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An American tourist is arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues at a museum in Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist and said initial questioning suggested he smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”The man’s lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that he had acted out of religious fanaticism. Instead, Kaufman said, the tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labeled the Jerusalem syndrome. The condition — a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims — is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believ...

A Russian missile attack in eastern Ukraine kills a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile attack killed a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother Friday in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials said, a day after a strike in the same region killed at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months.Associated Press reporters saw emergency crews pulling the boy’s body from the rubble of a building after the early morning attack. He was wearing pajamas with a Spider-Man design.The strike also killed the boy’s grandmother and injured an 11-month-old child, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.He said 28 people were wounded and rescue operations were continuing.Officials said preliminary information indicated the Kremlin’s forces used two Iskander missiles in the attack, the same as in the previous day’s attack on the eastern village of Hroza that killed 51.One of the missiles landed in the street, leaving a crater, and the other hit a three-story building, setting it ablaze, according to...

Georgia’s governor continues rollback of state gas and diesel taxes for another month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s state taxes on gasoline and diesel will be suspended for another month after Gov. Brian Kemp extended the tax rollback in a Friday executive order.The suspension of the taxes, at 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel, had been scheduled to end next Thursday but will now run through at least Nov. 11.The Republican governor last month revived what was a campaign tactic during his reelection bid in 2022, when he signed a law suspending the gas tax with broad bipartisan support. Kemp signed seven separate extensions after that, with the state forgoing an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue from March 2022 to January 2023.Georgia’s governor can suspend the collection of taxes during an emergency as long as lawmakers approve it the next time they meet. In September, Kemp issued a novel legal declaration finding that high prices were such an emergency. The 2022 suspensions came under a state of emergency related to COVID-19.K...

Man in 30s dead after being struck by vehicle in Etobicoke

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

A man is dead after he was hit by the driver of a vehicle in Etobicoke on Friday morning.Emergency crews responded to the crash near The West Mall and Burnhamthorpe Road around 4:10 a.m.Police arrived to find a man in his 30s with injuries. Paramedics say he was rushed to hospital with critical injuries where he was pronounced dead.The driver involved remained at the scene.Eastbound Burnhamthorpe is closed at The West Mall for the investigation.This is a developing story. More to come.

Heavy rain and floods kill 6 people in Sri Lanka and force schools to close

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides and downed trees in many parts of Sri Lanka, killing at least six people and forcing authorities to close schools in some areas, officials said Friday.Strong monsoon rains have been pounding the Indian Ocean nation for more than a week, flooding houses, fields and roads.On Friday, a large tree fell on a moving bus in Colombo, killing five people and injuring five others, said Dr. Rukshan Bellana, a spokesperson for the capital’s main hospital.Separately, one person died when a rock fell on his house during a mudslide in Galle district, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Colombo, the state-run Disaster Management Center said.The center said the floods and mudslides damaged hundreds of houses in 12 districts and affected more than 50,000 people, including 1,473 families who were moved to temporary shelters.The coastal district of Matara was the worst affected, with most parts flooded for more than a week. School...

A return to norm? More than half of Canadians will gather for Thanksgiving: poll

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

It appears Canadians are ready to return to everyday life when it comes to gathering for the Thanksgiving long weekend.A new poll by Maru Public Opinion surveyed just over 1,500 Canadians from Sep. 19 to Sep. 29.The responses showed that 54 per cent of those polled said they would be hosting or going to another household for Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.Ontario residents surveyed the highest in terms of wanting to gather in person for Thanksgiving (63 per cent). In comparison, the youngest surveyed Canadians (64 per cent) are also more likely than their older counterparts (ages 35 and up, 51 per cent) to be gathering for the turkey and trimmings this long weekend.In Québec, Thanksgiving is called “Action de Grâce,” but most Quebecers don’t celebrate the occasion.At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions forced many Canadians to rethink their Thanksgiving gatherings with the virus circulating and spreading in the fall months. This led to provincial ch...

Taiwan probes firms suspected of selling chip equipment to China’s Huawei despite US sanctions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Taiwan authorities are investigating four Taiwan-based companies suspected of helping China’s Huawei Technologies to build semiconductor facilities.Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua said Friday that the investigation will determine if the companies have violated regulations prohibiting sales of sensitive technologies and equipment to China. The Ministry of Economic Affairs summoned the semiconductor and factory services suppliers for questioning after a report by Bloomberg said they were working with Huawei as it builds a network of computer chip plants.The investigation also will study whether the companies exported any any sensitive technologies or products with military applications that are included in Taiwan’s list of Strategic High-Tech Commodities, Taiwan’s China News Agency and other reports said. They said semiconductor material reseller Topco Scientific Co.; cleanroom constructor L&K Engineering Co.; construction and design firm United In...

Health care strike over pay and staff shortages heads into final day with no deal in sight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive health care strike over wages and staffing shortages headed into its final day on Friday without a deal between industry giant Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing the 75,000 workers who picketed this week.The three-day strike carried out in multiple states will officially end Saturday at 6 a.m., and workers were expected to return to their jobs in Kaiser’s hospitals and clinics that serve nearly 13 million Americans. The two sides did not have any bargaining sessions scheduled after concluding their talks midday Wednesday.The strike for three days in California — where most of Kaiser’s facilities are located — as well as in Colorado, Oregon and Washington was a last resort after Kaiser executives ignored the short-staffing crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, union officials said. Their goal was to bring the problems to the public’s consciousness for support, according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Some 180 workers...

Woman injured after stabbing at Scarborough plaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

A woman is injured after an overnight stabbing at a plaza in Scarborough.Police tell CityNews the incident occurred in the area of Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue East around 3:20 a.m. Friday.The female victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Investigators believe the stabbing was targeted and say there is no risk to public safety.With files from CityNews reporter Carl Hanstke

Trump endorses Jim Jordan for Speaker

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:46:37 GMT

(The Hill) - Former President Trump threw his support behind Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to be the next House Speaker late Thursday night, giving the conservative firebrand a boost in his effort to win the gavel."He is a STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding - He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.The former president backed Jordan over Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who on Wednesday announced his own bid to replace ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)."Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio's 4th Congressional District. Respected by all, he is now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee," Trump wrote.Jordan was the first to announce his bid for Speaker this week and in his perch leading the Judiciary panel he is one o...