Connect with us

Published

on

Israeli forces carried out deadly air strikes on Gaza on Friday, hours after US President Joe Biden described the military response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian territory’s ruling Hamas movement as “over the top”.

Israel pressed on with its bombing campaign as diplomats sought to salvage ceasefire talks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Hamas proposal that also envisaged the release of hostages held by the Palestinian terrorist group.

The United States hopes to secure a pause in fighting before Israel carries out a threatened ground assault on the southern city of Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering near the border with Egypt.

Palestinian health officials said at least 15 people were killed in the latest air strikes, including eight in Rafah, the last refuge for many Gazans displaced as Israeli’s offensive advanced southwards through the narrow coastal enclave.

Salem El-Rayyes, a Palestinian freelance journalist living at a camp for displaced people, said children were among those killed when an Israeli missile slammed into a house in an area nearby. 8 Palestinians inspect damaged vehicles at the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah near the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 9, 2024. REUTERS

“They were asleep in the early hours of Friday around dawn,” he wrote on Facebook. “The explosion rocked the ground under our feet and the sound still echoes in our ears.”

He said the bodies of victims “flew from the third floor before they fell on the ground outside the building on the cars inside the narrow alley and in the vicinity of nearby houses.”

Israel did not immediately comment on the latest air strikes. It says it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas terrorists of hiding among civilians, including at school shelters and hospitals. Hamas has denied doing so. 8 Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment following the Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on Feb. 9, 2024. APAImages/Shutterstock 8 Israeli soldiers are seen near the border by Gaza strip, in southern Israel, on Feb. 8, 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com

Washington warned on Thursday that any Israeli military operation launched in Rafah without due consideration for the plight of civilians would be a disaster, and said it would not support it.

Though the US is Israel’s most important ally, it has urged Israel to scale down its all-out war into a more targeted campaign against Hamas leaders.

In some of his sharpest public criticism to date of Netanyahu’s government, Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday: “I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza Strip has been over the top.” 8 Mourners react next to bodies of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 8, 2024. REUTERS 8 People salvage some belongings from the rubble of a destroyed building, in the aftermath of Israeli bombardment on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 9, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Biden said he has been pushing for a deal to normalize Saudi Arabia-Israel relations, increase the amount of humanitarian aid reaching Palestinian civilians, and pause fighting for a time to allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas.

“I’m pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage ceasefire,” Biden said. “There are a lot of innocent people who are starving, a lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying, and it’s gotta stop.” CEASEFIRE PROPOSED BY HAMAS

Gaza’s health ministry said on Friday that at least 27,947 Palestinians had been confirmed killed in the conflict, 107 of them in the previous 24 hours, and 67,459 injured.

It says many more could still be buried under the rubble from the Israeli offensive – launched after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies.

Hamas this week proposed a ceasefire of 4-1/2 months, during which all remaining hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war.

Itsofferwas a response to a proposal drawn up by US and Israeli spy chiefs with Qatar and Egypt, and delivered to Hamaslast week. 8 A Palestinian man hugs a little girl after identifying the bodies of relatives killed in overnight Israeli bombardment on the southern Gaza Strip at Al-Najjar hospital on Feb. 8, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Stay on top of news out of the Israel-Hamas war and the global surge in antisemitism with The Post’s Israel War Update, delivered right to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Netanyahu said on Wednesday the terms offered by Hamas were “delusional” and vowed to fight on, saying victory was in reach and just months away.

Hamas says it will not agree to any deal that does not include an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will not withdraw or stop fighting until Hamas is eradicated.

In a sign that diplomatic efforts are continuing, a Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with mediators Egypt and Qatar. 8 A Palestinian woman cries as she inspects a heavily damaged apartment following Israeli bombardment on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 8, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also visited the Middle East on a lightning trip this week to try to secure a breakthrough and prevent the conflict spreading further in the region.

In addition to the eight people killed in Rafah on Friday, Palestinians health officials said four were killed in an air strike on a house in the town of Al-Zawaydeh in central Gaza and one in nearby Deir Al-Balah.

Residents reported fierce gun battles in Gaza City in the north, and witnesses said eastern parts of Khan Younis in the south had been shelled. 8 People assess the damage caused by Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 9, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Medics and Hamas media said an Israeli drone strike had killed two people in Khan Younis.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, stressed the growing toll the war is taking on children in Gaza.

“Children are being robbed of childhood. This needs to be reversed starting with a humanitarian #ceasefire,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel accused 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff last month of taking part in the Oct. 7 attack. Nine have since been fired. Of the remaining three staff, one is dead, and the U.N. is clarifying the identity of the other two.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the world body would act immediately on any new information from Israel related to “any other infiltration.”

Continue Reading

US

Woman missing for more than 60 years found ‘alive and well’

Published

on

By

Woman missing for more than 60 years found 'alive and well'

A woman in the US who has been missing since 1962 has been found “alive and well”, authorities have said.

Audrey Backeberg left her home in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, in July that year when she was 20 years old, Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Investigators pursued numerous leads over the years but the case eventually went cold.

However, during a review of cold cases earlier this year, a detective reassessed all the case files and evidence, and re-interviewed several witnesses – and found Ms Backeberg.

The 82-year-old was “alive and well” – living outside of the state of Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office said.

Ms Backeberg was married and had two children when she disappeared on 7 July 1962, according to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy organisation.

She left her home to pick up her salary but never returned, causing her husband to ask family members where she was.

Shortly afterwards their 14-year-old babysitter claimed she and Ms Backeberg had hitchhiked to Wisconsin’s capital city Madison and then caught a bus to Indianapolis, Indiana.

The teenager said when she arrived she became nervous and wanted to go home, while Ms Backeberg refused to return and was last seen walking near a bus stop.

Ms Backeberg’s marriage was troubled and there were allegations of abuse, the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy organisation said, with a criminal complaint having been filed days before she went missing.

Her relatives insisted she would never abandon her children, the organisation added, and her husband passed a polygraph test and maintained his innocence.

Read more from Sky News:
Five survive 36 hours surrounded by alligators after plane crash

Child sex abuse victims will no longer get compensation
Streeting denies Labour ‘mistakes’ and ‘unpopular’ policies

‘We talked for 45 minutes’ – detective

Detective Isaac Hanson, who found Ms Backeberg, said her sister’s Ancestry.com account was vital in helping him locate her address.

“That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,” he told local news station WISN.

“So I called the local sheriff’s department, said, ‘Hey, there’s this lady living at this address. Do you guys have somebody, you can just go pop in?’

“Ten minutes later, she called me, and we talked for 45 minutes.”

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

‘She sounded happy’

Mr Hanson said Ms Backeberg may have left home due to marital issues, but it was unclear why she had stayed away for so long.

He said he had promised to keep their conversation private.

“I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life,” he said.

“She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets.”

Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said Ms Backeberg made the choice to leave and her disappearance “was not the result of any criminal activity or foul play”.

Continue Reading

Sports

Jets-Blues Game 7 preview: Key players to watch, final score predictions

Published

on

By

Jets-Blues Game 7 preview: Key players to watch, final score predictions

It all comes down to this. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets host the St. Louis Blues in the 200th Game 7 in Stanley Cup playoffs history Sunday (7 p.m. ET, TBS).

One team will advance to the second round, while the other will get an early start to the offseason — and try to fix what went wrong.

For the Blues, this is the club’s 19th all-time Game 7, the most of any non-Original Six team. They have gone 10-8 in Games 7s, with the most recent one being the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, which they won 4-1.

This version of the Jets has much less Game 7 history on which to draw; their only Game 7 was a second-round victory over the Nashville Predators in 2018.

Who wins this one? We’ve gathered the ESPN hockey family to identify the key players to watch in the contest — as well as their final score predictions.

Who is the one key player you’ll be watching in Jets-Blues?

Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: If he plays, it’s Mark Scheifele. The hit in Game 5 from Brayden Schenn and/or Radek Faksa generated quite a bit of conversation about what is arguably the most physically demanding series in the first round. Scheifele’s play this season and this series prior to the hit reinforces what makes him a legit top-line center in this league. We saw how the Jets maneuvered around his absence for the final two periods of Game 5, while Game 6 proved why they need contributions from everyone if he can’t go.

But again, that’s if Scheifele plays. He skated Saturday in a tracksuit, with Scott Arniel saying the center will be a game-time decision Sunday.

Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Connor Hellebuyck is the obvious answer here for me because he’s been “Vezina” at home (especially Game 2) and “Vezina from Temu” on the road.

Hellebuyck has allowed four or more goals in seven straight road playoff games, which ties the second longest such streak in Stanley Cup playoff history. But Game 7 is at home. The pressure is on but he’s in comfortable confines, surrounded by a “Whiteout.” Which version of Hellebuyck do we get Sunday night?

Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Connor Hellebuyck, of course. Has there been a Jekyll/Hyde performance like this in recent years?

The Vezina finalist can play lights-out at home and like a fish out of water on the road. Does that trend continue in Game 7? What version of the goalie shows up for this one?

But as a bonus, I’ll toss Pavel Buchnevich into this equation. He’s been driving the Blues’ offense, and if Hellebuyck is on his A-game then St. Louis is going to need Buchnevich to channel his hat trick energy from Game 3 to help the Blues pull off a stunning road win.

Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: Jordan Binnington renewed his title as one of the NHL’s most clutch goaltenders with his 31-save performance in Team Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship win over the U.S. — including six saves in overtime. He first earned it in 2019, backstopping the Blues to the Stanley Cup with Game 7 wins over Dallas and Boston.

Now he’s got a chance to reestablish those credentials.

Binnington had a 0.82 goals-against average and a .968 save percentage in those prior Game 7s. While Hellebuyck has been terrible in St. Louis, Binnington hasn’t been much better in Winnipeg, generating an .861 save percentage and a 3.44 goals-against average and giving up four goals in two of the three games. But as 4 Nations showed, Binnington can meet the moment. (Although this time, Kyle Connor will actually be in the lineup for the opposition. Not that we’re bitter or anything.)


The final score will be _____.

Clark: 4-3 Jets. There have been a few themes in this series. The first being that offense hasn’t been an issue — the teams have combined to score more than six goals in all but one game. The second is that the home team has won every game; I say that continues, and the Jets advance.

Öcal: 6-5 Jets. Hellebyuck doesn’t have his best game, but the Jets outscore that challenge, and Kyle Connor scores another third-period goal in this series to win it.

Shilton: 5-4 Jets. The Jets have been too good on home ice to let this one slip away. That’s not to say a St. Louis win would be surprising, but even if Hellebuyck is off, Winnipeg’s offense should be able to provide enough buffer that the Jets can squeak through with a narrow victory to advance.

Wyshynski: 5-3 Jets. The Jets would be toast if this game were played in St. Louis because it’s a demonstrable fact that Hellebuyck is a disaster on the road in the playoffs. He’s slightly below replacement at home in the postseason, but Winnipeg will take that considering his three removals on the road.

The Blues are first in the playoffs in 5-on-5 offense and goals-for percentage at home. But Winnipeg is second in both categories. Hellebuyck calms down, and the offense gets ratcheted up at home, especially now that Nikolaj Ehlers has a game under his belt, having not played since April 12 due to a foot injury.

Continue Reading

Environment

Meet Bodo – the 35 mph electric golf cart that thinks it’s a G-Wagen

Published

on

By

Meet Bodo – the 35 mph electric golf cart that thinks it's a G-Wagen

With a fully-enclosed, G-Wagen-inspired body and an 80 mile electric range, the Bodo G-Wagon golf cart is the NEV you need when you decide it’s time to get serous one-upping the rest of the Palm Beach country clubbers.

If you love the look of the $230,000 Mercedes-Benz G580 off-roader, but think the 579 hp, 6,800 lb. electric 4×4 is probably overkill for occasional trips to the golf course and country club, this G-Wagen-inspired golf cart might be just what you’re looking for.

The shiny black 2024 Bodo G-Wagon sold at Mecum Auctions last month for $31,900, which seems like it might not be a lot of money to the sort of person who decides to take a flyer on a goofy, limited-use EV that ships with real, metal doors, power windows, heating and air conditioning, fully digital instrument cluster and infotainment, and a “posh,” caramel leather interior.

It even has windshield wipers, power steering, and a rear-seat entertainment system that’s built into the front headrests!

Advertisement – scroll for more content

It’s really nice in there

Under the hood, the Bodo packs a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor drawing power from a 10 kWh li-ion battery that won’t deliver a scorching 0-60 mph time (it only goes 35), but will deliver you and your buddies from one end of any golf course in North America and back several times over, thanks to the G-Wagon’s 80 mile range.

The official Mecum Auctions listing goes into a bit more detail, and I’ve included it here, in case it gets deleted after a while and you’re just finding this for the first time in 2027:

Be the envy of any country club or golf community showing up with this 2024 Bodo G-Wagon Golf Cart. Perhaps more appropriately known as an E-Wagon, this baby G-Wagon is powered by a 15kW motor with a 10kWh lithium battery. Boasting an 80-mile range and a 35 MPH top speed, the Bodo is an enclosed, luxury golf cart that pampers occupants with heating and air conditioning, rear-seat entertainment, power windows, power locks and a posh, caramel-colored interior. With the Bodo fitted with power steering and 4-wheel power disc brakes with brake boost, drivers will think they’re in a full-size G-Wagon, thanks to the multiscreen entertainment cluster, the rearview camera, windshield wipers, turn signals, running lights and so much more.

Finished in black with the right amount of brightwork, the overall vibe is one of jaw-dropping, smile-inducing fun. While the Bodo would be an excellent choice for any golf community, it should also prove to be hugely popular around a race track or car condo community as well, or maybe even a neighborhood with its own airplane runways. Over the past decade in particular, the demand for unique, luxury golf carts has been on the rise, and understandably so. The number of luxury communities with specific interests in sports, aero and auto has also been on the rise, with people buying homes in these exclusive locations to better engage with like-minded people. All too often a golf cart is the perfect way to get around these gated neighborhoods, and this one is enclosed, comes with the amenities of a full-size car and is infinitely more stylish.

MECUM AUCTIONS

You can check out a few more photos of the 2024 Bodo G-Wagon golf cart that sold at Mecum, below – and if you want one for yourself, you’re in luck! I found this brand-new 2025 “G600 E-Wagon” (in white) for $23,900 at Gulf Carts in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Head on down to the comments and let us know if you buy it.

SOURCE | LOTS MORE PHOTOS: Mecum Auctions.


Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Best of all? Contractors won’t call you unless you give them your number. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending