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Mediator Qatar says efforts continuing to renew Israel-Hamas truce and expresses ‘deep regret’ over Israeli bombardments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Mediator Qatar says efforts continuing to renew Israel-Hamas truce and expresses ‘deep regret’ over Israeli bombardments.Source

Buffalo faces Saint Bonaventure, seeks to halt 4-game skid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (4-2) at Buffalo Bulls (1-6)Buffalo, New York; Saturday, 2 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Buffalo looks to end its four-game losing streak when the Bulls play Saint Bonaventure.The Bulls are 1-2 in home games. Buffalo is ninth in the MAC with 21.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Jonnivius Smith averaging 5.9.The Bonnies play their first true road game after going 4-2 with a 1-1 record in neutral-site games to start the season. Saint Bonaventure averages 10.8 turnovers per game and is 4-1 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.Buffalo scores 69.9 points per game, 3.1 more points than the 66.8 Saint Bonaventure gives up. Saint Bonaventure averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 fewer made shots on average than the 9.7 per game Buffalo gives up.TOP PERFORMERS: Sy Chatman is scoring 15.1 points per game and averaging 5.7 rebounds for the Bulls. Ryan Sabol is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers for Buffalo.Charles Pride is scoring 12.8 points per game ...

No. 4 UConn visits Dickinson and No. 5 Kansas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

UConn Huskies (7-0) at Kansas Jayhawks (6-1)Lawrence, Kansas; Friday, 9 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Jayhawks -2.5; over/under is 148.5BOTTOM LINE: No. 5 Kansas hosts the No. 4 UConn Huskies after Hunter Dickinson scored 25 points in Kansas’ 71-63 win against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.The Jayhawks are 3-0 in home games. Kansas is 5-1 against opponents over .500.The Huskies play their first true road game after going 7-0 to begin the season. UConn has a 7-0 record in games decided by at least 10 points.Kansas averages 81.3 points, 20.7 more per game than the 60.6 UConn allows. UConn averages 7.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 fewer makes per game than Kansas allows.TOP PERFORMERS: Kevin McCullar is shooting 29.6% from beyond the arc with 1.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Jayhawks, while averaging 18.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Dickinson is shooting 67.0% and averaging 21.7 points for Kansas.Cam Spencer is averaging 16.3 points and 3.7 assists f...

Fresh fighting erupts as Israel resumes Gaza combat operations following hostage truce collapse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

(CNN) — Deadly fighting broke out across Gaza on Friday as Israel’s military resumed combat operations after the temporary truce with Hamas that had paved the way for a week of hostage releases broke down.Smoke could be seen billowing across parts of the densely populated enclave as Israel’s military declared it was once again “out to destroy” the group.Israeli strikes resumed in areas across Gaza and military vehicles were firing in the northwest, minutes after the truce expired on Friday, according to a statement from the Hamas-control Ministry of Interior in Gaza.In a statement released from his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said fighting resumed against Hamas after the militant group broke the outline of the truce and “didn’t respect its obligation to release today all the abducted women and launched rockets towards the citizens of Israel.”Netanyahu his government would “accomplish the targets of the fighting,” which included the release o...

Florida GOP chair under investigation related to sexual battery allegation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

(CNN) — Christian Ziegler, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is under investigation by the Sarasota Police Department related to an allegation of sexual battery from October.An attorney for Ziegler, Derek Byrd, said in a statement that his client has been “fully cooperative with every request” from the Sarasota Police Department.“We acknowledge the reports that there is an investigation being conducted by the Sarasota Police Department regarding Mr. Ziegler,” he said.“We are confident that once the police investigation is concluded that no charges will be filed and Mr. Ziegler will be completely exonerated,” Byrd said. He did not disclose any details about the investigation.The report Byrd referenced is from a local Florida watchdog website that first outlined the investigation, along with alleged details about Ziegler’s sexual relationships and the alleged assault. CNN has not independently verified those allegations.However, CNN on Thursday morning obtaine...

Callahan: Bill Belichick made the right — and only — QB call he could

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

FOXBORO — One week late, maybe a loss too late, whatever.Bill Belichick finally made the call.Mac Jones out. Bailey Zappe in. The Patriots are moving on.Zappe has taken the majority of reps in practice this week at quarterback, according to the Herald’s Doug Kyed, and is being prepared to start Sunday against the Chargers, per The Athletic.Zappe was last seen trailing by three and handing the ball off on third-and-8 during the final seconds of the Pats’ last loss to the Giants; a scared decision Bill Belichick later claimed was aggressive despite its being obviously reactionary to playing a backup quarterback. Again, whatever.Belichick is sitting Jones, a broken player, in favor of a worse passer whose confidence is intact. Zappe represents a bridge from the basement to wherever this treacherous season leads next. Now it’s time for fans to rally behind the change.Not because Zappe’s necessarily earned your cheers or to settle a tired Mac-versus-Zappe debate o...

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow on cutting deals with Doug Ford, fixing a broken city and putting pressure on Ottawa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

When Olivia Chow was running for mayor, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a Chow victory would be an “unmitigated disaster”. Almost six months later, he was on stage with her, thanking her for working with him on a historic deal between the city and province. He called their collaboration “amazing” and the deal “one-sided” in the mayor’s favour.In a sit-down interview with The Big Story, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow explained how she was able to come together with Premier Ford over shared goals, despite their political differences. “[Premier Doug Ford’s] way of dealing with [work as a politician] is of course slightly different than my way, but the desire to serve you could see that from the Ford family.”Mayor Chow served as a city councillor with Doug Ford’s late brother, the contentious Toronto city counsellor turned mayor, Rob Ford.The deal offloaded two highways, the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway, back to the province and saw the small portion of the Ontario place land held by the c...

Madagascar’s top court ratifies president’s reelection in vote boycotted by opposition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar’s top court on Friday ratified the victory of incumbent President Andry Rajoelina in last month’s election, giving him a third term as leader following a boycott of the vote by opposition candidates.The High Constitutional Court said Rajoelina received 58.96% of votes in the first round and was reelected without the need for a runoff. The results had already been announced by Madagascar’s electoral commission but the constitution requires they are ratified by the top court.Rajoelina, 49, first served as president of a provisional government from 2009-2014 following a political crisis and a coup in the Indian Ocean island. He won a vote in 2019.The Nov. 16 election was marked by trouble. It was delayed for a week because of a series of anti-Rajoelina protests led by the opposition. A curfew was announced on the eve of the election after protesters torched some ballot stations.A coalition of opposition candidates called for ...

A UN court is ruling on request to order Venezuela to halt part of a referendum on a disputed region

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ top court is set to announce Friday whether it will order Venezuela to halt parts of a referendum planned for Sunday on the future of a disputed territory that makes up two-thirds of Guyana.Venezuela does not recognize the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction in the decades-old dispute over the Essequibo region and is expected to press ahead with the referendum regardless of what its judges decide.At urgent hearings in November, lawyers for Guyana said the vote is designed to pave the way for annexation by Venezuela of the Essequibo — a territory larger than Greece that is rich in oil and minerals. They called on the world court to halt the referendum in its current form.But Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez defiantly told the court: ” Nothing will prevent the referendum scheduled for Dec. 3 from being held.”Venezuela has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its bound...

The Philippines opens a new monitoring base on a remote island in the disputed South China Sea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:36 GMT

THITU ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — The Philippines inaugurated a new coast guard monitoring base Friday on an island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea and plans to expand joint patrols with the United States and Australia to counter China’s “pure bullying” in the strategic waterway, a Philippine security official said.High-seas faceoffs between Chinese and Philippine ships have intensified this year in the contested waters, fueling fears of a larger conflict that could involve the United States. The U.S. has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.China has accused the U.S. of meddling in an Asian dispute and sowing discord in the region.National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano and other Philippine officials flew to Thitu Island on an air force plane Friday and led a ceremony to open the newly constructed, two-story center ...