up by 1.5 percentage points (pp) since 2017; 61% of the students in upper secondary general education were studying 2 or more languages, indicating an increase of 1.6 pp since 2016; and 42% of the people between 25 and 34 years old had a tertiar...

Dear Abby: If we don’t eat his horrible cooking, his sulking ruins everyone’s day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My husband loves cooking for the family. Unfortunately, he’s a horrible cook. My kids hate what he prepares, so most of the food goes in the trash.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My friend sold my teen a Taylor Swift ticket, and I can’t help resenting her Advice | Dear Abby: My wife isn’t happy about what I put in my obituary Advice | Dear Abby: I’ve been told to shut up about this sweet woman’s risky behavior Advice | Dear Abby: My neighbor doesn’t know what my camera captures every morning Advice | Dear Abby: I’m hurt he didn’t make time for me amid his family crisis I have had many conversations with him about this, begging him not to do it and telling him if he wants to cook, he should make something for himself. His reply is always, “I’m not forcing you guys to eat my food. You are welcome to eat something else.” But wh...

Single family residence in Pleasanton sells for $2.1 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:59:41 GMT

5108 Hummingbird Road – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 5100 block of Hummingbird Road in Pleasanton was sold on Sept. 14, 2023 for $2,050,000, or $841 per square foot. The house, built in 1967, has an interior space of 2,437 square feet. This two-story house presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the house features a two-car garage. The property’s backyard also boasts a pool.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:A 2,167-square-foot home on the 5000 block of Hummingbird Road in Pleasanton sold in August 2023, for $1,888,000, a price per square foot of $871. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Woodthrush Way, Pleasanton, in August 2022, a 3,142-square-foot home was sold for $2,000,000, a price per square foot of $637. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In August 2023, a 2,047-square-foot home on Crestline Way in Pl...