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‘Putin will be successful’ if lawmakers cut Ukraine funding, top leaders warn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

Top Biden administration officials warned senators on Tuesday that if they approve aid to Israel but cut out funding for Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will win.Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin argued against decoupling President Joe Biden’s $106 billion supplemental request for Israel, Ukraine and the Pacific while testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee. The pair warned Russia would prevail without continued U.S. assistance and would have implications outside of Europe.“I think it would do both terrible harm to our values, but also to our core interests,” Blinken said of leaving out Ukraine aid.“We are much better sustaining our effort now, seeing this to success, than having to pay a much higher price later when we have to deal with a world full of aggression,” he said.Austin also argued that not sending aid to Ukraine increases the likelihood that American troops might one day face combat against Putin’s forces in defense of a NATO ally...

Sheriff’s department reports show law enforcement was alerted to danger posed by alleged Maine gunman months before shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

(CNN) — New details are emerging about the US Army reservist who authorities say killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Maine, last week – including previous warnings about him from the Army and his family, and two attempts by law enforcement to check on him weeks before the rampage.The Army in July said that Robert Card, 40, “should not have a weapon, handle ammunition, and not participate in live fire activity,” after he was seen “behaving erratically” and sent for an evaluation at an Army hospital, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro said.About two months later, a deputy was sent to check on Card twice in mid-September after a soldier became concerned the reservist would “snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to a document from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department. An alert was then sent to law enforcement warning that Card was “armed and dangerous.”That was less than six weeks before the terror unfolded in Lewiston on Wednesday evening, when ...

Israeli airstrikes level apartments in Gaza refugee camp, as ground troops battle Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN, JACK JEFFREY and LEE KEATH (Associated Press)KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — A flurry of Israeli airstrikes Tuesday on a refugee camp near Gaza City leveled apartment buildings, leaving craters where they once stood, as ground troops battled Hamas across northern Gaza and attacked underground compounds.Buoyed by the first successful rescue of a captive held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for a cease-fire and again vowed to crush Hamas’ ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following its bloody Oct. 7 rampage, which ignited the war. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.Several hundred thousand Palestinians remain in the northern part of Gaza, where Israeli troops and tanks reportedly have advanced on several sides of Gaza City, the sprawling urban center.In the Jabaliya refugee camp on Gaza City’s outskirts, at least six airstrikes destroyed a number of apartment...

Healey files emergency shelter system regulations hours before court hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

The state housing department filed proposed regulations this morning that lay out how state officials can place a cap on the number of families in the emergency shelter system only hours before a court hearing on the matter.The regulations were filed with Secretary of State William Galvin’s office by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, according to a Galvin spokesperson.The proposed update adds a new section to emergency shelter regulations that details what would happen if the “shelter system is unable to serve all eligible families,” according to a copy provided to the Herald.The suggested rules change call for a “written declaration” that “in light of legislative appropriations, the shelter system is no longer able to meet all current and projected demand for shelter from eligible families considering the facts and circumstances then existing in the commonwealth.”The declaration would need to identify a maximum progra...

Matt Poitras “sticking around” with Bruins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

There was no pomp or circumstance surrounding the announcement, perhaps because Matt Poitras’ play took all the drama out of it.“He’s sticking around,” said coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday morning at Warrior Ice Arena.The Bruins had nine games to decide whether to keep the 19-year-old rookie in Boston and burn a year of his entry level contract or send him back to his Canadian junior team in Guelph. He’s got 3-2- totals and is plus-4 in those first nine games and essentially made himself too important to the Boston Bruins for him to be playing anywhere else.“(With) his play, he earned it,” said Montgomery. “I think we’re comfortable with him. No guarantees here the rest of the year, but we feel the way he’s progressed that for the time being he’s going to be a Bruin and he’s helping us win hockey games. That’s the most important thing, right? He’s still 19, so we’re going to be cautious.”Montgomery would not rule out giving...

U.S. military and diplomatic leaders urge a divided Congress to send aid to both Israel and Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

By MARY CLARE JALONICK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s top military and diplomatic leaders urged an increasingly divided Congress on Tuesday to send major immediate aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing at a Senate hearing that broad support for the assistance would signal U.S. strength to adversaries worldwide. The testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken came as the administration’s massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in the two countries encountered roadblocks.While there is bipartisan support in the Democratic-led Senate for aid to both Ukraine and Israel, the request faces deep problems in the Republican-led House. New Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed focusing on Israel alone, and slashing money for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for it. As the congressional divisions deepen, Blinken and Austin warned that the consequences of failing to help Ukraine in its war with Russia and I...

Miller lays out federal government’s priorities for improving immigration system

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller is laying out the federal government’s priorities for improving Canada’s immigration system today with a newly released report.The federal government’s report outlines key actions intended to strengthen the immigration system, based on consultations with stakeholders.It says Ottawa plans to take housing, health care, infrastructure and other services into account when planning immigration levels.The report proposes creating a chief international talent officer position to better align immigration programs and pathways with the labour market.It says the federal government is also looking at creating a “recognized institutions framework” to fast-track study permits for educational institutions with high standards. Canada’s immigration system has been under scrutiny as high levels of newcomers drive population growth and put pressure on the housing market. This report by The Canadian Press was first published...

Alcohol ‘a factor’ in fatal wrong-way Highway 418 crash: OPP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) believe alcohol was a factor in a wrong-way head-on crash on Highway 418 near Courtice on Sunday night that killed two people.OPP Sgt. Kerry Schdmit said witnesses called 911 on Sunday night, saying someone was driving a blue SUV the wrong way down Highway 418.Schmidt said the vehicle entered the highway’s northbound lanes while travelling southbound near Taunton Road.The SUV crashed head-on into another vehicle near Nash Road at around 7 p.m.The drivers of both vehicles were killed.The wrong-way driver was a 41-year-old woman from Courtice, while the victim in the other vehicle was a 36-year-old woman from Oshawa.Both died at the scene.Fatal head-on crash claims two lives on #Hwy418/Nash Rd. Oct 29, 7pm. Any witnesses are asked to call #TorontoOPP at 416-235-4981 ^ks pic.twitter.com/zSp8YGGtRV— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) October 31, 2023Schmidt says a third vehicle travelling northbound crashed into the two vehicles after they...

Hate crime charges filed in death of Sikh man after New York City fender bender

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who beat a 66-year-old Sikh man to death while calling him “turban man” after a fender bender in New York City has been charged with manslaughter as a hate crime, prosecutors announced Tuesday.Gilbert Augustin, 30, also faces charges including assault as a hate crime and unlicensed driving in the Oct. 19 death of Jasmer Singh, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.Prosecutors said Augustin called Singh “turban man” during an argument that followed their crash on the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens. The family of Singh, who wore a turban as part of his Sikh religious practice, had pushed for hate crime charges to be filed against Augustin.The altercation began after Singh’s Toyota collided with Augustin’s Ford Mustang. Both men pulled over and Augustin got out of his car and confronted Singh, prosecutors said.A witness said Augustin said “No police, no police” and repeatedly referred to Singh as “turban man” as they argued, prosecutors said.A...

5 hostages of Hamas are free, offering some hope to families of more than 200 still captive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:52 GMT

Five hostages of Hamas are free, offering some hope to the families of more than 200 others snatched in southern Israel during the militants’ deadly rampage on Oct. 7. But the families of those still in captivity have questions, such as why progress has been so slow, why some and not others are being released and whether Israel’s punishing bombardment of the Gaza Strip puts their loved ones in danger. Israel on Monday announced its first hostage rescue — that of army Pvt. Ori Megidish. Hamas had earlier released Americans Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie, 18. Also let go were Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, along with Nurit Cooper, 79. Their husbands remain in captivity. Hamas has said it would let the others go in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which has dismissed the offer. Here are stories of some of the more than 200 still held in captivity.BIBAS FAMILYLARNACA, Cyprus — Ofri Bibas couldn’t bring herself to tell her brother, Yarden, she lov...