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In first call with Palestinian president Abbas, Biden discusses support for humanitarian aid to Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the leaders to allow humanitarian aid to the region and affirmed his support for efforts to protect civilians. The weekend calls in Washington came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken intensified diplomatic outreach across the Middle East and beyond to rally an international response to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding.Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh before stopping in the United Arab Emirates as he sought ways to help civilians trapped in between the fighting and to address the growing humanitarian crisis. He also called his Chinese counterpart as Palestinians struggled to flee from areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli military before an expected land offensive.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as well on Saturday spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav G...

Lack of water worsens misery in besieged Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — As Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, Laila Abu Samhadaneh, 65, is anxious about water. The besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water after Israel cut off water and electricity to the enclave as it intensifies its air attacks in response to a bloody Hamas attack last week. The chokehold has seen taps run dry across the territory. When water does trickle from pipes, the meager flow lasts no more than 30 minutes each day and is so contaminated with sewage and seawater that it’s undrinkable, residents said.“I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow,” Abu Samhadaneh said from her three-room home in the southern town of Rafah, which turned into a de facto shelter after Israel demanded everyone in Gaza evacuate south. She said she rations just a few liters among dozens of friends and relatives each day. “We’re going crazy.”The deprivation has plunged Gaza’s population deep...

Cloud breaks bring cheers from partial solar eclipse watchers at B.C. observatory

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

SAANICH, B.C. — Cheers greeted the brief cloud breaks that gave more than 100 people gathered at an astrophysical observatory site near Victoria, B.C., a peak at Saturday’s partial solar eclipse.Fog and clouds were present for most of the morning at the mountain-top site, but there were moments when the skies parted and the partial eclipse was visible, said Calvin Schmidt, an employee of the non-profit Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Saanich.Those moments of solar splendor were worth the waiting, he said, though there are reports the skies were almost totally clear in some parts of Victoria, giving those residents a sustained view of the partial eclipse.“So, it was completely foggy,” Schmidt said. “It’s totally clouded over, however, occasionally the fog would be just thin enough that the optical depth would be just low enough that we could see it without using glasses for a moment or two and then it would disappear.”“Th...

Police seek help identifying men allegedly involved in strong-armed robbery on Green Line train

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are asking for help as officers work to identify two people allegedly involved in a strong-armed robbery on a Green Line train in late September.According to Chicago police, a search is underway for two men who allegedly hit and robbed a man while on a Green Line train at the California station in Garfield Park at around noon on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Evanston mother, daughter being held hostage by Hamas Officers say the two men approached the victim and struck him before one of the men wrapped their arm around the victim's neck. Police say the two men then stole the man's belongings before fleeing the scene.Police say they believe the two men are between 25 and 40 years of age. CPD shared photos of the two men captured by CTA security cameras. In the photos, one man could be seen wearing a mask and a grey hoodie with a black design on the front, while the second individual was seen wearing a black, white and red hoodie. Parents sue Hyatt Hotels Corporation after de...

What are the beautiful, crescent-shaped shadows that occur during an eclipse?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) -- Beautiful, crescent-shaped shadows can be seen during an eclipse -- what are they?As a solar eclipse draws near, you can see little crescent shadows start to appear.According to the American Astronomical Society, as the Sun becomes a thin crescent in appearance, shadows become much sharper and more detailed. "Look at your own shadow — notice how you can see the shadows of individual hairs on your head or arms," the organization said.Experts say, however, anything that can cast a shadow while allowing small amounts of sunlight to peer through can create the effect of the crescent shadows. Trees are reportedly an easy way to see these shadows, due to the light passing between leaves.It is reportedly due to a "pinhole camera effect," which works by letting light through a tiny hole in a screen. The same phenomenon occurs when light from an eclipse passes through tree leaves. During an eclipse, not every ray of light can pass through to the ground, leaving only ...

Jewish United Fund President discusses Israel-Hamas conflict, fundraising efforts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

CHICAGO — The war between Israel and Hamas is expected to escalate soon as the Israeli military warns of a possible ground invasion of Gaza. According to the Associated Press, Israel's military ordered over 1 million people to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of the possible ground invasion.The military gave civilians 24 hours to leave on Friday, however, the deadline was extended after the UN said an evacuation within that time frame would be impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences.Israeli tanks are positioned near the border on Saturday and the Israeli military says it has prepared an offensive in the Gaza Strip involving air, ground and naval forces.The Associated Press reports that the war has claimed the lives of at least 3,200 people since the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. Lonnie Nasatir, the President of the Jewish United Fund (JUF), joined WGN-TV News on Saturday morning to discuss fundraising efforts by the JUF and talk about how Chicagoan...

Cooler days and colder nights ahead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- What a show! Hopefully you were able to enjoy the Annular or Partial Solar Eclipse (depending on where you were viewing it from). Temperatures dropped one to three degrees between 11 a.m. and 12 noon based on hourly observations from several reporting stations as the sun was obscured by the moon.We've got a great selection of photos of the eclipse and the crescent-shaped shadows in the link below. PHOTOS: Solar eclipse passes over Austin area NEXT UP: The Total Solar Eclipse that will be even more incredible on April 8, 2024! Highs this afternoon should approach 80 under abundant sunshine with a noticeable breeze. Generally winds will range from 10-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.That north wind will also keep the air dry. The relative humidity will drop through the 20s into the teens this afternoon.Tonight looks mostly clear and cool. In fact, overnight lows will keep trending colder over the next few days.Sunday looks sunny with highs in the mid 70s. We'll still ...

Allina Health System doctors vote to unionize

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

In the latest sign of growing frustration among professionals, doctors employed by a large nonprofit health care system in Minnesota and Wisconsin have voted to unionize.The doctors, roughly 400 primary and urgent care providers across more than 50 clinics operated by the Allina Health System, appear to be the largest group of unionized private-sector physicians in the United States. More than 150 nurse practitioners and physician assistants at the clinics were also eligible to vote and will be members of the union, which will be represented by a local of the Service Employees International Union.The result was 325-200, with 24 other ballots challenged, according to a tally sheet from the National Labor Relations Board, which conducted the vote.In a statement, Allina said, “While we are disappointed in the decision by some of our providers to be represented by a union, we remain committed to our ongoing work to create a culture where all employees feel supported and valued.”The doct...

Theater review: The Guthrie’s ‘For the People’ is an entertaining culture clash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

Larissa Fasthorse is concerned about a lack of laughter. The Lakota playwright from South Dakota has said that popular culture’s stories of Indigenous Americans are too often suffused with tragedy and drama, while Indigenous people often place a high value on humor.So she’s spending much of 2023 cutting into the comedy deficit around issues affecting Indigenous people. Her hit Broadway show, “The Thanksgiving Play,” satirizes a group of white people trying to create a more historically accurate account of the first Thanksgiving and tumbling headlong into multiple blind spots. And now she’s teamed with Ty Defoe to create another comedy, “For the People,” which premiered on the Guthrie Theater’s Proscenium Stage on Friday night.The Guthrie not only commissioned Fasthorse and Defoe to write the play, but asked them to develop it through conversations with Native elders in Minneapolis. The ensuing production employs almost exclusively Indigenous actors (and a couple of designers, too).T...

Ranking Taylor Swift’s concert movies ahead of ‘The Eras Tour’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:04:42 GMT

Even prior to Friday’s release of “The Eras Tour,” Taylor Swift’s eras have been well documented on film.The pop megastar has released concert movies and filmed specials corresponding to almost all of her artistic periods during the course of her 17-year career, which culminates in “The Eras Tour” concert film, which is expected to shatter box office records for music docs when it hits theaters Friday.Each of the movies are a snapshot of a moment in time for the 33-year-old Swift, whose self-titled debut album was released in 2006. And they serve as a reminder that ever since her career took off, there’s never been a moment when she’s not been huge.In anticipation of “The Eras Tour,” here is a look back at Swift’s seven concert movies and documentary projects to date, and a ranking of where they fall in order of importance to her career and overall achievement.7. ‘The 1989 World Tour Live’ (2015)The docume...