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Qatar confirms release of 24 hostages held by Hamas for 7 weeks in Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

By WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and DAVID RISING (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the release of 24 hostages after seven weeks of captivity in the Gaza Strip.“Those released include 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom are dual citizens, in addition to 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen,” said Majed al-Ansari, the ministry’s spokesman. Qatar was a key mediator in the hostage release.The International Committee of the Red Cross, which delivered the hostages from Gaza into Egypt, also confirmed the release.The hostages, women and children, were undergoing medical checks before they were to be transferred to Israel. They are to be taken to Israeli hospitals and reunited with their families.The hostages are the first of 50 people to be released from Gaza during a four-day truce that began Friday. Israel is to release 39 Palestinian prisoners later Friday, the first of a total of 150 Palestinian prisoners to be freed under the cease-fire....

Live updates | Israel-Hamas truce begins; 24 hostages released as swap begins

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

By The Associated PressA four-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war began Friday in Gaza as part of an agreement that Qatar helped broker. Twenty-four hostages were freed, including 13 Israeli citizens, 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen, Qatar said. The deal includes the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.With the truce deal comes increased shipments of fuel and supplies into Gaza — though still only enough to dent the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, according to aid groups. Israel has agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,300 gallons) of fuel a day into besieged Gaza for humanitarian needs for the duration of the truce. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza after a dayslong pause in its casualty report, which it attributed to the health system’s collapse in northern Gaza makin...

Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JOSEF FEDERMAN and JACK JEFFERY (Associated Press)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages who had been held captive in Gaza for weeks, including 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and a Filipino citizen, according to Qatar and other officials, in the first stage in a swap for Palestinians prisoners in Israel under a four-day cease-fire deal.The hostages, women and children, were undergoing medical checks before they were to be transferred to Israel. They are to be taken to Israeli hospitals and reunited with their families.Qatar was a key mediator in the hostage release. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which delivered the hostages from Gaza into Egypt, also confirmed the release.The agreement brought the first respite for beleaguered residents of Gaza and opened the way for sorely needed aid to flow in. It was also a moment of hope for families in Israel and elsewhere worried about loved ones taken captive during HamasR...

Black Friday brings scattered showers to San Diego County -- How long will it last?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Early morning Black Friday shoppers may have experienced some drizzle while heading out to shop. Scattered light showers were detected in several areas across the region, and the National Weather Service said the rainfall is forecast to become more confined to the coastal slopes of the mountains later into Friday. Last-minute tips for making the most of Black Friday deals in San Diego According to weather officials, rainfall -- for those who get some -- will mostly be light.With the wetness comes cooler temperatures and westerly winds. NWS said the winds will continue through the morning, then weaken Friday afternoon and evening.As explained by weather officials, "shortwave energy swirling around low pressure centered near the Great Salt Lake is expected to keep the marine layer elevated and provide enough lift to generate some scattered, mostly light showers through Friday night."How much rain can be expected? NWS said no one ...

A newly formed alliance between coup-hit countries in Africa’s Sahel is seen as tool for legitimacy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three West African nations led by military juntas met this week to strengthen a newly formed alliance described by some analysts on Friday as an attempt to legitimize their military governments amid coup-related sanctions and strained relations with neighbors.In his first foreign trip since the July coup that brought him into power, Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani held separate meetings Thursday with his Mali and Burkina Faso counterparts.During their meetings, the leaders pledged security and political collaborations under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a partnership the three countries announced in September as a measure to help fight the extremist violence they each struggle with and across the Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert.The alliance provides a “path of sovereignty” for the countries and for their citizens, Gen. Tchiani told reporters after his meeting with Malian leader Col. Assimi Goita. “Through this allia...

Health care providers utilizing social prescriptions for Toronto Zoo trips

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

Healthcare providers can now prescribe a trip to the Toronto Zoo as part of a new service that encourages locals to get out and enjoy nature to improve their mental health.So, the next time you visit the zoo in Morningside Heights might be because your doctor prescribed it.Local social worker Vikas Keshri was one of the first providers to sign up for PaRx at ParkPrescriptions.ca, so he could offer it to his patients.“We used to ask people to go out for a walk. But now, imagine a person going out for a walk in the neighbourhood, which is very familiar and there’s no awe element there,” Keshri explained. “And now someone walking through Toronto Zoo, they have a lot of things that will interest them.”“It’s an investment in the wellness of the people in the community. Part of mental health — the intervention — is being mindful in the present. It helps with anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, burnout.”Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf Dejong says PaRx al...

S&P/TSX composite up slightly Friday morning; U.S. markets mixed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

TORONTO — Gains in the financial and energy sectors helped lift Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed after they had yesterday off for the thanksgiving holiday.The S&P/TSX composite index was up slightly by 9.52 points at 20,126.18.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 109.72 points at 35,382.75. The S&P 500 index was up 0.68 points at 4,557.30, while the Nasdaq composite was down 26.45 points at 14,239.41.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.49 cents US compared with 73 cents US on Thursday.The January crude oil contract was down 34 cents from Wednesday’s close at US$76.76 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down seven cents at US$2.97 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$6.30 at US$1,99.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$3.78 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CAD...

Mexico’s arrest of cartel security boss who attacked army families’ complex was likely personal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. government thanked Mexico for arresting a hyper violent alleged Sinaloa cartel security chief, but according to details released Friday, the detention may have been highly personal for the Mexican army. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, who was arrested Wednesday, had ordered a 2019 attack on an unguarded apartment complex where soldiers’ families lived. “He was the one who ordered the attack … against our dependents, our families,” Sandoval said.The Oct. 17, 2019 attack was a result of a humiliating failed effort to capture Sinaloa cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Pérez Salas served as head of security for Guzman and his brothers, who are collectively known as the “Chapitos.”Soldiers caught Guzman but later were ordered to release him to avoid bloodshed.In order to pressure the army to release Guzman, cartel gunmen had surrounded the army families...

‘Lowest of the low’: Mysterious website under fire, accused of stealing content

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

Journalists across Canada have been sounding the alarm bell about a website that’s accused of swiping content from legitimate outlets on a daily basis.“It’s just wholesale theft,” said Ethan Cox, co-founder of Ricochet Media, based in Montreal. “We specialize in investigative, in-depth, context rich journalism.”Original reporting that takes countless hours to uncover and report. So, he was shocked when he noticed an exclusive story they broke, appear on another so-called news website claiming it as their own.“I was on Reddit and saw the headline of an article we had just published with a different URL. And so I went, ‘What is this?’ And I clicked on it. Now I’ve been down that rabbit hole for the last five days,” he said.What he uncovered is alarming. The website is full of stories stolen from media outlets across the globe.“We did an audit of the site. We verified the top 18 articles published on the site and every single one of them we could track back to the original ...

Argentina and Brazil charged by FIFA after fan violence delays World Cup qualifying game at Maracana

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:34:01 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA opened disciplinary cases against Argentina and Brazil on Friday after fan violence at the Maracana Stadium delayed the start of a World Cup qualifying game.The Argentine soccer federation was charged with crowd disturbances and the late kick off at Tuesday’s game in Rio de Janeiro.The Brazilian federation was charged with failures of managing security at a game it organized, FIFA said.Fights among fans broke out after the national anthems. The teams were led back to the locker rooms and the game started 27 minutes late.“There was family of the players (there). We were more worried about that than playing the match,” Argentina captain Lionel Messi said.Argentina won the game 1-0.FIFA gave no timetable to judge the case and impose sanctions.The teams’ next World Cup qualifying games are in September. Brazil hosts Ecuador and Argentina hosts Chile.Brazil and Argentina could next meet at the 2024 Copa America, a tournament that will be played in the United Stat...