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Aid agencies warn of chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans returning from Pakistan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Major international aid agencies on Thursday warned of chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans who have returned from Pakistan, where security forces are detaining and deporting undocumented or unregistered foreigners.The crackdown on illegal migration mostly affects Afghans because they are the majority of foreigners living in Pakistan, although the government says it is targeting all who are in the country illegally. Three aid organizations — the Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee — said many people fleeing the Pakistani crackdown arrived in Afghanistan in poor condition. “The conditions in which they arrive in Afghanistan are dire, with many having endured arduous journeys spanning several days, exposed to the elements, and often forced to part with their possessions in exchange for transportation,” the agencies said in a statement.Between 9,000 and 10,000 Afghans are now crossing the border every day from ...

Diplomacy to pause fighting and ease siege intensifies as Israeli ground troops advance on Gaza City

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s ground troops advanced toward Gaza City on Thursday, as the U.S. and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians.President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian “pause” the day before, as an apparent agreement among the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, allowed hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports and dozens of wounded to leave Gaza for the first time. Dozens more left on Thursday.Arab countries, including those allied with the U.S. and at peace with Israel, have expressed mounting unease with the war. Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s envoy to remain out of the country until there’s a halt to the war and the “humanitarian catastrophe” it is causing. More than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in 25 days of fighting, and bombings have driven more than h...

Britney Spears' memoir sells more than a million copies just one week after release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Britney Spears' memoir “The Woman in Me” has sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S. alone through its first week.“I poured my heart and soul into my memoir, and I am grateful to my fans and readers around the world for their unwavering support," Spears said in a statement released Wednesday by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.This cover image released by Gallery Books shows "The Woman in Me" by Britney Spears, releasing Tuesday, Oct. 24. (Gallery Books via AP)The sales figures include pre-orders, print sales, e-books and audiobooks. “The Woman in Me,” released Oct. 24, has been praised by critics as a compelling account of her rise to global fame and her ongoing struggles, including the conservatorship that for years granted her father control of much of her life and her revelation that she had an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake more than 20 years ago.On the day of publication, Spears posted on Instagram that her book had bec...

Senate GOP launches offensive to overcome Tuberville military holds 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

(The Hill) - A group of Senate Republicans attempted to overcome Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) blockade of more than 370 military nominations, marking the first time GOP members have attempted a maneuver of this kind. Led by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Senate Republicans sought to move numerous promotions for military officers but were blocked by Tuberville as part of his holds that have lasted nearly eight months over the Pentagon’s year-old policy that covers travel expenses for military personnel who travel for abortion care.Sullivan, joined by Sens. Joni Ernst (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Todd Young (Ind.), brought 61 nominees forward for more than four hours, speaking relentlessly in support of each one.“America needs to have our best players, most combat-capable leaders, on the field. And right now, that’s not happening. It needs to change,” Sullivan, a 30-year member of the Marine Corps, said on the floor, adding that 89 percent of all general officer posi...

Temperature climb leads to near-record warmth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Colder than the flip side of the pillow this morning, but a nice temperature recovery is on the way.A shift in our winds will help kick off the warming trend today. Afternoon highs will climb well into the 60s -- still below normal for this time of year but warmer than what we felt yesterday.The temperature climb continues each day through the weekend, with temps approaching the upper 80s by next Tuesday.Daylight Saving Time comes to an end early Sunday morning, so don't forget to let your clocks "fall back" one hour. BLOG: El Niño into 2024: What that means for winter and spring BLOG: NOAA releases winter forecast Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-to-date with the First Warning Weather teamFollow the KXAN First Warning Weather team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.You can also follow our meteorologists' individu...

As kitchen store and school Cooks | Bellecour celebrates 50 years in business, owners reflect on how they ‘have to change to stay the same’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

A group of kids smile at Th'rice, the cooking school and store that later became Cooks of Crocus Hill, in this undated photo from the 1970s taken at Th'rice's original location on Grand Avenue and Lexington Parkway. The store originally opened in 1973. (Photo courtesy Cooks | Bellecour)Chef Gavin Kaysen, a co-owner of Cooks | Bellecour, leads a cooking demonstration at the store's St. Paul location on Sept. 26, 2023, as part of the store's 50th anniversary celebrations. Cooks owners Karl Benson and Marie Dwyer joined forces with Kaysen's Bellecour Bakery in 2020 and renamed the business in 2023. (Photo courtesy Bre McGee / Cooks | Bellecour)A group of women, including Cooks of Crocus Hill founder Martha Kaemmer, second from right, smile in the teaching kitchen at the store then known as Th'rice in this undated photo. Now known as Cooks | Bellecour, the store is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023. (Photo courtesy Cooks | Bellecour)Cooks | Bellecour owners Karl Benson, left, and...

Schenectady begins partnership to recycle trees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The City of Schenectady has partnered with the Northeastern Woodworkers Association (NWA) to recycle trees by milling logs from fallen trees during regular city street maintenance. In appreciation of the donated wood, NWA will mill some wood into rough-cut planks for the city to use for barrier projects and park furniture. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Currently, the trees that would be donated are moved to a tree dump and left to rot. Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy will join NWA members on Thursday to mill the first log from the initial load of Schenectady trees at the Shaker Heritage Site. “This partnership is a fantastic example of collaboration and opportunity between the city and our local woodworking community,” said Gary McCarthy. “By repurposing these trees into valuable lumber, we will not only reduce waste but also support NWA’s mission and contribute to community projects. It’s a win-...

Ask Amy: Friend’s infertility threatens relationship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

Dear Amy: My college best friend is struggling with infertility and is near the end of the road with multiple rounds of unsuccessful IVF.I’ve been there to support her through this, even though we live far from each other. My heart aches for her.I have had two children during the course of her fertility struggles.I have taken great pains to break the pregnancies to her gently, privately, and early, but I know it has been difficult for her.I have been as tender as possible in sharing about my family life. (Neither my partner nor I use social media. I am a very private person).As time has gone on and the medical interventions have ratcheted up, I can feel my friend withdrawing from me.For example, during this most recent round of my friend’s IVF, she requested of our text thread of close friends: “no pictures of little ones, please.”I’m the only one of us with kids, so I imagine this comment was directed with me in mind, even though I don’t think I’ve ever shared a picture on the thre...

Bouie: America’s rifle fetish is destroying its sense of freedom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

In Anthony Mann’s 1950 Western “Winchester ’73,” a rare and much-desired Winchester rifle brings misery and death to the unlucky souls who manage to bring it into their possession. In the West as brought to you by Mann — and his star, a troubled and morally ambiguous Jimmy Stewart — the gun isn’t a symbol of freedom as much as it is a curse, destined to ruin everyone who covets its power.It was a theme echoed that year in the Joseph H. Lewis noir “Gun Crazy,” a take of sorts on the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Our protagonists in this film are two young people so enamored of the power of guns — and the freedom they seem to provide — that they go on a wanton spree of theft and murder. It ends, predictably, with their own deaths.In both films, guns become truly dangerous when they become a fetish: an object worshipped for its supposed power and symbolic meaning. Guns, Mann and Lewis seem to say, aren’t actually totems of freedom or liberty or youth; they are instruments of...

2nd California case of local dengue fever reported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:26 GMT

A Long Beach resident recently contracted dengue fever despite not traveling outside of the United States, city officials have announced — making this the second such case in California.Pasadena health officials confirmed a case of mosquito-borne dengue fever last month in a resident who had also not traveled outside the U.S.The Long Beach resident has recovered and there are no other suspected cases, city health officials said in a Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 1, press release. Local exposure risk remains low.“The health and well-being of the community is our most important priority,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “We are working closely with health officials to do everything we can to prevent more cases. We ask that everyone do their part by removing any standing water on their property to help us control the mosquitoes in our neighborhoods.”Dengue is one of multiple mosquito-borne illness, like yellow fever or the more locally common West Nile virus. Dengue is spread whe...