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Quebec Premier François Legault defends decision to subsidize NHL pre-season games in Quebec City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

Quebec’s premier is defending his government’s decision to spend up to $7 million to bring the Los Angeles Kings to Quebec City for two NHL pre-season games next year.François Legault told a Friday news conference it is important for the province to invest in leisure activities and pointed to hockey’s popularity in Quebec City.He also said he hopes the pre-season matches showcase the arena at Quebec City’s Videotron Centre and inspire the NHL to install a franchise in the provincial capital.The decision to spend between $5 million and $7 million on the venture continues to draw criticism from opposition parties, who say it’s a poor use of public funds, especially amid stalled talks with public sector unions demanding higher pay.Legault said Friday the up to $7 million subsidy pales in comparison to the $3.7 billion it would take to meet the unions’ demands.The Montreal Canadiens’ assertion that the team would have played in Quebec City for f...

In march on Jerusalem, thousands press Israeli government to do more to free hostages held in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of family members and supporters of some 240 hostages held in Gaza streamed into Jerusalem on Saturday, castigating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war with Hamas and pleading with the government to do more to bring their loved ones home.The march capped a five-day trek from Tel Aviv and represented the largest protest on behalf of the hostages since they were dragged into Gaza by Hamas on Oct. 7 as part of the militants’ deadly attack in southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed in Israel on the day of the surprise Hamas assault.Israel declared war in response, and more than 11,500 Palestinians have been killed in the past six weeks as the Israeli military conducts a punishing air and ground offensive in Gaza, where Hamas militants have ruled for the past 16 years.Israeli leaders have set two objectives — to crush Hamas and to bring the hostages home. Some of the hostage families have said they fear that the ...

Albania’s former health minister accused by prosecutors of corruption in government project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s former health minister, who is being investigated for alleged corruption, must report to police and not leave the country, prosecutors said Saturday.Prosecutors with the country’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime said Ilir Beqaj should report to prosecutors every Friday and may not use his passport or identity card to leave the country. The special prosecution agency was created in 2019 to handle corruption and other crime cases involving senior officials. Beqaj, 55, resigned his post as head of a government agency coordinating international assistance. He was the minister of health from 2013-2017 as part of the governing Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Beqaj is accused of corruption and abuse of power in a tender on a government project to sterilize medical items. He has denied the accusations but said he would respect the prosecutors’ order. He also resigned from the government post.Fighting corruption has been...

2 critically injured in 'major' northeast Austin collision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to a major collision between two vehicles in northeast Austin Saturday morning just after 8 a.m., ATCEMS said on X. The collision happened at 10100 Decker Ln and caused one person to eject from a vehicle, ATCEMS said. ATCEMS transported one adult patient to Dell Medical Center and one teenager patient to Dell Children’s Medical Center both with critical and life-threatening injuries.

Multiple crews battle house fire in Albany

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Multiple crews responded to a house fire in Albany on November 18. The fire occurred at a two-story home on the 200 block of Myrtle Avenue, between Delaware Avenue and Knox Street. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Crews reported to the scene just after 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the house's basement.Firefighters then located and battled flames around an electrical panel in the basement. The crews were able to get the fire under control by 9:36 a.m. NYSP search Vermont woods for evidence in 30-year-old homicide investigation The house's three adult residents were all evacuated safely, and no firefighters sustained injuries during the operation. The fire is deemed to be accidental, reportedly caused by an electrical surge from a power transformer into the house, according to the Albany Fire Department.

Cryptic banner hints at Rolling Stones’ return to Denver in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

When a red and black banner featuring the Rolling Stones’ iconic logo mysteriously appeared on the side of Mile High stadium (then called Invesco Field, now called Empower) in November 2018, rock-and-roll fans around Colorado began feeling some nervous satisfaction.Were the Stones returning to Denver to play a show? With Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts all being in their 70s at the time, it seemed like any chance to see the band — which has been rocking since 1962 —  was a gift worth accepting.The band did play, in August 2019 (the original May date was postponed after Jagged had heart surgery), to a sold-out crowd, and they absolutely crushed it. But that would be the last time Watts, the drummer, would be in town; he died two years later at the age of 80.Related: Rolling Stones conjure moments of awe in return to DenverLate last week, another banner was unfurled at the stadium — and Tweeted about by music promoter AEG Presents Roc...

Oakland: Pedestrian found dead on 12th Street off-ramp, near Interstate 980 Saturday morning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

OAKLAND — A man believed to be the victim of a hit-and-run was found lying dead and wearing only underwear on the 12th Street off-ramp near I-980 shortly after 5:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.CHP Officer Adib Zeid said the man appeared to have died after he was struck by a vehicle while walking on the roadway near downtown Oakland. The man had suffered major trauma and was confirmed dead by 6 a.m., not long after a passing motorist first reported the body.Authorities closed off the 12th Street exit around 6:15 a.m., but the roadway was reopened by 8 a.m.The identity of the man was not immediately available, pending efforts to notify his family by the coroner’s office.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on Highway 4 near Discovery Bay Crashes and Disasters | Driver killed in rollover crash on Highway 4 near Crockett Crashes and Disasters | Driver flees after woman kill...

Patients and staff leave Gaza’s biggest hospital as dozens are killed at a crowded refugee camp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Saleh)(AP/Marwan Saleh) Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Saleh)(AP/Marwan Saleh) KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Patients, staff and displaced people left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one describing a panicked and chaotic evacuation as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among the evacuees and took some away.Israel’s military has been searching Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for traces of a Hamas command center th...

AP PHOTOS: Emotions run high at pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

In the weeks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, people across the globe have taken to the streets en masse — some in support of Israel, some in support of Palestinians and some calling for an end to the bloodshed, or for more to be done about the deepening humanitarian crisis..In Tel Aviv, Israel, friends and family of some 240 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip call for their return as they participate in a five-day “March for the Hostages” that will take them the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem.In Manila, capital of the Philippines, activists scuffle with police while marching toward the United States Embassy in solidarity with the Palestinians. In Washington, D.C., a river of people turns the National Mall into a sea of Israeli and U.S. flags.Emotions run high. Fear and fury, disbelief and despair flicker on the faces of the grieving.The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is only deepening with the United Nations saying it lacks the resources for aid deliveries in ...

Adam Johnson’s UK team gets back on the ice in a memorial game weeks after the player’s tragic death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — A makeshift shrine for Adam Johnson keeps growing outside the arena where the Nottingham Panthers play hockey.Fans have left flowers, wreaths, jerseys, team scarves and handwritten notes to honor the 29-year-old American who died after an opposing player’s skate cut his neck during a game last month in Sheffield.“We’re not just hockey fans — we’re a hockey family,” Panthers fan Margaret Cartwright said Saturday.The death of the former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to reexamine safety regulations but also sparked a criminal investigation locally that led to an arrest of a man on suspicion of manslaughter.The Panthers haven’t played since that Oct. 28 game and will take the ice on Saturday at Motorpoint Arena against the Manchester Storm in a memorial game “to celebrate the life of Adam and the remarkable person he was,” the team said.The game, which will be broadcast free on YouTube, does not count in the Elite Ice Hockey Le...