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Fierce fighting persists in Ukraine’s east as Kyiv reports nonstop assaults by Russia on a key city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials reported intense combat, characterized by relentless assaults by Russian forces, as the ongoing attack on an eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka entered its fifth consecutive day on Saturday.“The enemy has not stopped either assaulting or shelling positions” around Avdiivka, city head Vitalii Barabash said on Ukrainian television.Barabash also reported that Moscow was deploying additional forces to encircle the strategically important city in the eastern Donetsk region, situated just north of the Moscow-held regional capital, also called Donetsk.Around 1,600 civilians remain within the city, a stark contrast to its prewar population of about 31,000.Barabash’s comments came after Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday that the intensified attacks in the east amounted to a new stage in Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine.“Russian troops have, for several days now, switched over to active combat ...

New Zealand elects conservative Christopher Luxon as premier after 6 years of liberal rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday.People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.The exact makeup of Luxon’s government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted.Luxon arrived to rapturous applause at an event in Auckland. He was joined on stage by his wife, Amanda, and their children, William and Olivia. He said he was humbled by the victory and couldn’t wait to get stuck in to his new job. He thanked people from across the country.“You have reached for hope and you have voted for change,” he said.Supporters chanted his campaign slogan which promised to get the country “back on track.” Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job after taking over from Ardern in January, told supporters late Saturday he had called Luxon to con...

A proposed gag order on Trump in his federal election case is putting the judge in a tricky position

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposed gag order aimed at reining in Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric puts the judge overseeing his federal election interference case in a tricky position: She must balance the need to protect the integrity of the legal proceedings against the First Amendment rights of a presidential candidate to defend himself in public.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan will hear arguments Monday in Washington over whether Trump has gone too far with remarks such as calling prosecutors a “team of thugs” and one possible witness “a gutless pig.” It is the biggest test yet for Chutkan, underscoring the unprecedented complexities of prosecuting the former Republican president as the judge vows not to let political considerations guide her decisions. Ending the stream of Trump’s harsh language would make the case easier to manage. But among the difficult questions Chutkan must navigate is how any gag order might be enforced and how one could be fashioned that does n...

Reuters videographer killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli shelling laid to rest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

KHIAM, Lebanon (AP) — Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed in Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon, was laid to rest in his hometown Saturday in a funeral procession attended by hundreds of people.Draped in a Lebanese flag, Abdallah’s body was carried on a stretcher through the streets of his southern town of Khiam, from his family’s home to the local cemetery.Dozens of journalists and Lebanese lawmakers attended the funeral.Abdallah was killed Friday evening near the village of Alma al-Shaab in south Lebanon when an Israeli shell landed on a gathering of international journalists covering exchange of fire along the border between Israeli troops and members of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry asked Beirut’s mission to the United Nations to file a complaint against Israel over Friday’s shelling calling it a “flagrant violation and a crime against freedom of opinion and press.” The statement was carried by the state-run National News Agency....

Lexi Thompson falls short by 3 shots in her bid to make PGA Tour cut in Las Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lexi Thompson delivered star-power moments built for a stage like Las Vegas, and when she poured in a pair of long birdie putts Friday, she was on the cusp of history.Thompson was 4 under with seven holes to play. In her sights was a chance to become the first woman in 78 years to make a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour.One poor swing, one mediocre chip and one missed putt at the end left her on the outside of the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open, but no less proud of two days she won’t soon forget. She wanted to inspire kids to chase their dreams, and she did all of that at the TPC Summerlin.“Playing with the guys — amazing feeling,” Thompson said after a 2-under 69. “Growing up with guys, I’ve always wanted to be out on a PGA Tour event and tee it up. But the biggest thing was seeing the kids out there outside the ropes and then meeting a few of the Shriners ambassadors. That was the most special.”Her golf was a close second.Thompson made five bird...

Palestinians stream south in Gaza as Israel urges a mass evacuation and conducts brief raids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians scrambled to flee northern Gaza on Saturday after the Israeli military ordered nearly half the population to evacuate south and carried out limited ground forays ahead of an expected land offensive a week after Hamas’ bloody, wide-ranging attack into Israel.Israel renewed calls on social media and in leaflets dropped from the air for some 1 million Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes. The U.N. and aid groups have said such a rapid exodus would cause untold human suffering, with hospital patients and others unable to relocate. Families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with possessions crowded a main road heading away from Gaza City as Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer the 40-kilometer (25-mile) long territory, where supplies of food, fuel and drinking water were running low because of a complete Israeli siege. Egyptian officials said the southern Rafah crossing would open later Saturda...

Police in Warsaw detain a man who climbed a monument and reportedly made threats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police in the Polish capital on Saturday detained a man who climbed the top of a monument and reportedly threatened to blow himself up. Large numbers of police and special counterterrorism officers sealed off a large square where the man had shouted something through a megaphone for hours. An Associated Press photojournalist nearby could see him could not hear what he said. The incident ended when he climbed down from the monument without anyone being harmed. Polish media said he was detained. The incident took place at Pilsudski Square, the site of the memorial to late President Lech Kaczynski and the dozens of other victims of a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia.The man’s intentions and whether he had an explosive device were not immediately known. The incident came on the eve of a critical national election. The country’s de facto leader is Lech Kaczynski’s surviving twin, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, while his ruling Law and Justice party is fighti...

The Louvre Museum in Paris is being evacuated after a threat while France is under high alert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre Museum in Paris is evacuating all visitors and staff and closing early Saturday because it received a written threat. It said the move was linked to the government’s decision to put France on high alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist.The Louvre communication service said no one has been hurt and no incident has been reported. Paris police said verifications in the museum are underway. Police officers cordoned off the area as tourists and other visitors streamed out of the museum.The French government raised the threat alert level and is deploying 7,000 troops to increase security after Friday’s school attack. The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas.The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day.The Associated Press

Crews battle fire at over century old church on Far South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago firefighters are tackling a fire that broke out at a church on the Far South Side overnight.The fire appeared near 4 a.m. at the Advocate United Church of Crist located on 103rd and Avenue L but no one was in the building and no injuries were reported.Neighbors told WGN the noise and commotion woke the up and looked outside the window to see flames shooting out of the over 100-year-old church. ‘It’s just so senseless:’ Friend remembers man killed in attempted armed robbery in Humboldt Park Nearby residents of the church were ordered to evacuate, and the church pastor said when firefighters got there and opened the door, a brush of flames appeared. "Very emotional, I really don't have any words," senior pastor Rev. Malcom Griffith said.Rev. Griffith mentioned he was just here Friday doing ministry and mentioned the building passed the code inspection as well. He also said the church is considered a lifeline for many people and is known for its work to help the ho...

Israeli bombing along Lebanon border kills 1 journalist, wounds 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:47 GMT

ALMA Al-SHAAB, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes on the border in south Lebanon on Friday, killing a Reuters videographer and injuring six other journalists.An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw the body of Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and the six who were wounded, some of whom were rushed to hospitals in ambulances. Images from the scene showed a charred car.“We are deeply saddened to tell you that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the Reuters news agency said in a statement. The agency added that Abdallah was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon that was providing a live signal.Reuters said that two of its journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the shelling in the border area.Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV, said two of its employees, Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, also were among the wounded. Muslims gather at mosques for first Friday prayers si...