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White House says Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in N Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

AAMER MADHANI ZEKE MILLER JOSH BOAKWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in norther Gaza starting on Thursday, as the Biden administration said it has secured a second pathway for civilians to flee fighting. President Joe Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the first humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance.Biden also told reporters that he had asked the Israelis for a “pause longer than three days” during negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas, though he ruled out the chances of a general cease-fire.

‘It’s not a well-rounded club.’ Chris Getz gives a frank assessment of Chicago White Sox — and more from the GM meetings.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

General manager Chris Getz gave a frank assessment of the Chicago White Sox in the aftermath of a 101-loss season.“We have a talented group, there is no question,” Getz said Tuesday during the MLB general managers meetings at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz. “I don’t like our team, and we have to make some adjustments to improve in 2024.“When I say ‘I don’t like our team,’ we’ve got pieces that are talented and attractive and they can be part of a winning club, but obviously we haven’t gone out there and performed. It’s not a well-rounded club right now and so we’ve got to find players to come in here and help get us in the right direction.”Manager Pedro Grifol echoed Getz’s sentiments during a video conference call Tuesday.“When we talk about team, it’s not about one guy or two or five, it’s about 26 guys really loving to play with each other when that bell rings, and we didnR...

Column: With Justin Fields still sidelined, time is running out to make a case he’s the Chicago Bears QB of the future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

Perhaps if the Chicago Bears were not in the Thursday night national television slot for the second time in five weeks, Justin Fields would have been able to give it a go against the Carolina Panthers.But coach Matt Eberflus announced undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will make his fourth consecutive start, saying Fields is not medically cleared to return from a dislocated right thumb after another limited practice session Wednesday.It’s a shame because the last time Fields was in prime time, he threw four touchdown passes and accounted for 339 yards in a 40-20 drubbing of the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field. That effort came a week after Fields also threw four touchdown passes in a loss to the Denver Broncos, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to do that in consecutive games. Those eight TD passes account for nearly 23% of Fields’ career total.It’s a solid bet Fields will return for the Nov. 19 NFC North game at Ford Field against the Detroit Lio...

3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs at the GM meetings, including what rotation will look like after Marcus Stroman’s opt-out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

The annual MLB general managers meetings lay the groundwork for the rest of the offseason.The Chicago Cubs’ unexpected hiring of manager Craig Counsell added a wrinkle to what should have been an otherwise normal beginning to free agency. But it didn’t change the mission this week for President Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office: getting an early feel for the free-agent market, the trade landscape and meeting with agents, including Scott Boras.As the Cubs prepare to formally introduce Counsell next week, here are three takeaways from the GM meetings.1. Craig Counsell’s departure to rival a surprise for Brewers GM.Thirty-six hours after the Chicago Cubs named Craig Counsell their manager, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold stated he was surprised by Counsell leaving Milwaukee for a division rival but still spoke highly of his friend.“From our perspective, it’s always been about people, that’s something Craig and I talked about a lot after working...

Eng lays out plan to eliminate MBTA slow zones by end of 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

Taking aim at an issue that has plagued service for eight months, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng on Thursday rolled out a comprehensive plan to repair tracks across the system and lift all speed restrictions by the end of 2024.The proposal would deploy nearly two dozen multi-day closures of segments on each of the four subway lines over the next 13 months, ranging in duration from four days to 21 days.Implementing that many closures would represent an unprecedented level of disruption, but it also reflects far more advance notice than MBTA officials have provided to riders in recent years and puts an estimated endpoint on the stretches of slow travel that have hamstrung travel.Altogether, the plan involves 19 days of proposed diversions in November and December, then 188 days of proposed diversions in 2024 to lift all speed restrictions that currently blanket about 23% of the system. MBTA modeling estimates that work would eliminate a total of 86 minutes of current delays across all ...

As NFL fines mount, Ravens players join chorus of frustration with how league determines punishment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

Patrick Ricard’s wallet could soon be $21,694 lighter.That’s the amount the Ravens’ veteran fullback was fined for unnecessary roughness two weeks ago for what looked to be a routine block on Cardinals middle linebacker Kyzir White as he helped clear the way up the middle for a 5-yard run by Gus Edwards near the Arizona goal line in the second quarter.It’s also what he says is “the cost of doing business” in the NFL these days, though he isn’t happy about it.“I’m trying to make my block. We’re on the 5-yard line,” Ricard said Sunday after the Ravens’ win over the Seahawks. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that my guy doesn’t make the play and I drive him backward. If my head gets involved, it gets involved.”Ricard said he is appealing the fine. His case will be assigned to one of the league’s two appeals officers, former linebacker Derrick Brooks or former wide receive...

Did you see it? Venus and the crescent moon levitate over San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The waning crescent moon accompanied by a bright Venus could be seen levitating over the San Diego region early Thursday morning.For those who rise before dawn, this celestial attraction could be received as an award for beating the sun to a new day.The moon and Venus hung about one-quarter of the way up into atmosphere as seen from Earth around 5 a.m., however, visibility of the pairing started around 3 a.m. across North America. Now that clocks are turned back, what time is sunset in San Diego? According to space.com, an online publication focused on astronomy and skywatching, the waning crescent moon was 15% illuminated by the sun during that time. Sitting less than a degree to its right, space.com explained that Venus was "'blazing at magnitude -4.4 or 15 times brighter than Sirius" -- the brightest star in the night sky. Some morning commuters may have even been able to see what painter Leonardo da Vinci described as "the old moon in the young moon's arms." Also...

The father of a dissident Belarusian novelist has been arrested in Minsk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A prominent Belarusian dissident author who lives abroad said Thursday that his father was arrested on unclear grounds after police broke into his parents’ apartment.The seven police officers, armed with automatic weapons, also took electronics and data files from the Minsk apartment, said Sasha Filipenko. His father was taken away for detention, but no charges were immediately stated. The arrest appeared to be connected with the relentless crackdown on opposition by the government of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko for the past three years.The crackdown started after a wave of protests that arose in August 2020 following a disputed presidential election in which Lukashenko was declared the winner, giving him a sixth term in office. The protests lasted for months, the largest and most prolonged show of dissent since Lukashenko came to power in 1994 and began repressing independent news media and opposition.Filipenko, a popular novelist, bec...

Authorities search for Jan. 6 attack suspect who fled as FBI approached

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

HELMETTA, N.J. (AP) — Authorities were searching a central New Jersey neighborhood Thursday for a suspect in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol who fled as FBI agents approached his home.The FBI said it and other law enforcement agencies are looking for Gregory Yetman, who it said is “wanted in connection with the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.” It was not immediately clear what charges he faces in connection with the attack.“We will be in the area staging until Yetman is arrested,” the FBI’s Newark office said in a statement Thursday morning. The FBI has set up a command center at the local community center.The FBI was being joined by law enforcement officers from state, county and local police.Helmetta’s mayor, Christopher Slavicek, told the New York Times the search began at 8 a.m. Wednesday when FBI agents came to arrest Yetman, and he “fled and went off into the woods.”The mayor said there was “certainly a sense of heightened anxiety” in and around Helmetta as t...

Israel-Hamas war: Concordia University in Montreal condemns on-campus violence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:25 GMT

MONTREAL — The president of Concordia University in Montreal is condemning the recent violence on campus linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Graham Carr says in a message to members of the university community that three separate acts of violence or intimidation occurred at the university Wednesday.Carr says two security guards and a student were injured in an altercation, swastikas were found on a university building, and a social media post from a student group could reasonably be interpreted as inciting violence. He says he is saddened and disgusted by these acts and that the university will work to identify those responsible. Montreal police say a 22-year-old woman was arrested at the university in connection with the altercation and released with a citation.Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant says the security guards and student were not seriously injured and that police are investigating. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2023.The Canadian Press