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Palestinian soccer team prepares for World Cup qualifying games against a backdrop of war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

Makram Daboub may be struggling to prepare his Palestinian team for the start of 2026 World Cup qualification but he takes some comfort, for now at least, that his players stuck in Gaza are safe.The national soccer team’s head coach wanted to include Ibrahim Abuimeir, Khaled Al-Nabris, and Ahmed Al-Kayed in a training camp in Jordan ahead of World Cup qualifying games against Lebanon next Thursday and Australia on Nov. 21.But they were unable to make it out of Gaza because of the Israel-Hamas war, now in its second month. “So far they are fine,” Daboub told The Associated Press. “Many of their relatives have died, however, as a result of the bombing.”Two players from Gaza, Egypt-based Mohamed Saleh and Mahmoud Wadi, are expected to join the Palestinian team in Jordan. Daboub, who is from Tunisia, acknowledged it will be difficult for players to focus on football while many have families in danger. “With the death and destruction in Gaza, the players are in a difficult psychological ...

Daily room cleanings underscores Las Vegas hotel workers contract fight for job safety and security

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Over seven months of tense negotiations, mandatory daily room cleanings underscored the big issues that Las Vegas union hotel workers were fighting to address in their first contracts since the pandemic: job security, better working conditions and safety while on the job.From the onset of bargaining, Ted Pappageorge, the chief contract negotiator for the Culinary Workers Union, had said tens of thousands of workers whose contracts expired earlier this year would be willing to go on strike to make daily room cleanings mandatory.“Las Vegas needs to be full service,” he said last month.It was a message that Pappageorge and the workers would repeat for months as negotiations ramped up and the union threatened to go on strike if they didn’t have contracts by first light on Friday with MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts. But by dawn Thursday, after a combined 40 hours of negotiations, the union had secured tentative labor deals w...

The 2024 Grammy Award nominations are about to arrive. Here’s what to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Buckle up, music lovers! The nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards will arrive Friday.Nominees will be announced during a video stream live on the Grammy website and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel at 8 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. Eastern.A host of talent is on deck to announce the nominees, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jimmy Jam, Jon Bon Jovi, Kim Petras, Samara Joy and Muni Long. Only recordings released between Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 15, 2023, are eligible, so don’t expect to see album nominations for the Rolling Stones, Bad Bunny, or Drake. (But Drake’s 2022 album with 21 Savage, “Her Loss”? That’s on the table.) And much to the chagrin of fans of Michelle Williams’ reading of Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me,” the actor will not be eligible in the best audio book, narration and storytelling recording category this cycle.The 2024 awards will feature a few changes, including one that inspired a lot of online chatter...

Ransomware attack on China’s biggest bank disrupts Treasury market trades, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A financial services business of China’s biggest bank says it was it by a ransomware attack that reportedly disrupted trading in the U.S. Treasury market.Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services handles trades and other services for financial institutions. A statement on its website seen Friday said the ransomware attack this week disrupted some of its systems but that it had disconnected parts of the affected systems to limit the impact from the attack. The company, which is based in New York, said it was investigating and had reported the problem to law enforcement.All Treasury trades executed Wednesday and repo financing trades on Thursday were cleared, it said. It said ICBC’s banking, email and other systems were not affected. The company gave no further details but reports said the attack was by LockBit, a Russian-speaking ransomware syndicate that does not target former Soviet countries. It is one of the most efficient ransomware variants aroun...

Avalanche dealt first home loss by Kraken, loses Artturi Lehkonen to “unfortunate” play

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

Seattle’s Oliver Bjorkstand scored with 32 seconds left Thursday night to stun the Avalanche in a 4-3 victory at Ball Arena.It was Bjorkstand’s second goal of the game, and it led to Colorado’s first home loss of the season. It’s also the first time the Avs (8-4-0) have lost a game this season while scoring at least one goal. Beyond the team’s fourth loss in six games, the Avs also lost forward Artturi Lehkonen to injury after he took a hit along the boards.Multiple players and coach Jared Bednar were happy with the team’s overall effort despite the loss, but the focus of their concern postgame was with Lehkonen.He left the game in the second period after a collision with Jamie Oleksiak. The 6-foot-7 defenseman played the puck into the corner with one hand on his stick, and then Lehkonen took the worst of the hit, going face-first into the boards. There was no penalty on the play, and none of the Avs players on the ice confronted Oleksiak about th...

Police search for missing L.A. County woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

Police are searching for a woman who disappeared in Harbor City last week.Jaichana McCoy, 20, was last seen on Nov. 2 at her home on the 1600 block of 255th Street at around 9:30 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Loved ones said she left the residence on foot after an argument with her family. McCoy is "diagnosed with an intellectual disability and her family is concerned for her safety," police said.She is described as standing 6 feet tall and weighing around 290 pounds. She was last seen wearing a cream-colored hoodie, black sweatpants and yellow Crocs shoes. She may also be carrying a maroon duffle bag.She is known to frequent a library located on the 24000 block of Western Avenue.Jaichana McCoy, 20, seen in photos from the Los Angeles Police Department.Anyone who has seen McCoy or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call Officer Hendrickson at 213-996-1800. The public can also call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Regional C...

Suspect DUI driver crashes trailer attached to truck into Piedmont homes: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

(KRON) -- A truck driver lost control and crashed into two Piedmont residences Wednesday night around 6:30 p.m., the Piedmont Police Department said. The truck had a trailer with a forklift attached to it and ended up between two houses on the 1100 block of Park Lane. No injuries were reported from the collision. A driver lost control of his truck and trailer with a forklift, crashing in between two homes on Nov. 8 around 6:30 p.m. (Piedmont Police Department)The driver of the truck was arrested after displaying symptoms of being under the influence of a narcotic, police said. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail.After a search of his truck, officers discovered a gram of suspected black tar heroin and drug paraphernalia. The 1100 block of Park Lane is located near Oakland Davie Tennis Stadium.

No. 23 Saint Mary’s rolls past New Mexico behind 25 points from Mahaney

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Aidan Mahaney matched his career high of 25 points and made five 3-pointers, and No. 23 Saint Mary’s avenged last season’s home loss to New Mexico with a 72-58 win over the Lobos on Thursday night.The Gaels (2-0) dominated at both ends of the court and led by 22 before coasting over the final eight minutes to win.Harry Wessels added 12 points, the only other Saint Mary’s player to score in double figures.The win took a little sting out of the Gaels’ 69-65 loss to the Lobos a year ago, a victory that snapped Saint Mary’s school-record, 23-game winning streak at home.This one wasn’t even close.Mahaney shot 9 of 19 and grabbed four rebounds in his big night. It’s the third time in two seasons at Saint Mary’s that Mahaney has scored 25 points.The Gaels never trailed, forced 13 turnovers, held a 41-37 advantage in rebounds and scored 17 second-chance points.Donovan Dent had 15 points and five assists for New Mexico.Two days after opening the season with a blow...

‘Generational player’ Caitlin Clark puts on a show, dropping 44 as No. 3 Iowa tops No. 8 Va Tech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks could only shake his head when asked about trying to slow down Caitlin Clark, the college women’s basketball sensation from Iowa.“I love my girls (on my team), but sometimes you’re playing checkers and she’s playing chess,” Brooks said. “She’s that good.”Clark wasn’t just good on Thursday night, she was tremendous.The Associated Press’ 2023 player of the year poured in 44 points and had eight rebounds to lead No. 3 Iowa to an 80-76 win over No. 8 Virginia Tech in a battle of Final Four teams from a year ago that exceeded expectations.Clark went 13 of 31 from the field and had five 3’s. She got to the basket with relative ease, converting several one-handed scoop layups while finding her way to the foul line time and time again. She made 13 of 17 free throws, and anyone who attempted to guard her soon wound up with a seat on the bench next to Brooks in foul trouble.She was, on almost every possession, uncoverable even as t...

Civilians flee north Gaza or shelter at a hospital as Israel and Hamas battle in the city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:17 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Crowds of Palestinian families stretching as far as the eye could see walked out of Gaza City and surrounding areas toward the south Thursday to escape Israeli airstrikes and ground troops battling Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods. Others joined tens of thousands taking shelter at the city’s biggest hospital, not far from the fighting.Gaza’s largest city is the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas following its deadly Oct. 7 incursion — and the Israeli military says Hamas’ main command center is located in and under the Shifa Hospital complex. The militant group and hospital staff deny that claim, saying the military is creating a pretext to strike it. Growing numbers of people have been living in and around the hospital complex, hoping it will be safer than their homes or United Nations shelters in the north, several of which have been hit repeatedly. Israeli troops were around 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the hospital, accordi...