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Hamas tells Russia: We won’t release hostages without Israel cease-fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

A Hamas official said the militant group will not release hostages it took during its violent attack on October 7 until Israel agrees to a cease-fire.Abu Hamid, a member of the Hamas delegation that visited Moscow on Thursday, told the Russian state-controlled Kommersant newspaper that the group also needs time to locate all the hostages in Gaza.In an interview with the Russian outlet, Hamid said his group “captured dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then liberate them.”During Hamas’ assault on Israel earlier this month, the militant group killed more than 1,400 people and took around 200 hostages. Since then, about 50 of the hostages have been killed by ongoing retaliatory Israeli airstrikes against Gaza, Abu Hamid told Kommersant.During Hamas’ visit to Moscow, led by Mousa Abu Marzook, a founder and political leader of the militant group, Hamid said they presented their reasons for the attack to Russia.“T...

A shooting between migrants near the Serbia-Hungary border leaves 3 dead and 1 wounded, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A shooting between migrants near Serbia’s border with Hungary early Friday left three people dead and one other person seriously wounded, Serbia’s state RTS television reported on Friday. The shooting happened at abandoned farming warehouses near the village of Horgos, the report said. A large number of police officers were sent to the scene, RTS said. Police have yet to issue an official statement. Reports of violence and gunbattles have become common near the border between Serbia and European Union member nation Hungary. Thousands of migrants have been camping in the area, looking for ways to cross with the help of people smugglers.The Serbia-Hungary border area lies on the so-called Balkan land route of migration toward Western Europe, which leads from Turkey to Greece and Bulgaria, and then on to North Macedonia, Serbia, or Bosnia. Hungary’s staunchly anti-immigrant government has put up razor wire fence on the border with Serbia to sto...

Huawei reports its revenue inched higher in January-September despite US sanctions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies said its revenue edged higher in the first three quarters of the year, even as it grappled with U.S. sanctions that have hindered both its sales and its purchases of advanced technology.The Shenzhen-headquartered firm said Friday that it generated 456.6 billion yuan ($86.3 billion) in revenue for the first nine months of the year, an increase of 2.4% compared to the same period last year.Huawei, the biggest maker of network gear for phone and internet carriers, said its net profit margin was 16%, but it gave no basis for comparison.Ken Hu, Huawei’s rotating chairman said that the figures were “in line with forecasts.” He thanked Huawei’s customers and partners for their trust and support.“Moving forward, we will continue to increase our investment in R&D to make the most of our business portfolio and take the competitiveness of our products and services to new heights,” Hu said.Huawei, which is not listed on a...

Israel-Hamas war upends years of conventional wisdom. Leaders give few details on what comes next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Just three weeks into the deadliest war between Israel and Hamas, it already is clear that the bloodshed has flipped long-standing assumptions in Israel and the region upside down.Israel’s military and intelligence services were exposed as incompetent and ill-prepared. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decades of attempts to sideline the Palestinians and U.S. efforts to manage the conflict, rather than solve it, badly backfired. Israelis’ sense of personal security was shattered. The international community’s traditional approach of urging Israel to withdraw from occupied land in exchange for peace now appears out of the question.“Many paradigms have collapsed with this murderous attack by Hamas,” said Nadav Eyal, a commentator for Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper.Here is a look at how the key players got it wrong.ISRAELI SECURITYOver the decades, Israel’s military and security agencies built a reputation of near invincibility through sophisti...

In the news today: Israel strikes outskirts of Gaza City during second ground raid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today …Israel strikes outskirts of Gaza City during second ground raid in as many daysIsraeli forces conducted another ground raid in Gaza in advance of an expected invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory. U.S. warplanes, meanwhile, struck targets in eastern Syria after attacks on U.S. forces by Iran-backed fighters, adding to regional tensions fuelled by the three-week-old Gaza war.The Palestinian death toll passed 7,000 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the bloody Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 229 people including foreigners, children and older adults were believed taken by Hamas during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza. Four hostages were released earlier.—Here’s what else we’re watching …Fo...

Canadian ranchers brace for long, lean winter after droughts, soaring feed costs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

CALGARY — It could be a long, lean winter in cattle country as drought-ravaged western Canadian ranchers struggle to secure feed to get their livestock through the cold months.Near the town of Eastend in the southwest corner of Saskatchewan, Jocelyn Wasko and her husband Travis have spent much of the summer and fall preparing. They’ve worked hard to grow their own forage crops, even taking a few thousand acres of durum wheat that didn’t grow well enough to sell and cutting and baling it for feed instead. Still, after five consecutive years of very little rain on the property that Travis’ family has been ranching for more than a century, the parched land can only produce so much. That’s why the couple made the tough decision last year to downsize their herd, culling close to 20 per cent of their cows by sending them to slaughter at weaning time.“We really had no option when we finished out the year last year — all the dugouts were empty and there was no ...

Defence’s fight for internal police documents continues in ‘Freedom Convoy’ trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

OTTAWA — The lawyers for two “Freedom Convoy” organizers are expected to continue their legal fight for access to internal Ottawa Police Service documents today.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are on trial for their role in the massive demonstration against COVID-19 public-health measures that gridlocked the streets of Ottawa for three weeks in early 2022.Defence lawyers want to see emails that show what evidence police officers were asked to hand over as part of the case against their clients, as well as any instructions given to officers about updating the software on their cellphones when the protest ended.The defence had only received heavily redacted emails in response, which the Crown and Ottawa police say omit irrelevant information or information protected by solicitor-client privilege. The Crown, defence lawyers and lawyers for Ottawa police presented their legal arguments all day on Thursday.Sgt. Jordan Blonde is expected to take the stand to be questioned by the ...

Daily horoscope for October 27, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Aries.Happy Birthday for Friday, Oct. 27, 2023:Although you appear quiet, even reserved, you also can be emotional, active and energetic, because you tend to react instantly to things around you. This year you will get recognition for your past efforts. Expect a promotion, kudos, an award and certainly the admiration and esteem of your peers.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Tread carefully today, because the Moon is still in your sign (which always heightens your emotions). And meanwhile, tomorrow is a Lunar Eclipse, which will stir things up with everyone! This is why you might feel tension building up between you and others, especially about financial matters. Tonight: Seek agreement.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Try to keep things light today. Don’t overreact with others for any reason, because tomorrow there is a Lunar Eclipse taking place in your sign. And today, no doubt, there is a b...

Agreement reached on 2024 fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

The Council has reached an agreement on the fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2024, following the Commission proposal made in August this year. The Council has followed the proposal as regards total allowable catch (TACs) for three stocks – plaice (roll-over), salmon in the Gulf of Finland (+7%) and salmon in the main basin (-15%).In view of the specific environmental situation of the Baltic Sea, the Council has decided to set by-catch allowances for the stocks of western herring, western cod and eastern cod, which means they can only be taken when accidentally caught while fishing for other stocks. Moreover, the existing remedial measures are kept. Today's agreement thus allows healthy fisheries of plaice, Riga herring, salmon in the Gulf of Finland and sprat to continue.The Council also decided to allow targeted fisheries on central Baltic herring and Bothnian herring, with TACs of 40 368t and 55 000t respectively. For central herring a 30-day closure is introduced to pr...

Harriette Cole: How can I change my dad’s mind about San Francisco?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:59 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 23-year-old who just moved to San Francisco. My dad recently came to visit me, and I was excited because I hadn’t seen him in six months.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My co-worker’s habit annoys everyone, including our clients Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell this man why I won’t get serious about him? Advice | Harriette Cole: I’ve been extremely on edge, and I need a quiet solution Advice | Harriette Cole: My best friend asked to date my crush, and I don’t know what to say Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m not cut out for this class, and the professor isn’t making it any easier My excitement was dampened once he got here and had nothing positive to say, just complaints the entire time. He hated my apartment, thought it was too exhausting to walk up the hills in the city and didn’t like how expensive the city was.I was rea...