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Spain’s Pedro Sánchez to form new government as prime minister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Amazon Music Ending months of political paralysis, we bring you up to speed on the turmoil in Spain that has left Pedro Sánchez clinging to power. The Socialist leader secured another term as Spain’s prime minister thanks to a controversial amnesty deal with Catalan separatists, which...

Boston College falls 24-16 at Pittsburgh

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Boston College let a winnable game against a bad team slip away on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.The Pitt Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 24-16 victory over BC at Acrisure Stadium. The Eagles dropped to 6-5 and 3-4 in the ACC and close out the season on Nov. 23 against Miami at Alumni Stadium.Pitt quarterback Nate Yarnell efficiently managed the game and made timely passes in his second career start and first of the season. Yarnell completed 11-of-19 throws for 207 yards and a touchdown. Eagles’ QB Thomas Castellanos completed 13-of-25 for 171 yards and a touchdown with two picks.Both teams produced a 100-yard rusher. Pitt tailback Rodney Hammond rushed for 145 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. BC’s Kye Robichaux had 118 yards on 24 runs coming off an injury.“We are very disappointed, this was a missed opportunity,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “I don’t think we played well enough to win the game and we had multiple opportunities to do so.“We didn’t play well enoug...

Seidler's business partner to become Padres interim point person

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres confirmed that one of Peter Seidler's long-time business partners will be taking over as the team's interim point person for Major League Baseball after the chairman's passing earlier this week.Eric Kutsenda, a co-founder and managing partner at Seidler's private equity firm, was appointed as the team's interim control person, as required by Major League Baseball.However, it is unclear how long he will serve in that capacity. League sources told The Athletic and the San Diego Union-Tribune that the late chairman's wishes were for ownership of the franchise to remain with his family. Prior to Seidler assuming the role of chairman in November 2020, Ron Fowler served in the position for eight years before stepping down.Eric Katsenda pictured in this undated image. (Courtesy of the San Diego Padres)Kutsenda is a co-founder of Seidler Equity Partners and is a member of the firm's executive and investment committees. San Diego remembers Padres owner Pete...

Vaughan community centre evacuated due to potential threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

An Islamic community centre in Vaughan was evacuated due to what police called a potential threat.York Regional Police said they responded to the community centre near Bathurst Street and Ner Israel Drive on Thursday night.The building was evacuated, and officers conducted a search of the area. No injuries were reported.A police spokesperson tells CityNews that Jaffari Community Centre was the building that was cleared by responding officers.No threat was found, police noted, and the property is secure.There is no threat to the public, and police are expected to remain in the area.Jaffari Community Centre, also considered a mosque, is described as an Islamic multi-faceted facility that hosts religious, educational, cultural, athletic, and recreational events.YRP responded to a potential threat to a community centre near Bathurst St. and Ner Israel Dr. in Vaughan. Police evacuated a building and checked the area. No threat was found. The property is secure. There is no safety risk. P...

Thousands of bodies lie buried in rubble in Gaza. Families dig to retrieve them, often by hand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The wreckage goes on for block after devastated block. The smell is sickening. Every day, hundreds of people claw through tons of rubble with shovels and iron bars and their bare hands.They are looking for the bodies of their children. Their parents. Their neighbors. All of them killed in Israeli missile strikes. The corpses are there, somewhere in the endless acres of destruction.More than five weeks into Israel’s war against Hamas, some streets are now more like graveyards. Officials in Gaza say they don’t have the equipment, manpower or fuel to search properly for the living, let alone the dead.Hamas, the militant group behind the deadly Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, has many of its bases within Gaza’s crowded neighborhoods. Israel is targeting those strongholds.But the victims are often everyday Palestinians, many of whom have yet to be found. Omar al-Darawi and his neighbors have spent weeks searching the ruins of a pai...

New drill bores deeper into tunnel rubble in India to create an escape pipe for 40 trapped workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers drilled deeper into the rubble of a collapsed road tunnel in northern India on Friday to fix wide pipes for 40 workers trapped underground for a sixth day to crawl to their freedom.Drilling with a new machine started on Thursday and has covered a stretch of 24 meters (78 feet) so far, Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official, said. It may require up to 60 meters (195 feet) to enable the trapped workers’ escape, Patwal told The Associated Press on Friday.Patwal said the rescuers hoped to complete the drilling by Friday night and create an escape tunnel of pipes welded together.Some of the workers felt fever and body aches Wednesday, but there has been no deterioration in their condition, he said. Nuts, roasted chickpeas, popcorn and medicine are being sent to them via a pipe every two hours.The construction workers have been trapped since Sunday, when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.7-mile) tunnel they were building to ...

2 to hospital following house fire in Mississauga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Two people were taken to the hospital following a house fire in Mississauga on Thursday.First responders were called to the residence located in the Collett Road and Morning Star Drive area at around 10:15 p.m.Police said two occupants of the home were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.It’s unclear what caused the fire.There are road closures in place from Collett Road and Morning Star Drive, including eastbound on Airport Road.

38 injured, 23 sent to local hospitals after CTA Yellow Line crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Thirty-eight people were injured and at least 23 were taken to local hospitals after a CTA train crash on the North Side Thursday, the Chicago Fire Department said. According to police, a yellow line train was travelling south near the 7500 block of North Paulina Street when it collided with rail-mounted maintenance equipment in the Howard Rail Yard on the North Side. CFD battles massive warehouse fire on South Side CFD reported at least 23 people — including four children and seven CTA employees — were transported to area hospitals, while three others were in critical condition. Fifteen others refused EMS.According to CFD, six were taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital in good-to-stable condition, three were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center — with one in critical condition and two others in fair condition, and three were taken to St. Francis Hospital where they are in unknown condition.Firefighters said all known transports to Swedish Covenant, Advocate I...

Families of those kidnapped in Israel hold on to hope

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's been more than a month since Hamas attacked Israel and took hundreds of hostages into Gaza.While some have been released, the fight to have the rest brought home continues on."We care about our brothers and sisters and families, this is our mission," said Dori Roberts, who lives in Austin and lost his Aunt in the Hamas attacks.Roberts is now speaking out about the hostages and urging leaders to do more to bring them home. He has five family members who were kidnapped.On Thursday, Roberts and others who have had family members taken hostage spoke to the Austin community, telling their stories of loss and tragedy."My father Yitzhak was murdered," said 14-year-old Ella Shani, who was at home in Israel when the attacks started.Her uncle, Nir Shani's home was burned down during the attacks."This is what I put on my face (holds up cloth) in order to not inhale all the smoke," said Nir.Nir's top priority though is getting his son back; 16-year-old Amit was kidnapped an...

Austin ISD says 98 percent of students who needed a special education plan last year now have one

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:00 GMT

Editor's note: Austin ISD officials clarified data from their newsletter, stating it has completed 98 percent of individualized education plans from the 2022-23 school year, not all of them.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Independent School District said on Thursday it met a major milestone in its agreement with the Texas Education Agency to fix the district’s special education system.The school district has been under the watch of a state-appointed monitor since September. The board of trustees voted 8-1 to accept the deal from TEA after state investigators found the district repeatedly failed to evaluate students suspected of needing special education services on time.  In a letter to parents, the district said that as of Oct. 31, it evaluated over 98 percent of students whose parents consented during the 2022-23 school year. The district also says over 98 percent of students who needed an individualized education plan, or IEP, last school year now have one. It's unclear how many stud...