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ai genie An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban Nuseirat refugee camp just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem that the recent ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for a potential deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the deadly strike in Nuseirat. Israel says it is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine in some of the hardest-hit parts of the territory. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli airstrike hit the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Palestinian medics said, just hours after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser raised hopes about a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Photos from the scene of the blast that circulated on social media showed a completely collapsed building with people walking through its mangled and charred remains, smoke rising from piles of belongings strewn over the rubble. Officials at two hospitals in the Gaza Strip, al-Awda Hospital in the north and al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, reported they received a combined total of 25 bodies from an Israeli strike on a multistory residential building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Palestinian medics also reported that over 40 people, most of them children, were receiving treatment at the two hospitals. The al-Aqsa Hospital said that the Israeli attack also damaged several nearby houses in Nuseirat. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the deadly strike. Israel is trying to eliminate Hamas, which led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza . The Israeli military says Hamas militants hide among Gaza’s civilian population. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. food agency is trying to deal with massive needs in Syria not only from escalating war-related food insecurity and an upsurge in displaced people fleeing Lebanon but also the dramatically new environment following the ouster of Bashar Assad, a senior U.N. official says. “It’s a triple crisis and the needs are going to be massive,” said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday. The WFP estimated that 3 million people in Syria were “acutely food insecure” and very hungry. However, that estimate was made before the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon pushed many Syrian refugees back to their home country, plus the instability caused by the overthrow of Assad. Due to funding cuts, the WFP had been targeting only 2 million of those people, he said. Because WFP has been working in Syria during the 13-year civil war, he said, it has pre-positioned food in the country. It has 500 staff in seven offices nationwide and has operated across conflict lines, across borders, and with all different parties, he said. Skau said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group now in control of Syria, has promised to provide security for WFP warehouses. Humanitarian aid supplies had been looted at U.N. warehouses in the disorder after Assad fell. “We’re not really up and running in Damascus because of the continued kind of uncertainty there,” he said. WFP initially thought of relocating non-essential staff but the situation in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, has been “quite calm and orderly," he said. In the short term, Skau said, “what we’re seeing is that markets are disrupted, the value of the currency dropped dramatically, food prices are going up, transport lines don’t work,” and it’s unclear who will stamp required papers for imports and exports. This means that a bigger humanitarian response is needed initially, he said, but in the next phase, the U,N. will be looking at contributing to Syria’s recovery, and ultimately the country will need reconstruction. Skau said he expects a new funding appeal for Syria and urged donors to be generous. JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday that Israel’s ceasefire in Lebanon has helped clear the way for another deal to end the war in Gaza. He plans to travel next to Qatar and Egypt — key mediators in the ceasefire talks — as the Biden administration makes a final push on negotiations before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Sullivan said “Hamas’ posture at the negotiating table did adapt” after Israel decimated the leadership of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and reached a ceasefire there. “We believe it puts us in a position to close this negotiation,” he said. Sullivan dismissed speculation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting for Trump to take office to finalize a deal. He the U.S. believes there are three American hostages still alive in Gaza, but it’s hard to know for sure. He also said “the balance of power in the Middle East has changed significantly” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, especially with the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran. “We are now faced with a dramatically reshaped Middle East in which Israel is stronger, Iran is weaker, its proxies decimated, and a ceasefire that is new and will be lasting in Lebanon that ensures Israel’s security over the long term,” he said. KHIAM, Lebanon — An Israeli strike killed at least one person Thursday in the Lebanese border town of Khiam, the Health Ministry said, less than a day after Israeli troops handed the hilltop village back to the Lebanese army in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers, Khiam is the first Lebanese town Israel has pull out of since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants began two weeks ago, and marks an important test of the fragile truce . Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency did not provide details on who was killed, and did not report airstrikes elsewhere on Thursday. The Israeli military said an airstrike targeted Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, without saying if the strike was in Khiam. Lebanese troops deployed in the northern section of the town on Thursday morning and were coordinating with U.N. peacekeepers to finalize Israel’s withdrawal before fully entering into other neighborhoods. An Associated Press reporter who visited Khiam on Thursday observed widespread destruction, with most houses reduced to rubble. Entire neighborhoods were flattened, with collapsed walls and debris scattered across the streets. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, sharply criticized Israel for striking the town less than 24 hours after the Lebanese army returned, saying it was “a violation of the pledges made by the parties that sponsored the ceasefire agreement, who must act to curb Israeli aggression.” The truce was brokered by the U.S. and France. Israel has previously said the ceasefire deal allows it to use military force against perceived violations. Near-daily attacks by Israel during the ceasefire, mostly in southern Lebanon, have killed at least 29 people and wounded 27 others. Khiam, which sits on a ridge less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the border with Israel, saw some of the most intense fighting during the war. The Lebanese army was clearing debris and reopening roads in the northern section of the town. Civilian access to other areas remained challenging as the army clears roads and works alongside the U.N. peacekeepers to ensure the area is free of unexploded ordnance. AQABA, Jordan -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the many players in Syria to avoid taking any steps that could lead to further violence. Blinken spoke to reporters in Jordan on Thursday shortly after meeting King Abdullah II as he opened a trip in the region to discuss Syria's future after former President Bashar Assad's ouster. Blinken will next visit Turkey, a NATO ally and a main backer of Syrian rebel groups. Blinken called this “a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors.” He said he was focused on coordinating efforts in the region “to support the Syrian people as they transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and establish a government that isn’t dominated by one religion or ethnic group or outside power. Blinken was asked about Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone that had been demilitarized for the past half century. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the move is temporary and defensive, but also indicated Israel will remain in the area for a long time. Blinken declined to say whether the U.S. supports the move, but said the U.S. would be speaking to Israel and other partners in the region. “I think, across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that, we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Turkish media reports. Kalin was seen arriving at the Umayyad Mosque to pray, surrounded by a large crowd, according to video shown on Turkish television. The visit is highly symbolic. Turkish officials, who supported the opposition against Syria’s government, had predicted at the start of the civil war in 2011 that President Bashar Assad’s government would fall, allowing them to pray at the Umayyad Mosque. JERUSALEM — Paraguay reopened its embassy in Jerusalem Thursday, becoming one of a small handful of nations to recognize the city as Israel’s capital and marking a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s international isolation has increased as the war in Gaza drags on, and Paraguay was the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that kickstarted the war. The United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea are among the few countries with Jerusalem embassies. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 but it wasn’t recognized by the international community, and most countries run their embassies out of Tel Aviv. Spirits were high at the ceremony marking the embassy’s inauguration Thursday, with Netanyahu and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lavishing praise on Paraguayan President Santiago Pena. “My good friend Santiago,” said Netanyahu, addressing Pena. “We’re a small nation. You’re a small nation. We suffered horrible things but we overcame the odds of history...we can win and we are winning.” Paraguay had an embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, under Former President Horacio Cartes. That embassy was moved back to Tel Aviv by Cartes’ successor, Mario Abdo Benitez, prompting Israel to close its embassy in Asuncion. Saar said Israel and Paraguay shared a “friendship based not only on interests but also values and principles.” He and the Paraguayan foreign minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, signed a series of bilateral agreements and Saar said he would soon visit Asunción with a delegation from the Israeli private sector. “Israel is going to win and the countries we are standing next to Israel, we are going to win," Pena said. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is renewing calls for Syria’s new leadership to respect women and minority rights, prevent extremists from gaining new footholds in the country and keeping suspected chemical weapons stocks secure as he makes his first visit to the Mideast since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad . Making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war erupted lasted year but amid fresh concerns about security following the upheaval in Syria, Blinken emphasized Thursday to Jordan’s King Abdullah II U.S. “support for an inclusive transition that can lead to an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people,” the State Department said. Blinken also repeated the importance the outgoing Biden administration puts on respect for human rights and international law, the protection of civilians and stopping terrorist groups from reconstituting. Blinken met with the monarch and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Aqaba before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Syria and the urgency of securing a long-elusive deal to release hostages and end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Abdullah told Blinken that “the first step to reach comprehensive regional calm is to end the Israeli war on Gaza." GENEVA — The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling on authorities to save evidence from detention centers that were a hub of “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have faced for many years and cooperate with international investigators looking into such crimes. Geir Pederson referred to new images from the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, Damascus, after President Bashar Assad fled Syria as armed groups stormed in to overthrow his government over the weekend. “The images from Saydnaya and other detention facilities starkly underscore the unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured and reported for years,” Pedersen said in a statement. Documentation and testimonies “only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he added. Pedersen urged authorities to cooperate with U.N. bodies like an independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was created in 2011, and an independent group known as the IIIM that was set up five years later to also compile evidence of crimes. ROME — Leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations offered their full support for an inclusive political transition in Syria and invited all parties to preserve the country’s territorial integrity. In a message released by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office, the leaders said they were ready to support a transition that “leads to a credible government, inclusive and not sectarian, that guarantees respect for the state of law, universal human rights, including rights for women, (and) the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities.” The leaders also underlined the importance that ousted President Bashar Assad’s government is held responsible for crimes, citing “decades of atrocities.” They said they would also cooperate with groups working to prohibit chemical weapons “to secure, declare and destroy” remaining chemical arms in Syria. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it struck Hamas militants in two locations in the southern Gaza Strip who planned to hijack aid convoys. Palestinian Health officials had earlier said that the two strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid deliveries. The committees have been organized in cooperation with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza. It was not possible to independently confirm either account of the strikes, which occurred overnight into Thursday. Israel has long accused Hamas of hijacking humanitarian aid deliveries, while U.N. officials have said there is no systemic diversion of aid . U.N. agencies and aid groups say deliveries are held up by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid and movement within Gaza, as well as the breakdown of law and order more than 14 months into the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, which maintained internal security before the war. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, said a U.N. convoy of 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid in southern Gaza “was involved in a serious incident,” resulting in just one of the trucks reaching its destination. It did not provide further details on the incident but said the same route had been used successfully two days earlier. Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, leaving the territory heavily reliant on international food aid. DAMASCUS, Syria — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago. Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. As video emerged online of Timmerman on Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. The Biden administration is working to bring Timmerman home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, without offering details, citing privacy. Timmerman later gave an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago, before being detained. He said he was treated well in detention but could hear other men being tortured. AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan on his 12th visit to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year and his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad that has sparked new fears of instability in a region wracked by three conflicts despite a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Blinken was meeting in Aqaba with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday before traveling to Turkey for talks with Turkish officials on Friday. The meetings will focus largely on Syria but also touch on long-elusive hopes for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory since October 2023. Blinken is the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Middle East in the five days since Assad was deposed as the Biden administration navigates more volatility in the region in its last few weeks in office and as President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of the Syrian conflict. Other include national security adviser Jake Sullivan and a top military commander who traveled there as the U.S. and Israel have launched airstrikes to prevent the Islamic State militant group from reconstituting and prevent materiel and suspected chemical weapons stocks from falling into militant hands. Blinken “will discuss the need for the transition process and new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base of terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” the State Department said. The U.S. would be willing to recognize and fully support a new Syrian government that met those criteria. U.S. officials say they are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, which was once an al-Qaida affiliate, but stressed they are not barred from speaking to its members. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Syrian buffer zone until a new force on the other side of the border can guarantee security. After the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli forces pushed into a buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. The military says it has seized additional strategic points nearby. Israeli officials have said the move is temporary, but Netanyahu’s conditions could take months or even years to fulfill as Syria charts its post-Assad future, raising the prospect of an open-ended Israeli presence in the country. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday that Assad’s overthrow by jihadi rebels created a vacuum on the border. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with October 7th style attacks,” it said, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there. “That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.” The statement added that “this deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.” The buffer zone is adjacent to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. The international community, except for the United States, views the Golan as occupied Syrian territory. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said Thursday that the attacker who fatally shot a 12-year-old Israeli boy in the occupied West Bank overnight turned himself in to authorities. The attacker opened fire on a bus near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, critically wounding the boy, who hospital authorities pronounced dead in the early morning. Three others were wounded in the attack, paramedics said. The shooting took place just outside Jerusalem in an area near major Israeli settlements. JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has evacuated 37 citizens from Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, officials said Thursday. The evacuees were taken by land from Damascus to Beirut, where they boarded three commercial flights to Jakarta, said Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Indonesian Embassy in Damascus said all 1,162 Indonesian citizens in Syria were safe. Indonesian Ambassador to Syria Wajid Fauzi said the situation in Syria has gradually returned to normal. “I can say that 98% of people’s lives are back to normal, shops are open, public transportation has started running,” Fauzi said, adding that most Indonesian nationals living in Syria had chosen to stay. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 28 people in the Gaza Strip, including seven children and a woman. One of the strikes overnight and into Thursday flattened a house in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at the hospital’s morgue. Two other strikes killed 15 men who were part of local committees established to secure aid convoys . The committees were set up by displaced Palestinians in coordination with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry. The Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis received the bodies and an AP reporter counted them. The hospital said eight were killed in a strike near the southern border town of Rafah and seven others in a strike 30 minutes later near Khan Younis. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The fighting has plunged Gaza into a severe humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of famine. Israel says it allows enough aid to enter and blames U.N. agencies for not distributing it. The U.N. says Israeli restrictions, and the breakdown of law and order after Israel repeatedly targeted the Hamas-run police force, make it extremely difficult to operate in the territory. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban . The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA. The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group . General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly. Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits, and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position, they've found someone sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for their call. First it was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who returned to the Chiefs just before the season after Marquise Brown was lost to shoulder surgery. Then it was running back Kareem Hunt, who likewise returned to his former team when Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula. Left tackle D.J. Humphries came next when other options at the position were struggling, and this week it was Steven Nelson, who came out of retirement to help a secondary that has struggled for weeks. "Just got an opportunity, got a call. Was very excited about it," said Nelson, who spent his first four seasons in Kansas City before stints in Pittsburgh and Houston, and ultimately calling it quits in June so he could spend more time with his family. "I've got two daughters and been spending a lot of time with him," Nelson said, "but still trying to work out. It was kind of the perfect scenario, getting the call, especially where this team has been and this point in the season. Great opportunity." It's been a perfect opportunity for all of them. Perfect fits for the Chiefs, too. Each could have signed just about anywhere else and been able to contribute, yet they were still sitting around when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reached out. In the case of Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Humphries, there were some concerns about injuries that had kept some teams away, but the Chiefs were willing to take a risk on them. Smith-Schuster, who has dealt with knee trouble for years, missed some time with a hamstring injury this season. But he still has 202 yards and a touchdown receiving, and has provided some veteran leadership in the locker room. Hunt was coming off a sports hernia surgery, a big reason why the Browns — whom the Chiefs visit Sunday — declined to bring him back after five years spent in a one-two punch with Nick Chubb. But when Pacheco went down, Hunt stepped in and their offense barely missed a beat; he has run for a team-leading 608 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Humphries was still rehabbing a torn ACL at the start of the season, but the former Pro Bowl tackle was cleared just before the Chiefs called him. Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris had struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side, so they brought in Humphries to help out. And while he hurt his hamstring late in his debut last week against the Chargers, the Chiefs still hope he'll be recovered and fully up to speed in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. "I'm in Kansas City, bro. I'm pretty ecstatic. It don't get much better than this," Humphries said. "Everybody is excited for me to be here and that's a really good feeling. You're getting All-Pro guys' arms outstretched, like, 'We're so glad you're here.'" The providential signings don't stop at those four players, either. When the Chiefs lost kicker Harrison Butker to knee surgery, they signed Spencer Shrader off the Jets practice squad, and he promptly kicked a game-winner against Carolina. But then Shrader hurt his hamstring and landed on injured reserve. The 49ers had just waived Matthew Wright, and the Chiefs signed him up. He's gone 8 for 9 on field-goal tries, has been perfect on PATs, and banged the game-winner off the upright and through last week against Los Angeles. Just like Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Nelson, Wright had been with Kansas City a couple of years ago. "It definitely helps, him knowing how we do things, how we practice and what we expect," Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said. "That all helped, for sure. And he's a veteran. He's been a lot of places. It wasn't like he was a rookie off the street." Or off the couch, for that matter. NOTES: Butker planned to kick again Thursday and could come off IR to face the Browns on Sunday. "He looked good," Toub said. "We have to see how he responds." ... Humphries (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) was limited. ... SS Justin Reid will likely handle kickoffs against Cleveland. He has a stronger leg than Wright and also puts another athletic and adept tackler on the field on special teams. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Are you one one of those homes with a dumb electric meter? The days of the typical meter at your home — which requires a human being to come out and track your usage — are gradually going extinct, as utilities step up their game with the installation of so-called smart meters. PSE&G on Monday announced that it reached a "key milestone" by installing more than two million smart meters for residential and business customers. The goal is to make this switch for any customers who want one; the utility still has more electric meters to switch out. “This is a critical milestone on the path to an improved customer experience enabling our customers with even greater access to understanding and managing their energy use,” said Dave Johnson, vice president of customer care and chief customer officer for PSE&G. “There are already more than 110 million smart meters installed across the United States and we’re pleased to support this roll out across our electric service territory." SEE ALSO: NJ stores that closed their doors in 2024 The multi-year effort to replace meters began in 2021 for PSE&G , the state's largest gas and electric public utility. The plan was to get most customers equipped with the up-to-date technology by the end of 2024. JCP&L is replacing customers' meters as well. The utility's plan is to install 1.1 million smart meters. The modernized meter is said to help both utilities and customers. According to PSE&G, smart meters will deliver a number of benefits "over time," including easier tracking of customers' usage and better tracking of system outages. At the same time, customers won't have to worry so much about "estimated" charges on their bills. Also, through an online portal, customers can view their electric use and create energy-use thresholds that come with an alert when they're getting close. According to PSE&G's website, customers can opt out of receiving a smart meter installation, but that would result in a $12 monthly fee. Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom How to prepare for winter in NJ: 11 essential gear tips Because you never know what may happen in the bipolar type of winter we have here, you should always be prepared. Do you want to get through the season without freezing? I’m going to give you the 11 must-have cold-weather items to survive a New Jersey winter. Gallery Credit: Judi Franco/New Jersey 101.5 How to conserve water at home New Jersey officials and utilities want residents to be smart about water usage, as drought conditions persist. Gallery Credit: Dino FlammiaDaily Post Nigeria Wike, G5 governors want to destroy PDP – Rep member ugochinyere Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Politics Wike, G5 governors want to destroy PDP – Rep member ugochinyere Published on November 22, 2024 By Seun Opejobi A member of the House of Representatives from Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike wants to destroy the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Ugochinyere accused Wike of playing childish and kindergarten politics which should be stopped by PDP governors. He disclosed this while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday. According to Ugochinyere: “The way PDP is going and the role he’s playing in staying with APC to do their work while insisting that the leadership of the party would remain when they have no legal status to remain in office all points to the fact that they want to destroy PDP. “I blame some of the PDP governors and leaders who are not man enough to stop this childish, kindergarten politics – it’s a child’s play. “I don’t understand why you have a national Chairman and Secretary of a party who seems to be in bed with the ruling party and people are comfortable with that. “They are filing cases to keep themselves in office, Wike and his G-5 people are working for APC while they are still struggling for control of PDP with us. “Do you think that is decent or how democracy was built in Nigeria? If Azikiwe and Awolowo were alive, do you think such people running around like clowns now will be in the midst of conversations?” Related Topics: PDP Reps Ugochinyere Wike Don't Miss Alleged 10,000 forced abortions: NHRC report saved Nigeria from ICC invitation – Ojukwu You may like Criticism over judges quarters project does not bother me – Wike Irredeemable doom awaits PDP – Ugochinyere warns Again, PDP postpones NEC meeting Rivers: Court stops Wike-backed APC from holding congress Rivers crisis: Leave Fubara alone, nobody is bigger than PDP – Bode George to Wike Edo: PDP, APC clash over invasion of secretariat Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd

Mohammed Rafi's 100Th Birth Anniversary Today: 5 Fascinating Facts And Top Songs To Celebrate Musical LegendPAY ATTENTION: Got a Minute? Complete Our Quick Survey About Legit.ng Today! Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Saturday said "attacks" on his company made it "stronger", days after US prosecutors accused him and other officials of fraud. The November 20 bombshell indictment in New York accused the industrialist and multiple subordinates of deliberately misleading international investors as part of a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme. Addressing the allegations for the first time, the 62-year-old tycoon said his conglomerate was committed to "world-class regulatory compliance". "What I can tell you is that every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone for a more resilient Adani Group," he said at an awards ceremony in the northern Indian city of Jaipur. Adani is suspected of having participated in a $250 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts. The billionaire, however, said nobody from his company had been charged with any violation of corruption laws or "any conspiracy to obstruct justice". Read also UBS acquitted on appeal in Credit Suisse cocaine trial PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! The US Justice Department said Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and one other official were charged "with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud". Five others were charged "with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," the department said. On Thursday, Adani's company said it had suffered a loss of nearly $55 billion in market capitalisation across its 11 listed companies since the US indictment was filed. With a business empire spanning coal, airports, cement and media, Adani Group has weathered previous corporate fraud allegations, suffering a similar stock rout last year. The conglomerate saw $150 billion wiped from its market value in 2023 after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of "brazen" corporate fraud. Adani is a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was at one point the world's second-richest man, and critics have long accused him of improperly benefitting from their relationship. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: AFP

Rangers 1 Tottenham 1: Super-sub Kulusevski saves Spurs as Postecoglou leaves Ibrox with crucial Europa League pointRaw milk has been linked to at least 10 illnesses in California, according to the California Department of Public Health. None of the illnesses has been identified as bird flu, the agency said. “Since announcing multiple recalls of raw milk due to contamination with bird flu, state and local public health experts have received reports of illnesses from 10 individuals who reported drinking raw milk. Initial county and state public health laboratory testing has not identified any positive bird flu infections in these individuals to date,” a spokesperson said Thursday. The department didn’t immediately provide additional information about the 10 illnesses. Health officials in Northern California are also investigating a possible case of bird flu in a child who became ill after drinking raw milk in November, Marin County Public Health said Tuesday. The child went to a local emergency department with fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk and tested positive for influenza A, the county said . Interest in raw milk has surged amid support from some high-profile fans, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services . Although some fans claim there are nutritional benefits to drinking raw milk, health experts say any purported benefits do not outweigh the associated risks. Raw milk and some types of raw cheese can be a source of many kinds of germs, and lab tests show that bird flu virus in raw milk can be infectious. Raw milk and cream products from Fresno-based Raw Farm were recalled and distribution of the products was last month halted after samples tested positive for bird flu. Two possible cases of bird flu were reported in indoor cats who had consumed raw milk from Raw Farm, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Thursday. In response to the increasing presence of the virus, the US Department of Agriculture has announced that it will begin testing raw milk stored in dairy silos across the country . Here’s what food scientists and dairy professionals say about the myths surrounding raw milk and the pasteurization process. What is raw milk? Raw milk has not undergone pasteurization, the process that removes disease-causing germs, yeasts, molds and other harmful microbes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Raw milk can carry disease-causing bacteria from infected udder tissue, residue from milking equipment or particles from the water, soil and cow manure, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. That’s why the CDC recommends eating and drinking pasteurized milk and dairy products instead. Most milk in the US is pasteurized using High Temperature Short Time Pasteurization, which involves heating it to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 15 seconds, according to the International Dairy Foods Association . The process was named after French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur , who refined the process to use in alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine, later adapting the method to milk as a way to remove bovine tuberculosis in the US and Europe in the early 1900s. Roughly 65,000 people died of the disease after eating and drinking unpasteurized dairy products between 1912 to 1937 in England and Wales alone. Instead of pasteurization, raw milk producers monitor the health of the cow, according to Raw Farm CEO Mark McAfee. “We can isolate that cow immediately and make sure she’s OK, and we can treat her,” McAfee told CNN. Raw Farm uses smaXtec boluses , capsule sensors swallowed by the cows to measure their body temperature, water consumption, activity and general health. The capsules stay in the same position in the reticulum for the cow’s life, neither digested nor regurgitated. The devices wirelessly transmit updates every 10 minutes. The data is then sorted by AI to provide information quickly, should a cow become sick, to ensure that the milk is safe to drink. Why do people drink raw milk? Despite the hype, the FDA estimates that less than 1% of Americans drink raw milk. Many fans claim to choose raw over pasteurized milk because they prefer the taste, according to Dr. William Hallman, a professor and psychologist in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University. “One of the reasons is that some raw milk is not homogenized, which means that cream floats to the top, for example, so some of the first sips may be full of cream,” he said. There are also a variety of psychological reasons, Hallman said. Some people believe it’s healthier than pasteurized milk, while others might want to support local agriculture or choose it because family, friends or neighbors enjoy it. It’s also more expensive, with some gallons of raw milk costing almost twice as much as regular milk at the grocery store. “Psychologically, it reinforces the idea that it’s a premium product because otherwise they couldn’t charge so much for it,” he said. “There’s kind of this group effect that becomes normalized.” According to the FDA , many of the claims about raw milk’s health benefits are not true. For example, it doesn’t cure or treat asthma, allergy or lactose intolerance, and it doesn’t have the good gut bacteria that could improve your microbiome . “Pasteurization is meant to ensure the bad bacteria that can be harmful to people and make them ill are killed,” said Dr. Rabia de Latour, a gastroenterologist at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine. “There’s been a lot of recent attention being paid to the concept of ‘processed’ foods being bad for your health. [Pasteurization] still provides some protein and aids in bone health by providing calcium and vitamin D to the drinker, but if you’re very concerned about your microbiome, I believe there are safer ways to enhance it.” Some ways to improve your gut microbiome include consuming high-fiber and fermented foods, fruits, vegetables and extra virgin olive oil . What are the risks of drinking raw milk? Raw milk has a neutral pH and substantial nutritional and water content , making it an ideal environment for bacteria and other harmful pathogens to grow., research shows. “Milk has around 87% moisture, and microbes love more moisture,” said Alex O’Brien, the food safety and quality coordinator at the Center for Dairy Research. “The more available water, the easier it is for them to grow.” The CDC says that drinking or eating products made from raw milk opens the door to several harmful germs , including E. coli, listeria, salmonella and brucella. Another, Cryptosporidium, can lead to very dangerous diarrhea in people who have HIV or AIDS, de Latour says. These foodborne illnesses can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramping and vomiting. In rare cases, they may lead to serious conditions like Guillain-Barré or hemolytic uremic syndrome. The germs are more likely to cause health complications in children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant people and the immunocompromised. What about raw cheese? Raw milk can be used to make raw cheese, and fans say it has a better, more complex flavor than pasteurized cheese. Dr. Don Schaffner, a food science professor at Rutgers University, said the health risk from raw milk cheeses may be significantly lower, depending on the type of cheese. Hard aged raw milk cheeses like cheddar, Asiago, Parmesan or Swiss are much less risky than soft raw milk cheese like queso fresco, feta, Camembert or Brie, Schaffner said. “Soft raw milk cheeses are not aged ... and probably pose about the same level of risk as raw milk itself,” he said. The CDC says that soft cheeses with a high moisture content are more likely to be contaminated with listeria bacteria. “There’s salt that’s added to cheeses, and there is rennet and other additives that make the cheese curdle the milk,” Hallman said. “That aging process and the addition of salt can basically reduce the risk of pathogens. It doesn’t mean it’s risk-free, which is why if you are pregnant or immunocompromised or an older individual, consuming raw milk cheeses can be somewhat risky.” Why we pasteurize milk The US Public Health Service created the Standard Milk Ordinance in 1924 to promote pasteurization practices and remove harmful bacteria that could cause typhoid and scarlet fevers as well as tuberculosis. The ordinance, now known as the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance , outlines the requirements for lab testing of milk and dairy products for quality and safety. Experts estimate that, before the wider adoption of this approach, roughly 25% of all disease outbreaks in the US were milk-borne. According to the FDA , for every 2 billion servings of pasteurized dairy products consumed in the US, about one person becomes ill. Pasteurization “has been incredibly effective at reducing the incidents of milk-borne disease,” Schaffner said. “Any biological organism has optimal conditions that it prefers, and if those deviate, organisms are inactivated. Heat is a very straightforward technology that is easy to apply with precision, and its effect on pathogenic microorganisms is well known.” Some health experts believe that people may continue to consume raw milk despite the health risks because they believe that the overall chance of illness is low. “Some people are extremely optimistic, and they believe that if there are risks, they are more likely to be much more likely to apply to other people,” Hallman said. “In this case, they may be focusing primarily on the health benefits and ignoring the risks because it’s more convenient to do that. They underplay the risks by overemphasizing the benefits to justify the choice they’ve made.” The raw milk controversy Raw milk has become a particularly hot topic because of Kennedy’s vocal support as well as endorsements from social media influencers and the “ Gwyneth Paltrows of the world,” Hallman said. Paltrow has said she drinks raw cream in her coffee. “The evidence for these health benefits is certainly not definitive, whereas the risks certainly are definitive,” he said. “Having worked on a farm and been around cattle, I can pretty much assure you that everything is not sterile around those animals. There’s this romanticized view of this, which is not entirely realistic.” The credibility and position of those endorsing the product, like Kennedy, who said in a social media post in October that raw milk was among a long list of items that faced “aggressive suppression,” also seems to play a role in raw milk’s recent attention. Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner, recently argued in an opinion piece on the department’s website that consumers in the state should maintain the right to purchase raw dairy products. “There’s nothing more American than the freedom to choose what kind of food you eat,” he wrote. “Raw milk isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be available. Just as we shouldn’t force people to consume something they don’t want, the government should allow people the right to choose what is best for their personal nutrition.” Hallman said that some people don’t want to be limited in their options and told what they can or cannot purchase. “Kind of perversely, some people drink raw milk because they don’t want the government telling them what they should do,” he said. “They support drinking raw milk because they want to maintain their ability, their freedom of choice.” The risks of bird flu The FDA notes that one increasingly common pathogen removed from raw milk during the pasteurization process is H5N1. This bird flu virus has caused “widespread” illness in a multistate outbreak among US poultry and cows, according to the CDC. When cows are infected with this strain of bird flu, Schaffner said, the concentration of the virus shed in milk can be quite high. “Eventually, cows become sick and either stop producing milk or produce poor-quality milk,” he said. The CDC has reported 58 human cases of bird flu this year, 32 of them in California, where raw milk is legal to drink and sell. Most of the cases are linked to farm workers who have been in contact with sick animals. California also reported last month the first US case identified in a child; the CDC that the virus from that case resembled those previously detected in humans, cattle and poultry in the state but that it’s not clear how the child was exposed. Bird flu symptoms in humans include flu-like symptoms like eye redness, sore throat, runny nose, cough, diarrhea, vomiting, body aches, fatigue, trouble swallowing or fever. Health experts encourage anyone who has consumed raw milk and notices symptoms to alert their health-care providers or local health departments. “We’ve seen the flu move from birds to cow,” de Latour said. “If you were to drink raw milk of a sick animal shedding this virus, theoretically, yes, maybe you could potentially contract bird flu, but we haven’t seen that happen yet. ... The ultimate big fear here is human-to-human transmission, which we have not yet seen.” CNN’s Meg Tirrell and Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.NWS: San Francisco under ‘life-threatening’ flash flooding warning

Romanian president tasks incumbent PM with forming new governmentUnited Airlines travelers with lost luggage have a new tool to track their bags. If the lost bag has an Apple AirTag in it, that information can now be passed directly to United, the airline announced Thursday. The new feature, called Share Item Location, allows travelers with an AirTag or other Find My network accessory to share the location with the airline’s customer service team to help locate their luggage in the event it’s misplaced. United says more than 99% of its customers pick up their luggage without a hitch. The feature is now available with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 or macOS 15.2. “Apple’s new Share Item Location feature will help customers travel with even more confidence, knowing they have another way to access their bag’s precise location with AirTag or their Find My accessory of choice,” said David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer. Travelers on United whose bags do not arrive at their destination can file a delayed baggage report with United and share the link to the item’s location either through the United app or via text message. After the report has been submitted, customer service agents will be able to locate the item on an interactive map alongside a timestamp of a recent update. The shared location will be disabled after a customer has the bag, and customers can also stop sharing the location of the item at any time on their own. The location link will also automatically expire after seven days. Using AirTags or other tracking devices on luggage is increasingly popular among frequent travelers, with a significant boom following the 2022 Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown , which displaced thousands of travelers over Christmas and into 2023, alongside much of their belongings. United says lost bags are rare, with more than 99% of its customers arriving with their bags. It says the new technology will help those with lost bags to recover them more quickly because the airline will have more information about them. Apple previously announced the new service will also be integrated at other air carriers, including Delta Air Lines. Others include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

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