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Biden hits the stump as Team Trump floods Iowa in unofficial 2024 kickoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

(CNN) — The Iowa caucuses are still 10 days away, but the first split-screen of the general election is set for Friday, when President Joe Biden touches down in Pennsylvania to warn Americans about the perils of a second Trump presidency and former President Donald Trump ramps up his pre-caucus blitz with a pair of get-out-the-vote rallies in northern Iowa.Biden’s first proper foray into the 2024 campaign fray had initially been scheduled for Saturday, the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol insurrection, but got bumped up, his camp said, because of weather concerns. The speech, to be delivered near the historic Revolutionary War site of Valley Forge, is expected to register as a stark warning about empowering Trump, whom Biden’s campaign views as the most likely GOP nominee – and an existential threat to US democracy.The words and symbolism of George Washington, who commanded his troops during a long winter in Valley Forge, are ex...

Oscar Pistorius released from South Africa prison after serving 9 years for murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) — Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Paralympic and Olympic sprinter, was released from prison on parole on Friday, more than a decade after shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in a killing that shocked the world.A parole board granted Pistorius’ petition in November on the grounds that he had served half of his 13-year sentence for murdering Steenkamp, making him eligible according to South African law.Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services (DCS), told CNN that Pistorius was released from Atteridgeville Correctional Centre, west of Pretoria, on Friday morning. He will be subject to parole conditions until his sentence expires in 2029.In a statement Friday, Steenkamp’s mother said her only desire following Pistorius’ release is that she would be allowed to live her remaining years “in peace”.“There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time ser...

Thursday’s high school roundup/scores: Balanced scoring leads Lynn English to win over Chelsea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Double-digit scoring efforts from Louis Ledesma (17 points, eight rebounds), Denzell Guillén (16 points, six assists) and Pierre Veras (12 points, eight rebounds) bolstered Lynn English (6-2) in a 78-62 boys basketball win over Chelsea in Greater Boston League play.Girls basketballFreshman Divine Egbuta’s 15 points outscored the opposing team’s total, lifting Lynn Classical (4-2) to a 45-11 Greater Boston League win over Somerville.In the Mayflower Athletic Conference, Emma Ericson led the way with 12 points as Bristol-Plymouth (2-3) defeated Old Colony 37-21. … In Merrimack Valley Conference action, Bridget Trainor and Ceilagh Harrington scored 17 and 13 points, respectively, to power Chelmsford past Lowell.Girls hockeyGiovanna Gulinello and Kara Gambale each registered a goal and assist, pairing with Gianna Cedrone’s 21-save shutout to power Billerica/Chelmsford over Acton-Boxboro, 2-0, in MVC/DCL action.Zoey Madigan was the first of four different players to score a goal for Duxb...

Callahan: If Bill Belichick’s time is over, say thank you before goodbye

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Two weeks ago, a reader emailed me on Christmas morning.Before I could pour any coffee or cereal, I opened the message.Oh, good. Hate mail.This reader took exception to my “dislike of Bill Belichick” after the Patriots’ dramatic upset win in Denver. According to him, this disdain rendered me unable to give Belichick proper credit for a team playing hard after it had suffered from a few tough breaks. Those breaks, he claimed, prevented the Pats from winning “four of five more games.”Let’s just say, on four hours of sleep, it felt like being awoken to the sight of Santa stuffing coal in my stocking.So, I took a day to respond, and put almost as much thought into that reply as I do my columns, because words matter. And the words in my columns or film analyses are probably how he knew me. And I knew the words in this reply would reveal much more to him about who I am, and how I feel about Belichick than any article.I hit send. A few hours later, the r...

Snow on the way this weekend ahead of potentially larger storm next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Some active winter weather is expected to hit Toronto and the GTA this weekend ahead of what could be an even larger storm early next week.CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor says a system will move in on Saturday night that should bring the first snowfall of the new year.“There will be some areas that collect more than five centimetres,” Taylor says. “Even around the city we could be using the snow shovels on Saturday night.”Taylor says the snow should start around 7 p.m. and will bring around five centimetres for most areas in the GTA, but lake enhancement could result in higher snow totals for some areas.The flurries are expected to continue into Sunday morning before relenting by the afternoon. It’s Friday! Bring on the weekend and some snow!! Tune in to find out how much and when it gets going https://t.co/DgcH1Buuz0— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) January 5, 2024Monday will stay dry but a bigger storm could arrive on Tuesday bringing significan...

Track star, convicted killer, now parolee. A timeline of Oscar Pistorius’s life

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Major moments in the life of Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee Olympic runner who was released from prison on parole Friday having served nearly nine years of a murder sentence for the 2013 killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.Pistorius, 37, will have to live under strict conditions until his full sentence of 13 years and five months expires on Dec. 5, 2029.Nov. 22, 1986 — Pistorius is born with a congenital condition where he has no fibula bones. His legs are amputated below the knee before he is a year old.May 16, 2008 — Already a multiple Paralympic champion, Pistorius wins a ruling at sport’s highest court that overturns a previous ban and allows him to compete against able-bodied athletes at the world’s biggest track events on his specially designed carbon-fiber running blades.Aug. 4, 2012 — Pistorius realizes his sporting dream to compete at the Olympics. He finishes second in a heat in the 400 meters to qualify for t...

Ukraine unleashes more drones and missiles at Russian areas as part of its new year strategy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia on Friday, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders.Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, and traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort.The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses intercepted 36 drones over Crimea and one over Krasnodar, part of an emerging pattern of intensified Ukrainian aerial attacks in recent days.A Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile also was destroyed over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the ministry said.The developments came after three people were injured Thursday night by other Ukrainian rocket and drone attacks on the Russian border city ...

President Joe Biden will stress democracy is still a ‘sacred cause’ in a speech near Valley Forge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will kick off his 2024 pitch to voters Friday, the day before the anniversary of the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by posing the question of whether democracy is still a “sacred cause” worth sacrificing for.Biden believes the upcoming election is largely about that question, according to a Biden adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Democratic president’s expected remarks. Whether or not the nation agrees may end up a central question of the 2024 race. The president will speak from near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a bleak winter nearly 250 years ago. And he’ll talk about how Washington spoke to his army about democracy as a “sacred cause.”The Jan. 6 attack was a vivid reminder of how that democracy can be tested, Biden is expected to say, according to the adviser. Biden will also lay out then-President Donald Trump’s role in the ...

Sri Lanka declares moratorium on research ships for a year amid Indian concerns over Chinese vessels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighborhood.Though the moratorium comes ostensibly for capacity building it is seen as a reaction to growing concerns in India.Foreign Ministry spokesman Niluka Kadurugamuwa told The Associated Press on Friday that the moratorium relates to all countries and will allow local researchers to build capacity be on a par with their foreign counterparts in joint researches.Chinese ships have docked in Colombo in recent years for research based on agreements between between agencies in China and Sri Lanka.Last October, Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 docked in Colombo port for several days, while in 2022 the navy vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. There were fears in India that these vessels could be used to monitor the region.China has been trying to expand its influence in ...

Car crashes into home in North York sending 3 people to hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:15 GMT

Three people were taken to hospital and a home is badly damaged after a car crashed through the walls of a townhouse in North York on Thursday night.Emergency crews were called to a townhouse complex on Parkway Forest Drive, just south of Sheppard Avenue, just before midnight.Toronto Fire says a vehicle crashed into the first floor of a home. Paramedics said five adults sustained minor injuries. Toronto police tell CityNews the driver of the vehicle and two people who were inside the home were brought to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The car involved remained at the scene and could still be seen inside the home as of early Friday morning. Police say both the home and vehicle have significant damage.A car crashed into the first floor of a home in a townhouse complex in North York. Five people were sent to hospital with injuries. CITYNEWS/Bertram DandyIt’s unclear how many people were inside the home, or inside the car, at the time of the crash.The collision also d...