CAIRO — A top Hamas official says the group will free six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and return the bodies of four others on Thursday, a surprise acceleration in releases apparently in trade for Israel’s allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the devastated Gaza Strip. The six are the last living hostages set to be freed during the ceasefire’s first phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The announcement by Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks released Tuesday, said the dead would include the “Bibas family” — two young boys and their mother who…
Author: MAK Gojar
Police have arrested five men after an attempted home invasion in Cranbourne North. Police have arrested five men after an attempted home invasion in Cranbourne North. Video: Five men been arrested after alleged attempted home invasion in Melbourne Five men been arrested after alleged attempted home invasion in Melbourne We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later. Brisbane Times Advertisement National Police have arrested five men after an attempted home invasion in Cranbourne North. February 19, 2025 — 11.29am , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save videos for later Add…
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The pertinent language referenced the defunct INS and authorized broad cooperation with federal immigration agents, all of which was superseded by county sanctuary laws. SAN JOSE — The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has purged its policy manual of language that authorized broad cooperation with federal immigration officials and remained on the books well after county sanctuary laws rendered it moot. In a training bulletin sent to all personnel, the sheriff’s office announced that it was rescinding a general order that was last updated in 2010 and outlined the agency’s stance on immigration enforcement and working with federal immigration agents.…
Read the national news blog for rolling updates on today’s top news stories. Read the national news blog for rolling updates on today’s top news stories. A TikToker has found an old photo album of former prime minister Scott Morrison that was accidentally donated to an op-shop in Rockdale, in Sydney’s south. The post shows someone turning through the pages of the album with text saying: “when you randomly find a photo album at the op shop, look inside and realise it’s Scott Morrison”. Photos include what appears to be Morrison and wife Jenny on a bridge, swimming in a…
ROME — Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both lungs, the Vatican said Tuesday, after new tests showed a further complication in the condition of the 88-year-old pontiff that raised concerns about his ability to fight off the infection. The Vatican said Francis’ respiratory infection also involves asthmatic bronchitis, which requires the use of cortisone antibiotic treatment. “Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” the Vatican said. Nevertheless the pope, who had the upper lobe of his right lung removed as a young man, is in good spirits and is grateful…
Also: Migrants’ uncertainty | Resist takeover | Dystopian ‘truth’ | Selfish path | Power grab. Mercury News reader letters to the editor for Feb. 19, 2025. Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Immigrants share vision of American dream I’m a 20-year-old immigrant brought to the United States at age 2, and a third-year criminal justice student at San Jose State University. Fear that I may not be able to graduate burdens me, generating a lack of motivation and concentration on my studies. I struggle to find purpose in assignments, like in…
Two months ago, Nicole Smith moved from Michigan to Chicago for a new job at the Environmental Protection Agency where she would look for communities that had lead poison in the air. That all changed last Friday when the 25-year-old received an email that she said left her “absolutely gutted:” she had been terminated from the agency. “I was immediately locked out of everything, no idea about my benefits, or how I’m gonna get my last paycheck,” Smith said. “It’s been really tough, just being in a new city and then finally getting my dream job and then having it…
Also: PG&E profit | Expensive love | Burdening families | Destroying lives. Mercury News reader letters to the editor for Feb. 19, 2025. Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. Fremont votes to make the vulnerable suffer Re: “Homeless camp ban is among state’s toughest” (Page B1, Feb. 13). I attended the Fremont City Council meeting where the council voted to criminalize homelessness, and I left appalled — not just by the decision but with how my neighbors justified it. One resident complained about hearing an unhoused person’s dog barking. Meanwhile, in…
MINNEAPOLIS — With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock. The federal government will seek “better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on” rather than the current standard practice of destroying all the birds on a farm when an infection is detected, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” Hasset said the administration planned to announce further details this week. He said…
Department of Government Efficiency staffers were at the Pentagon on Tuesday and receiving lists of the military’s probationary employees, U.S. officials said. However, it was not clear that all probationary personnel would be let go — instead, some might be exempted due to the critical nature of their work. The military services each had until end of business Tuesday to identify their probationary employees. The affected personnel would include defense civilians who are still new to their jobs, not uniformed military personnel, who are exempt, according to the four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of…
Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma and Canadian model Winnie Harlow are engaged. The couple revealed the news in an Instagram post Tuesday that showed Harlow displaying her engagement ring as they kissed. Harlow, 30, appeared on “America’s Next Top Model” in 2014. A mainstay of fashion week runway shows and magazine covers, she founded the sunscreen brand Cay Skin. Harlow has vitiligo, a skin condition that causes loss of pigmentation. She has described the condition as “a treasured part of my identity as a woman, activist and model.” She was the first model with vitiligo to walk in the Victoria’s…
MESA, Ariz. — After striking out on signing premier free agent Alex Bregman, the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a deal to bring in 40-year-old infielder Justin Turner, sources told the Tribune on Tuesday. The one-year agreement is for $6 million, according to The Athletic, which first reported the deal. Cubs officials would not address the signing, which will become official after Turner passes a physical. President Jed Hoyer did say the Cubs “spent the end of this offseason trying to think about where we felt vulnerable, and that’s an area we felt vulnerable.” Turner’s age is irrelevant, the Cubs believe,…
The fatal collision happened at Almaden Boulevard and Alvarado Niles Road. UNION CITY – A driver hit and killed a pedestrian Monday in Union City, police said. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Triple-fatal East Bay Cybertruck crash involved alcohol and cocaine, autopsies say Crashes and Disasters | Authorities identify two killed in Contra Costa County crashes Crashes and Disasters | Driver held in fatal collision with pedestrian in Hayward Crashes and Disasters | San Mateo police asking for public’s help to identify driver in collision that killed pedestrian Crashes and Disasters | Woman dead in crash on I-680 near…
The Trump administration is giving America’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, raising the stakes in the president’s fight against “ wokeness.” In a memo Friday, the Education Department gave an ultimatum to stop using “racial preferences” as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools are being given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race. Educators at colleges nationwide were rushing to evaluate their risk and decide whether to stand up for practices they believe are legal. The sweeping…
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will continue to restrict The Associated Press’ access to his events and news conferences until the news outlet goes along with his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico in its reports. He acknowledged that the move was a presidential retaliation against the news agency’s editorial policy. “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America,” Trump said, speaking to reporters who witnessed the signing of an executive order at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. “We’re very proud of this country, and we want it to…
For those wondering what might become of Soldier Field if the Bears follow through on plans to move to Arlington Heights or an adjacent domed stadium, circle Nov. 1 on your calendar. That’s when rugby powers Ireland and the New Zealand All Blacks are set to face off in Chicago in a much-anticipated rematch of a seminal 2016 contest between two heated rivals in front of a stadium likely to be packed with international fans. Who needs the Packers? “This match showcases our city’s ability to host premier global sporting events, drawing fans from around the world, boosting tourism, and…
California schools received about $8 billion in federal funding for K-12 education and about $7 billion in federal funding for higher education in 2024. BERKELEY, CA – AUGUST 27: Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley is nearly deserted as students attended classes remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Berkeley, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Students and parents are irate as California public universities charge full tuition despite the move to remote instruction. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) Schools and colleges have until the end of the month to dismantle diversity programs and practices or risk losing federal funding, the…
Senate Republicans pushed ahead late Tuesday on a scaled-back budget bill, a $340 billion package to give the Trump administration money for mass deportations and other priorities, as Democrats prepare a counter-campaign against the onslaught of actions coming from the White House. On a party-line vote, 50-47, Republicans launched the process, skipping ahead of the House Republicans who prefer President Donald Trump’s approach for a “big, beautiful bill” that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that are tops on the party agenda. Senate Republicans plan to deal with tax cuts later, in a second package. “It’s time to act,” said…
A man has been arrested after deputies with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said he attacked a nurse at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. Leer en español Authorities said the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, who was listed as a patient at the hospital, is undergoing medical clearance and faces one count of attempted murder. At approximately 1:20 PM, PBSO said deputies were dispatched to a third-floor patient room at the hospital following a report of an aggravated battery. Upon arrival, investigators determined that Scantlebury had attacked a nurse, leaving the victim critically injured. The nurse…