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UN warns of ‘blatant disregard for basic humanity’ in Gaza warfare

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

(CNN) — Top officials at the United Nations are warning of an “apocalyptic” situation in war-torn Gaza with “no place safe to go” for civilians, as Israel’s war with Hamas spreads into the south, where many had previously sought refuge.“Every time we think things cannot get any more apocalyptic in Gaza, they do,” said Martin Griffiths, the top UN emergency relief official, in a statement on Monday. “People are being ordered to move again, with little to survive on, forced to make one impossible choice after another,” he said.“Such blatant disregard for basic humanity must stop,” he also said.Israel has been intensifying its aerial bombardment of southern Gaza in pursuit of Palestinian militant group Hamas and said over the weekend that it will expand ground operations to the whole of the territory.“Intense battles” are still taking place in northern Gaza, where two Israeli soldiers were killed during “close-quarter combat” with Hamas fighters, the milit...

At least 85 confirmed killed by Nigerian army drone attack, raising questions about such mistakes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 85 people have been confirmed dead after a “mistaken” army drone attack on a religious gathering in northwest Nigeria, authorities said. The president on Tuesday ordered a probe into the latest in a series of mistakes in Nigeria’s conflict zones.“Eighty-five dead bodies have so far been buried while (a) search is still ongoing,” Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement that listed children, women and the elderly among the victims. At least 66 people were injured, the agency added.Since 2017, some 400 civilians have been killed by airstrikes the military said were targeting armed groups in the deadly security crisis in the country’s north, according to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence security firm.The victims in the latest incident were observing the Muslim holiday celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Mawlid al-Nabi. They were killed Sunday night by drones “targeting terrorists and bandits” in K...

WATCH: Ship crosses paths with world's largest iceberg as it drifts out of Antarctica

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain's polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world — a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday.The RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its way to Antarctica for its first scientific mission, passed the mega iceberg known as the A23a on Friday near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.In this handout photo provided by the British Antarctic Survey, the RRS Sir David Attenborough in front of A23a iceberg in Antarctica, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Britain's polar research ship has crossed paths with the largest iceberg in the world in a “lucky” encounter that enabled scientists to collect seawater samples around the colossal berg as it drifts out of Antarctic waters. The British Antarctic Survey said Monday, Dec. 4 that the RRS Sir David Attenborough passed the mega iceberg, known as the A23a, on Friday ne...

Handcuffed and sent to the ER: Schools send more kids to the hospital for misbehavior

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Three times a week, on average, a police car pulls up to a school in Wicomico County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A student is brought out, handcuffed and placed inside for transport to a hospital emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation.Over the past eight years, the process has been used at least 750 times on students. Some are as young as 5 years old.The state law that allows for these removals, known as petitions for emergency evaluation, is meant to be limited to people with severe mental illness, who are endangering their own lives or safety or someone else’s. It’s the first step toward getting someone involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital.A view of Wicomico Middle School appears Tuesday, August 1, 2023, in Salisbury, Md. Data from the sheriff’s office shows that over the past eight years, children have been taken from Wicomico County schools to the emergency room for psychiatric evaluations at least 750 times. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)Bu...

SPIDER searches for water on the moon; Austin-area aerospace company partners for mission

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — An upcoming mission to the moon will enlist a SPIDER in the search for ice beneath the surface. The Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration & Research (SPIDER) is a mission to map just below the surface of the moon, conducted by Australia-based Fleet Space. It will travel aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost II in 2026."(It will be) one of the first seismic experiments to go back to the moon since Apollo," said Fleet Space's Chief Exploration Officer Matt Pearson.The partnership between Fleet Space and Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace was announced last month. "We kind of share a passion for understanding the lunar surface," said Farah Zuberi, mission manager for the two Blue Ghost lunar landers built by Firefly.Blue Ghost I will launch next year, carrying with it several NASA experiments. Blue Ghost II is scheduled to launch to the dark side of the moon in 2026 with SPIDER aboard.What is the SPIDER going to space?According to Pear...

Mild afternoons ahead of weekend cold front

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A nice stretch of weather will take us through the work week with warmer than normal afternoons and sunshine expected for all.Today's temperature climb will leave most us close to 70° -- a good 5°-7° warmer than average for this time of year. Light and variable winds, plenty of sunshine and dry skies will make for a great day to be outside.Tuesday afternoon forecast high temperaturesSimilar conditions can be expected through midweek -- highs in the upper 60s/low 70s, more sunshine than clouds and dry conditions.Comfortable afternoons leading up to weekend cold frontBy the start of the weekend, our next cold front approaches. At the moment, this looks to be more of a wind-maker than rain-maker, but those along and east of I-35 could squeeze out a few hundredths of an inch of rain out of Saturday morning spot showers.Minimal rainfall associated with next cold front Winter Weather Outlook: What a strong El Niño could mean for rainfall and ice risk Austin Interacti...

Play of the Week winner - Stillwater defense

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

STILLWATER, NY (NEWS10) --  Congratulations to this week’s winner of our Play of the Week poll, the Stillwater defense! Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Warriors defense came up with a huge stop, as Haldane went for a two-point conversion to win the game in the state semifinals. Stillwater hung on for the 21-20 win to advance to their first every state championship game. Vote here for this week’s Play of the Week poll!

Siena men start MAAC play with a split

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saints started conference play hot when they beat Rider 67-65, in a game where sophomore guard Zek Tekin scored a career-high 23 points. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! However, that momentum was halted when the Saints lost to Mount St. Mary's 80-48. Before the weekend, Siena was on a five-game losing streak and was able to snap it but took a step backward and now have a sour taste in their mouths from Sunday's loss to The Mount. Head Coach Carmen Maciariello believes it's time to turn the page and look ahead to regroup for their next challenge. Obviously, I thought the crowd was great. Guys sensed tremendous energy Friday night I thought we played extremely hard, I thought we won a ton of fifty-fifty balls, we made more winning plays in particular some of the play of our younger guys, obviously most of our guys are younger," said Maciariello. "The second part of that you know conference opene...

Ask Amy: Yoga friendship is out of alignment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

Dear Amy: I made friends with “Bruce” at a yoga class about 10 years ago.We’d meet for classes and then grab dinner.I moved away about a year into the friendship, and we lost touch.Just before the pandemic, Bruce was visiting the city where I lived and looked me up.We grabbed dinner and he told me he had no close friends (his previous friends had ghosted him) and that he had considered suicide.I told him to get in touch any time, and that he was welcome to visit. I also told him to seek help.He took me up on the offer and started visiting every two or three months (including on Christmas and for his birthday) — and stayed for two or three days each time. We didn’t have much to talk about. Bruce was fussy and demanding and frankly, I hated the visits, but I felt responsible.He also complained nonstop about his family and coworkers. It sounded like he’d also complained to them about me.Now I’ve moved back to the city where Bruce still lives. He’s made more friends, is closer to ...

European Commissions approves two new Geographical Indications from Turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:51 GMT

On 4 December, the European Commission approved the addition of the Turkish table olive ‘Edremit Körfezi Yeşil Çizik Zeytini' to the register of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and ‘Maraş Tarhanası', a Turkish fermented food, to the register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI).‘Edremit Körfezi Yeşil Çizik Zeytini' (pictured) is a table olive obtained from the Edremit variety, one of Türkiye's most popular varieties, by scratching and brining Edremit olives.Olive cultivation has a long tradition in the Edremit Gulf region. The area is of significant importance for olive cultivation in Türkiye. Olive trees have been cultivated here for thousands of years and are an important economic sector today. The main distinguishing feature of the production of ‘Edremit Körfezi Yeşil Çizik Zeytini' is the natural fermentation. There is no human intervention or chemical treatment during the fermentation of the olives. Therefore, the production process lasts at least six months after...