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Villanova University was closed on Thursday after, school officials said, the university received a ‘threat of violence targeted at an academic building’ early in the morning. However, after finding no reports of activity posing a danger on campus, school officials permitted students to move freely throughout the campus and some buildings were available for student use. “The FBI and law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation, and we are now aware that even more universities have received a similar threat,” school officials said in an update. “Given this information and after law enforcement’s safety assessment, individuals on campus no longer need to remain indoors. It is safe to be out on campus. All in-person classes and activities are still canceled, and all academic buildings will remain closed.” Officials said some buildings — including the main dining halls, Dougherty, Donahue, and St. Mary’s Hall — were open for residential students. The Connelly Center, Falvey Memorial Library, and the Student Health Center were also opened for student use as of 11 a.m.  By 2:30 p.m., officials gave a final “all-clear” for the campus. However, classes and activities were still cancelled and all academic buildings would remain closed for the remainder of the day, officials said. School officials said they have received no reports of any activity posing a danger to the campus, and an increased police presence would remain on campus throughout the day “out of an abundance of caution.” The school noted that it would close for the day on its website and officials said the campus will return to normal operations on Friday, Jan. 23. Investigators have not yet provided more information about the threat. The incident was the third time in the 2025-2026 school year that Villanova students and staff dealt with threats. In late August 2025, false reports of an active shooter at Villanova caused confusion on two occasions. Léelo en español aquí Villanova was one of at least two universities that received threats on Thursday. The NYPD provided heightened security at New York University after emails threatened violence at two buildings, officials said. Both NYU buildings were eventually given the all-clear and classes resumed. It’s unclear if the threats at Villanova and NYU are connected.

President Donald Trump on Thursday inaugurated his Board of Peace to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body he said could eventually rival the United Nations — despite many U.S. allies opting not to participate. In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future of the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to seize Greenland, then by a dramatic retreat from that push. “This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” he said, adding, “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.” The event featured Ali Shaath, the head of a new, future technocratic government in Gaza, announcing that the Rafah border crossing will open in both directions next week. But there was no confirmation of that from Israel, which said only that it would consider the matter next week. The Gaza side of the crossing, which runs between Gaza and Egypt, is currently under Israeli military control. Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, is overseeing the Palestinian committee set to govern the territory under U.S. supervision. US & World Gaza Jan 18 $1 billion gets a permanent seat on Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza Gaza Jan 17 Israel objects to U.S. announcement of leaders who will help oversee next steps in Gaza Gaza Nov 30, 2025 Gaza death toll rises to 70,000 as ceasefire is tested by repeated outbreaks of violence The new peace board was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the ceasefire, but it has morphed into something far more ambitious — and skepticism about its membership and mandate has led some countries usually closest to Washington to take a pass. Trump tried not to let those not participating ruin his unveiling party, saying 59 countries had signed onto the board — even though heads of state, top diplomats and other officials from only 19 countries plus the U.S. actually attended the event. He told the group, ranging from Azerbaijan to Paraguay to Hungary, “You’re the most powerful people in the world.” Trump has spoken about the board replacing some U.N. functions and perhaps even making that entire body obsolete one day. But he was more conciliatory in his remarks on the sidelines of the forum in the Swiss Alps. “We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said, even as he denigrated the U.N. for doing what he said wasn’t enough to calm some conflicts around the globe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said some countries’ leaders have indicated they plan to join but still require approval from their parliaments. Why some countries aren’t participating Big questions remain about what the eventual board will look like. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is still consulting with Moscow’s “strategic partners” before deciding to commit. Putin was hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday in Moscow. Others are asking why Putin and other authoritarian leaders had even been invited to join. Britain’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said her country wasn’t signing on “because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.” “And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” she told the BBC. In the News Russia-Ukraine War Jan 6 Progress for Ukraine talks in Paris uncertain with U.S. focus on Venezuela and Greenland tension Russia-Ukraine War Jan 5 Trump says that Ukraine didn't target Putin residence in drone strike as Kremlin claims Russia-Ukraine War Dec 29, 2025 U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says Norway…

Charles McAvoy Sr. did not want his son to take over the family plumbing business. He made sure that, for Charlie McAvoy, becoming a professional hockey player would be more than just a pipe dream. “My dad, he always told me he had bigger dreams for me, that he wanted more for me than just to take over McAvoy Plumbing and Heating,” said Charlie, now a defenseman for the Boston Bruins who is set to compete in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with the U.S. men’s hockey team. “He gave me every opportunity in the world to follow my passions.” It was an opportunity his father never had growing up. Charles — before spending 30 years running a four-generation plumbing business on Long Island, New York — was a promising hockey player himself. But as the youngest of seven siblings, the expenses of travel hockey were too costly, and he was unable to play beyond high school.     “The opportunity was probably there, but the finances weren’t always there,” Charles said on an episode of NBC Local’s “My New Favorite Olympian.” “And travel hockey was not cheap back then. And the hours were much different. The ice slots were not available as they are now. So, we stuck with it as long as we could. But my dad just couldn’t swing it. “I didn’t get that opportunity, and I wanted to make sure that Charlie and his sisters had that opportunity to play and give it their best.” Charlie began skating at the age of 3. He wouldn’t follow in his ancestors’ footsteps while on skates, but he’d go on to learn elements of the work ethic and physical grind that made the family business successful for decades. He’d spend some days — often under the sweltering summer sun — as a plumber’s helper.    “I’d be all excited to go do it,” he said. “And very early in the day, I found out that we were doing some undesired work.” Like jackhammering the sidewalk and digging through sand to reach a water main with his father. “He threw me the shovel and basically was like, ‘Hey, dig until you hear a pipe,’” Charlie said. Charlie said he has the utmost respect for plumbers and trade workers, but he knew his father wanted something different for him — like a career where the tools of the trade include a hockey stick and puck instead of a jackhammer and wrench. “Every day I saw him work, he’s putting everything he has into that,” Charlie said. “So, I knew I owed it to him to put everything I had into hockey, the same way.” His father also happened to quite literally have the keys to success … as in the keys to the local hockey rink. 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics May 19, 2025 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina: See dates, sports, how to watch, more 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Jun 16, 2025 Get to know Team USA Olympians ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Jun 9, 2025 How to watch the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina “I was converting the whole building from oil to gas and putting in new equipment and gas lines, et cetera. So, they gave me the keys,” Charles said. “They said, anytime I want to use it, go. And Charlie was young and we took full advantage of that. We were probably there every night of the week when he was a little guy.” Charlie began to develop the skating skills he’d later use on the ice while competing for a Stanley Cup and gold medal. “His skating took off because skating is the whole game and he just loved getting on the ice,” Charles said. “I’d get off because I’d be exhausted from work and he would just stay out there and I would just sit and let him do his thing.” After growing up on Long Beach, an oceanfront city on the south coast of Long Island, Charlie played two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Michigan. He went on to play for Boston University, being named a first team All-American in his sophomore season. Charlie was then selected by the Bruins with the 14th overall pick…

Federal immigration authorities allowed a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist believed to be the largest in U.S. history to deport himself to South America in December, a move that stunned and upset prosecutors who were planning to try the case and send him to prison. Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven people charged last year with stalking an armored truck to a rural freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles and stealing millions worth of diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022. Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores in late December after he requested voluntary departure, prosecutors said in court filings. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. France Nov 19, 2025 Louvre boosts security with 100 cameras and other measures after heist Museums Nov 9, 2025 Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo Flores’ attorney, John D. Robertson, motioned to dismiss the indictment against his client, asking for the charges to be permanently dropped and the case closed. Federal prosecutors oppose the motion and say they still hope to bring Flores to trial, asking for charges to be dropped “without prejudice” to keep the door open for criminal prosecution in the future. Despite Flores being a lawful permanent resident and released on bail, he was taken into ICE custody in September, according to court filings from his defense attorneys. Federal prosecutors say they were unaware Flores had an immigration detainer. This was a violation of his criminal prosecution rights and warrants his case getting dismissed, Robertson said in his motion. Flores opted for deportation to Chile during a Dec. 16 immigration hearing, according to court documents. The judge denied his voluntary departure application but issued a final order of removal, and he was sent to Ecuador. “Prosecutors are supposed to allow the civil immigration process to play out independently while criminal charges are pending,” federal prosecutors wrote in their motion opposing the case dismissal. “That is exactly what they did in this case — unwittingly to defendant’s benefit in that he will now avoid trial, and any potential conviction and sentence, unless and until he returns to the United States.” What happened to Flores is extremely unusual, especially in a case of this significance, former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson said. The Flying J Travel Center in Lebec, Calif., was the site of the Brinks truck jewelry heist in 2022.Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file Ordinarily, if a criminal defendant had immigration proceedings against them — which is common — immigration officials would inform prosecutors what was happening. In minor cases, a defendant can sometimes choose to self-deport in lieu of prosecution. “It’s just beyond me how they would deport him without the prosecutors … being in on the conversation,” Levenson said. “This really was the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.” The jewelers who were stolen from are also demanding answers. “When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure,” Jerry Kroll, an attorney for some of the jewelry companies, told the Los Angeles Times. The infamous jewelry heist unfolded in July 2022 after the suspects scouted the Brink’s tractor-trailer leaving an international jewelry show near San Francisco with dozens of bags of jewels, according to the indictment. While the victims reported more than $100 million in losses, Brink’s said the stolen items were worth less than $10 million. A lawsuit filed by the Brink’s security company said one of the drivers was asleep…