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UN: More than 25% of people in Gaza starving because of war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

By Najib Jobain, Jack Jeffery and Colleen Barry | Associated PressRAFAH, Gaza Strip — More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday by the U.N. and other agencies that highlights the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.The extent of the population’s hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report. The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day,” blaming the hunger on insufficient aid entering Gaza.“It doesn’t get any worse,” said Arif Husain, chief economist for the U.N.’s World Food Program. “I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed.”Israel says it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas militants from northern Gaza, but that months of f...

Can police avoid hurting individuals with autism? Florida cops learn how

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

Donna Lorman wanted her son’s green pop tube, so she tried to take it from him. Drew Lorman, a 31-year-old man with autism, protected it, pushing his mother back harder with each attempt to yank the toy out his hands.“No,” he said during one try. “Move away,” he said in another.Drew Lorman easily could have thrown his mother to the ground, or worse, had it not been for years of behavioral analysis Donna Lorman said brought him down from 96 aggressive episodes an hour to two or fewer in a month. But he could potentially face lethal force if a police officer tried to detain him without knowing that Drew, who stands over six feet tall and weighs more than 300 pounds, has the cognitive age of a 7-year-old.That’s the kind of situation Donna Lorman, president of the Autistic Society of Greater Orlando and Osceola, said she hopes to prevent for her son and others with autism as she spoke before law enforcement officers from across the Central Florida region on Tuesday at the Kissimmee Civi...

Giuliani files for bankruptcy after $148 million judgment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

By Hannah Rabinowitz | CNNRudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in federal court in New York on Thursday, just days after a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million to two former Georgia election workers for defamation.According to the filing, Giuliani listed debts between $100 million and $500 million, and assets worth up to $10 million.The bankruptcy declaration is another setback for the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor and one-time front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, all stemming from his time as Donald Trump’s attorney after the 2020 presidential election.Related ArticlesNational News | Judge: Ex-election workers can go after Giuliani’s assets immediately National News | French: Behold, MAGA Man — whoever he once was is gone National News | Some of Trump’s 2020 fake electors have roles in 2024 races National News | Judge: Oregon lawmakers who walked out can’t run agai...

‘Court got this wrong’: AG Bonta to appeal judge’s decision blocking California’s concealed carry law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

By Nouran Salahieh, Cindy Von Quednow and Josh Campbell | CNNA federal judge on Wednesday blocked parts of a California law that would have banned carrying concealed firearms in certain “sensitive places,” including places of worship, public libraries, amusement parks, zoos and sporting events.California is planning to file an appeal of the decision, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday, adding that “the court got this wrong.”The law, among a series of gun control measures signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, applies to those with licenses to carry a concealed weapon.US District Judge Cormac Carney granted a preliminary injunction, and indicated that provisions of Senate Bill 2 that were being challenged “unconstitutionally deprive” concealed carry holders of their rights to carry a handgun.The judge called the coverage of California’s law “sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.”“SB2 turns nearly every public p...

Review: ACT’s long-running ‘Christmas Carol’ goes out with a bang, and a tear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

What the Dickens! After 18 years of banishing the bah-humbugs, ACT’s current incarnation of “A Christmas Carol” is taking its final bow.To be sure the classics always get reinvented for a new generation but I’ll admit that the news made this theater critic quite wistful. Not to carbon date myself too much but I actually remember when this iteration was brand new, having grown up on the shadowy magic of the previous version, which was unabashedly bleak and political, a product of its age. Long ago, I even played one of the plucky little Cratchit children under the tutelage of Dakin Matthew’s marvelously mischievous Scrooge.Truth be told, I loved the intricate narration that framed that deep and dark production, which was adapted by Dennis Powers and Laird Williamson.The sparklier current version, written by Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh, by contrast, has far more music and more colorful set pieces, a nod to its more ebullient era.Two venerable Bay Area actors, James Carpenter and Anth...

Bay Area New Year’s Eve 2023: Here are 3 best bets for music fans on Dec. 31

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

Here are three shows worth checking out on New Year’s Eve:Lee FieldsThe R&B great has been in the game for a long time, having released the debut single “Bewildered” (with a flip side of “Tell Her I Love Her”) way back in 1969. He’s still going strong more than a half century later, drawing new fans and finding critical acclaim with such efforts as 2019’s “It Rains Love” and 2022’s “Sentimental Fool.” The vocalist ends the year with two shows, Dec. 30-31, at the Chapel in San Francisco.Details: 9 p.m. Dec. 30, $35; 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31, $75; thechapelsf.comBig Head Todd and the MonstersTodd Mohr is a first-rate vocalist-guitarist. He’s also, if we are to take the band’s name as fact, a guy with a pretty large noggin. We expect the former detail to be the more relevant of the two when Mohr leads his platinum-selling Colorado blues-rock band in concert Dec. 30-31 at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park. He...

Vallemar Elementary School lockdown lifted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

(KRON) -- A lockdown at Vallemar Elementary School in Pacifica Thursday morning due to police activity has been lifted. The school is located at 377 Reina Del Mar Avenue and is part of the Pacifica School District. Serial Bay Area shoplifter arrested 90 times As of 9:48 a.m., the Pacifica Police Department said the investigation remained active but that the suspect is no longer believed to be in the area. There is no immediate threat to public safety, police said.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

51-year-old man dead after car strikes tree in Santa Clara Wednesday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

(BCN) -- A 51-year-old man died when his vehicle hit a tree near a U.S. Highway 101 off-ramp in Santa Clara on Wednesday night, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at 8:53 p.m. at the Montague Expressway off-ramp from northbound Highway 101. Serial Bay Area shoplifter arrested 90 times Officers responded and determined that a 2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 went off the off-ramp and struck a tree. The 51-year-old, a resident of Santa Clara and the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead, CHP officials said.Investigators said alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash. The name of the driver who died was not immediately available.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Are you too sick to travel? A local doctor explains what symptoms to look for before canceling your trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

If you’re traveling for the holidays and start to feel sick, you may be worried about whether you should cancel your trip. WTOP spoke with a local doctor for details on what symptoms you should watch out for when making your decision.If all you have is a stuffy or runny nose that is two or three days old, Dr. Niharika Khanna, a professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine says, “you are not too sick to travel.”She said if it’s just a runny nose, you should wear a mask and probably don’t have to cancel your flight, but only if you aren’t visiting someone over the age of 65, someone who is immunocompromised, or babies.When should you stay at home and cancel that flight?“When you develop a fever, when you have severe headaches, when you have a productive cough that is recent … and you’re bringing up colorful mucus. If you haven’t seen the doctor yet, you don’t know what it i...

In Saudi Arabia’s stellar soccer year, federation boss sees 2034 World Cup fueling more rapid change

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:12 GMT

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in soccer were made stunning and clear in 2023, and its upcoming 11-year journey toward hosting the men’s World Cup promises much more of the same.In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Saudi soccer federation president Yasser Al Misehal said sport and society in the oil-rich kingdom are going through transformational changes ahead of staging soccer’s biggest event in 2034.“We are trying to do everything for our people, for our economy and also we want to host as many people from all different places in the world,” Al Misehal said.Soccer has taken a prominent place in the Vision 2030 plan launched in 2016 to modernize the Saudi economy and society for a future beyond the oil production that fuels its spectacular wealth.The program was driven from its start by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then little known outside the region and now a key player in global politics.The Saudis’ statement year in soccer started with ...