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Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and ISSAM ADWAN (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday, killing dozens and stunning the country. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.” In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. In some places, they roamed for hours, gunning down civilians and soldiers until Israel’s military mustered a response. Even well after nightfall, gunbattles continued in some locations. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 100 people were killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. An...

Tijuana fighting bedbug and tick infestation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Baja California's health department has begun fumigating entire neighborhoods as it tries to stop a tick and bedbug infestation in Tijuana.Adrián Medina Amarillas, Baja's health secretary, says 17 people have died as a result of rickettsia so far this year. The disease is spread by bedbugs, mites and ticks carried by cats and dogs especially stray animals."We're including ticks in this campaign so we can avoid further infections," he said.Bed bugs crawl around in a container on display during the 2nd National Bed Bug Summit in Washington, DC in 2011. (Credit: Getty Images)Other cities and regions in Mexico are having similar issues including Mexico City where a bedbug infestation has gripped the city's National Autonomous University.And according to Medina Amarillas, several cities in the state of Sinaloa find themselves in the midst of a bedbug and tick problem as well.Baja's health secretary says the state will continue with a campaign to kill ticks an...

Days after deadly missile strike on Ukrainian cafe, grief and a search for answers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

HROZA, Ukraine (AP) — U.N. and local investigators searched for answers on Saturday at the site of a Russian missile strike on a small Ukrainian village that days earlier turned its sole cafe to rubble and killed nearly 52 people gathered for a dead soldier’s wake, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv. Local residents that same day began laying their lost friends to rest. Representatives from the United Nations Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) spent much of the day speaking with local residents and survivors in Hroza, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to a statement shared with the Associated Press.“My initial conversations with local residents and survivors indicate that virtually all those killed were civilians and that the target itself, a busy village cafe and store, was also clearly civilian,” Danielle Bell, who led the team that visited Hroza on Saturday, was cited as saying in the U.N. statement.“What happened here is yet...

Biden condemns the ‘appalling assault’ by Hamas as Israel’s allies express anger and shock

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday decried the “appalling assault” by Hamas militants and his administration pledged to ensure Israel has “what it needs to defend itself” after the surprise attack that drew worldwide condemnation and anger from Israel’s allies. Biden made clear in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support,” according to the White House. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rushed to the White House for meetings and was phoning foreign counterparts, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israel’s defense minister.“Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people,” Biden said in a statement that also warned “any other party hostile to Israel” against “seeking advantage in this situation.” Washington’s support for “Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering,” the president said. His Pentagon chief said the U.S...

Two 6.3-magnitude earthquakes kill dozens and injure many more in western Afghanistan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country’s national disaster authority said.The United Nations gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead, but later said the figure was still being verified. Local authorities gave an estimate of 100 people killed and 500 injured, according to the same update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quakes and aftershocks. Dozens of houses have been damaged. The United States Geological Survey reported the 6.3 magnitude tremblors. It said the epicenter was 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city. There was an aftershock with a 5.5 magnitude.A map on the USGS website indicates seven earthquakes in the area. At least five powerful earthquakes struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said.“All people are out...

At least 15 people are killed when a bomb brought home by children explodes in eastern Congo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — At least 15 people were killed in eastern Congo after a group of children brought home an explosive device that they had found while they were playing, a community leader said Saturday.The tragedy took place Friday evening in the village of Kyangitsi, located in Masisi territory in North Kivu province.“At around 8 p.m. local time, while some of the residents were trying to find out what it was, the bomb exploded,” said Telesphore Mitondeke, a member of a Masisi grouping of civil society organizations. For the past two weeks, the region has been the scene of hostilities between local armed groups vying for control of villages.Many localities already have fallen under the control of the “Wazalendo” patriot self-defense forces. According to local community leaders, part of the strategic town of Kitshanga is now in the hands of the young patriots, who have managed to dislodge the M23 rebels.The ongoing clashes have caused panic among the population, prompting ma...

TSA says US on track to break records with firearms seized at airport checkpoints

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the United States is on track to break records when it comes to the number of firearms seized at airport checkpoints this year.  Last year, the agency confiscated 6,542 firearms, and so far this year, TSA officials have already intercepted 5,072. "The number one excuse we get when people come through and we detect a firearm in their carry-on bag is that they forgot the firearm is in there,” Dan Velez, a TSA spokesperson, said.Across the country in this last quarter, the TSA said they confiscated about 19.8 firearms per day, and about 94 percent of them were loaded.   Financial penalties for such infractions can be as high as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.  US Marshals ordered to take helicopter owned by WV gov's family-owned business Velez reminds passengers that they&nbs...

Blood pressure medicine recalled after oxycodone tablet found on packaging line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

(NewsNation) – A drug manufacturer is voluntarily recalling a batch of the blood pressure medication betaxolol over a foreign tablet was found during production.KVK-Tech called the recall a precautionary measure after a 5 mg oxycodone HCl pill was discovered on the packaging line once the batch was complete, according to a KVK-Tech recall notice published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The two pills are similar in appearance, and the difference is "not likely to be noticed by a regular user of the 10 mg betaxolol tablet," according to the notice. Nearly 273K Ram trucks recalled over rear view camera issue Betaxolol can potentially slow elderly patients’ heart rates — an effect that would likely be exacerbated if it were accidentally combined with an opioid, according to the FDA. It could also worsen some patients’ lung and heart function.Those taking betaxolol are being instructed to check their medication for batch numbers and expiration dates; the affected lot had a ba...

Co-founder of G brewing with non-alcoholic drinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

Co-founder of Go Brewing Joe Chura joins WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on non-alcoholic drinks for those wanting to take a break from alcohol.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

EagleRider tour guide on his 66th tour of famous Route 66

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:16 GMT

EagleRider tour guide Richard Wynkoop joins WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on his 66th tour of famous Route 66.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.