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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 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...

Miss Manners: It’s absurd that I’m the go-between because my kids’ friends don’t have phones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I was a kid and wanted to play with a friend, I called the friend’s house and made plans. Now that I’m a parent with my own kids, and landlines have virtually disappeared, it is almost impossible for my children to make plans without me as an intermediary — texting/calling their friends’ parents on our respective cellphones to set up a time/place.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I don’t find it adorable what she has trained her dog to do Advice | Miss Manners: We’re afraid they’ll try to raid the house after the funeral Advice | Miss Manners: I want to abandon this ‘Mom’ business after my mother-in-law’s bad behavior Advice | Miss Manners: The bride’s dress code for wedding guests strikes me as pretentious Advice | Miss Manners: I tried to take the edge off her short-notice cancellation, and she blew up at me ...

Dear Abby: Am I being selfish to think he needs to get over this?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating “Paul” for several years. He lives about an hour away, and we see each other a few weekends a month. I know he loves me.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I resent each other, but we can’t break up Advice | Dear Abby: My church group leader badmouthed my husband and now I’m caught in their feud Advice | Dear Abby: He says he’s not forcing us to eat it, but basically he is Advice | Dear Abby: My friend sold my teen a Taylor Swift ticket, and I can’t help resenting her Advice | Dear Abby: My wife isn’t happy about what I put in my obituary A few months ago, his dog suddenly died from cancer. It was traumatic because “Bruiser” was his best friend.Paul has been different since Bruiser’s death. He has zero interest in anything physical.To me, touch is important — not just sex. There’s shared...

WTOP Top Kid: Reston teen helps remove performing arts barriers for kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

WTOP’s TOP Kids program is sponsored by Northwest Federal Credit Union. In addition to being featured on-air and online, winning kids also get a chance at $500.August Gabriel Rivers’ love of theater started at an early age. The 17-year-old from Reston, Virginia, was able to hone his craft through theater enrichment programs, many of which he participated in outside of school. Joining those extra programs took money.“Performing art programs tend be very expensive,” Rivers said.In his case, he said he was fortunate his parents could cover the costs for joining camps and other programs, but he said it was not lost on him that for some kids, the cost was a barrier that kept them from participating in what they loved.“We just don’t want people to miss out on getting into theater for financial reasons,” Rivers said.So, to help some kids overcome that barrier, Rivers, a senior at South Lakes High School, worked with other students to create “Reston Stars,” which gives out schol...