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Gaza death toll surpasses 20,000 and Israel expands ground offensive despite pressure to scale back

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassed 20,000, health officials said Friday, the latest indication of the staggering cost of the war as Israel expanded its ground offensive and ordered tens of thousands more people to leave their homes.The deaths, amounting to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population, are just one measure of the devastation wrought by the conflict that over 11 weeks has displaced nearly 85% of Gaza’s people and leveled wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave.More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday from the United Nations and other agencies describing the crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.Despite the emergency, a U.N. Security Council vote on aid deliveries and terms for a cease-fire was delayed again late Thursday, after days of high-level negotiations.The United States, which has veto po...

Teen hero rewarded with scholarship after rescue at Boynton Beach Inlet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — In a heart-stopping moment of heroism, 17-year-old Jakob Thompson risked his life to save a stranger from the treacherous waters of the Boynton Beach Inlet. “I think the adrenaline took over. I didn’t have any emotions at that point,” said Thompson in an interview after the incident.Little did he know, this selfless act would not only earn him recognition from the fire department but also a life-changing reward. “When I saw Jakob’s story it just grabbed my heart, and i immediately knew i had to see him.”Thompson’s quick thinking and bravery caught the eye of Sarah Perry, a mother who tragically lost her son, Aden, in a similar heroic act. Perry, inspired by Jakob’s courage, decided to honor him in her son’s memory through a surprise scholarship.“When I saw Jakob’s story it just grabbed my heart, and I immediately knew I had to meet him, and I had to hug him because he did what my son did. ...

France’s new health minister under investigation for accepting undeclared gifts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

France’s newly appointed health minister is under investigation for accepting undeclared luxury gifts while working as a pharmacist. Agnès Firmin Le Bodo is suspected of having received over €20,000 worth of undisclosed gifts between 2015 and 2020, when she was working as a pharmacist in Normandy, according to an investigation by French website Mediapart.According to the outlet, she received 21 deliveries of luxury products — including watches, bottles of champagne, smartphones and a television —over the years in question from Urgo laboratories, which she failed to declare. The heart of the case hinges on France’s anti-gift laws that impose transparency rules over both companies giving presents and professionals receiving them. Authorities opened a judicial investigation in June 2023, and a hearing is scheduled for January 2024.Le Bodo’s spokesperson told Mediapart that she “will only respond to the competent authorities” during January’s hearing.The investig...

UK waters down plan for £38,700 minimum salary to bring over foreign spouses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. government softened its controversial plan to make it more difficult for people to bring non-British spouses to the U.K.Under a major legal migration shake-up announced earlier this month, the Home Office declared that it would significantly raise the minimum salary that British citizens or migrants already settled in the U.K. would need to show they are earning to allow relatives to join them under a family visa. The threshold is currently £18,600 but was set to rise to £38,700 — including when existing visa holders renew.That prompted warnings the policy would wrench families already living in the U.K. apart, and throw plans to bring relatives to the country into chaos.But, in a change slipped out just before the Christmas break, the department now says the threshold will rise to just £29,000 in the spring.Further rises are still penciled in, the government says, but they have no fixed implementation date. The Home Office said the threshold “will be increas...

Winter’s Chill To Milder Air

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

First full day of winter, feeling like winter as temps start off in the teens and lower 20s and early morning wind chills run between 5 and 15 degrees. The good news?… It’s bright, and with a dry day upon us, great weather overall for those Christmas travel plans or last minute shopping. Yes it be cold, but winds taper off too, so a manageable chilly day overall. We’ll have more clouds in the mix tomorrow as high temps recover into the lower 40s afternoon a chilly start. If there’s any chance of some precipitation, it’ll be late Saturday night into Christmas Eve. It won’t amount to much, but a few patchy light snow showers/sprinkles are possible, especially overnight Saturday and early Sunday. The best chance for the flakes will be across the interior. Christmas Eve afternoon temps run in the low to mid 40s. Christmas Day looks milder too, near 50 as we stay dry from start to finish. Temps hold near 50 mid to late week, and that means the next st...

FDA says it’s seized ‘thousands of units’ of counterfeit Ozempic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday that it’s seized “thousands of units” of counterfeit versions of the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic from the US drug supply chain, and it’s urging suppliers, pharmacies and patients to use caution. Five people have gotten sick in connection with the products, but none of the cases has been serious, the FDA said.The FDA warns pharmacies, health care systems, wholesalers and patients to double-check their semaglutide products to make sure they are the real thing. One-milligram injectable Ozempic products with the lot number NAR0074 and serial number 430834149057 on the box should not be used.The agency and drugmaker Novo Nordisk are testing the fakes to determine whether they’re dangerous and to identify what the substance is. The pen label, carton, information for patients and health care professionals, and needles that come with the injectors are also counterfeit, the FDA said. The needles’ steri...

Shootings are ‘spreading like a disease in Europe,’ says survivor of deadly Prague attack

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

(CNN) — Jakob Weizman, a Danish student at the Charles University in Prague, was taking an exam on Thursday when he started hearing gunshots and screams.His first instinct was shock, he said – he never thought a school shooting would happen near him, in Europe.“I lived in the US for a very long time, if it would happen anywhere, it would have happened in the US,” he told CNN afterward. “Now it’s spreading like a disease to Europe as well.”He pointed to a recent spate of shootings elsewhere in the continent, saying: “You see this happen in Denmark, Serbia, and now here. This is incredibly frightening, you know?”Weizman and his professor locked the door of their exam room and barricaded it with chairs and tables, staying inside for an hour until the police arrived and escorted them out of the building.The gunman killed at least 14 people and wounded 25, in the Czech Republic’s deadliest mass shooting in decades. Police said the gunman, a 24-year-old man, was a stud...

Callahan: Handing out 7 holiday gifts to the Patriots

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

FOXBORO — Late Wednesday morning, Patriots center David Andrews received an early Christmas gift.I know because I presented it to him.Andrews won the 2023 Good Guy award, an annual media honor bestowed by every NFL beat to a player who “respectfully fulfilling their media obligations with class and professionalism.” The truth is, Andrews has done that for years. But no one player has taken public accountability during this miserable 3-11 campaign quite like Andrews.He’s first to the podium after wins, losses and rip-your-heart-out defeats. He’s available to reporters during the week, and takes every question, pointed or otherwise, in his slow, southern stride. He addresses fans, protects his teammates and stands by his coaches,Andrews is a captain’s captain. So in the giving spirit of this season, let’s hand out a few more gifts near the end of a tough Patriots season.QB Mac JonesA month-long, all-inclusive vacation on a remote Caribbean islandGet away....

Division 3-4 boys hockey preview: State powers eye return to the TD Garden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

After realignment among Div. 3 and Div. 4 boys hockey teams, the 2023-24 season will see rivalries new and old ignited along the way to the TD Garden. With Nashoba Regional moving out of Div. 3, there will be a new champion come March, while a strong Norwell team aims to defend its title against improved competition with eyes on the Div. 4 throne.Division 3Scituate played in the state final last year, losing to Nashoba Regional 2-1 in OT. Senior captain James Sullivan will lead the charge after collecting 16 goals and 36 assists during the last campaign, amassing 100 career points.Goaltender Thomas McMellen returns for the Sailors after minding the net in the run to the final.An ever-dangerous Lynnfield team was in the quarterfinal last season and the semifinal two years ago. The Pioneers return 18 players, including 12 seniors, in a campaign “deliberately put together against top tier D1 and D2 teams” to tune them up for the tournament, according to coach Jon Gardner.Watertown made...

Man arrives at hospital with serious injuries after shots fired in North York

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:26:37 GMT

One person has serious injuries after a suspected late night shooting in North York.Police were called to the area of Jane Street and Shoreham Drive around 11:30 p.m. for reports of gunshots.Officer did not find a victim at the scene but say a male arrived at a hospital on their own with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.No suspect information has been made available.The investigation is ongoing.