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French far left’s refusal to condemn Hamas triggers fierce backlash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

PARIS — The French far left is coming under increasing pressure over its refusal to condemn Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel.The indignation, which comes from across the political spectrum, has zeroed in on the leader of the France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who called for France to push for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian territories. “All the violence unleashed against Israel and in the Gaza Strip only produces [more violence],” he wrote on social media in the midst of the attacks. But neither Mélenchon nor his party condemned the attacks on Israeli territory in a statement that has been criticized widely and in which it refers to Hamas as “the Palestinian forces.” Hamas has been designated as a terror outfit by the European Union. Across the world, leaders have expressed their support for Israel as it battles to regain control after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday and unleashed a deadly assault on civilians...

9 US citizens dead in Israel conflict, US National Security Council says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Nine US citizens have died in the conflict in Israel, a US National Security Council spokesperson said Monday.“At this time, we can confirm the death of nine U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected, and wish those injured a speedy recovery. We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in touch with our Israeli partners, particularly the local authorities,” the spokesperson said in a statement.The spokesperson added, “We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in touch with our Israeli partners, particularly the local authorities.”US authorities have been scrambling to establish how many Americans have been killed or taken hostage in the conflict. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday that the US was “working overtime” to verify reports of missing and dead Americans, and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer ...

Nobel economics prize goes to Harvard’s Claudia Goldin for research on the workplace gender gap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

By PAUL WISEMAN, DAVID KEYTON and MICHAEL CASEY (Associated Press)STOCKHOLM (AP) — Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University professor, was awarded the Nobel economics prize on Monday for research that helps explain why women around the world are less likely than men to work and to earn less money when they do.Fittingly, the announcement marked a small step toward closing a gender gap among Nobel laureates in economics: Out of 93 economics winners, Goldin is just the third woman to be awarded the prize and the first woman to be the sole winner in any year. Her award follows Nobel honors this year in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace that were announced last week. And it follows last year’s three winners in economics: Former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip Dybvig for their research into bank failures that helped shape America’s aggressive response to the 2007-2008 financial crisis.Only about half the world’s wom...

Israel vows complete siege on Gaza as it strikes the Palestinian territory after incursion by Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and ISSAM ADWAN (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip on Monday, halting deliveries of food, fuel and supplies to its 2.3 million people as it pounded the Hamas-ruled territory with waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants’ bloody weekend incursion.More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack, the Israeli military said it had largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen. Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard by Hamas, resulting in heavy battles in its streets for the first time in decades.Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilization in a short time.The mo...

Days of heat set to give way to autumn-like temperatures in San Diego County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- After a few days of near three-digit heat, it will start to feel a little more like autumn in San Diego County this week.The National Weather Service forecasts that a slow cooldown will start to set in across the region starting Monday, bringing temperatures down to about two to seven degrees below seasonal averages by Wednesday.Temperatures on Monday are expected to dip slightly from the weekend's highs as a ridge continues to weaken and shift eastward, NWS says, giving way to a large, dynamic low pressure system moving in from the northwest.According to the agency, coastal regions will see high temperatures around 70 to 75 degrees, while the inland valley and mountain communities will see temperatures anywhere from 75 to 85 degrees. Desert areas are still anticipated to see highs around 99 to 101 degrees on Monday. How much rainfall has San Diego County had this water year? The cooling trend will continue into the week as the low pressure system moves, bringing the ...

Californian claims one of nations $1 million Powerball tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

(FOX40.COM) -- Although there were no grand prize winners during Saturday night's Powerball drawing, over 600,000 winning tickets were drawn in California, according to the California Lottery. The lucky numbers for the Oct. 7 drawing were, 47, 54, 57, 60, 65, and the Powerball was 19. Highway 50 construction: How much longer until it’s finally finished? According to the California Lottery, there were 603,340 winning tickets across the Golden State amounting to a total winning amount of around $4.7 million in prizes. California's big winner of the night came from a ticket sold at Town & Country Market at 600 Post Street, San Francisco that matched all five numbers but missed the Powerball. Annual Black Film Festival returns to St. Hope’s Guild Theater That winner is able to claim their prize of $1.3 million. Only nine other people in the country matched five numbers. The bulk of the state's winners, 397,712 tickets, guessed only the Powerball number and won their prize of $4...

European Union ‘immediately’ suspends hundreds of millions in aid for Palestinian authorities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced Monday that it was “immediately” suspending hundreds of millions of euros in aid for Palestinian authorities because of what an EU commissioner called the “scale of terror and brutality” during the attacks on Israel by Hamas.Germany and Austria also announced similar measures. “We need action and we need it now,” EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi tweeted. It also underscored strong words of EU support for Israel since the Hamas attacks started on Saturday, including that Israel had now every right to defend itself within the bounds of international law. The surprise announcement by Varhelyi on development aid came just hours after EU officials stressed that no EU money whatsoever was going to Hamas in the first place and that contacts had been frozen for 16 years. The EU considers Hamas a terror group.Queries about what the move entailed and how extensive its impact on Palestinian aid would be weren’t immediately answered. Varhelyi sa...

Flag football set to be included at Los Angeles Olympics in 2028

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

Flag football took a key step toward becoming an Olympic sport in 2028, a victory for the NFL and organizers in Los Angeles who will bring a distinctly American sport to the Summer Games as they return to the United States for the first time in 32 years.Two people familiar with a proposal from the Los Angeles organizing committee told The Associated Press on Monday that the committee had delivered its proposal to the International Olympic Committee, setting it up for a vote later this month at the IOC’s meeting in Mumbai, India. The people did not want to be named because the LA committee was expected to release the information later Monday.Other sports on the list included baseball and softball — which were in the Tokyo Games in 2021 but will not be played next year in Paris — lacrosse, squash and cricket, a sport with a much wider global reach that will go over well in Brisbane, Australia, which is hosting in 2032, and in India, where the vote will take place.Out is breakdan...

Music Review: Holly Humberstone gets candid on atmospheric debut album, ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

A third of the way through her debut album, “Paint My Bedroom Black,” Gen Z pop singer Holly Humberstone initiates a sort of slow dance, but one set in an anxious daydream.“When you found me I was a train wreck / You gathered my bones in a blanket,” she sings on “Kissing in Swimming Pools,” as if whispering in someone’s ear. “So, can we kiss in your swimming pool? In this bathing suit, I would die for you.”The song’s steady rhythm and candid lyrics are soothing but also worried — a tone that captures the rest of Humberstone’s debut, due out Friday. Across 13 tracks, Humberstone allows herself to wallow in the confusion of maintaining new and old relationships. And she isn’t afraid to own the suffocating nature of that uncertainty. But she’s also building a new world, ushering in a reset. As she sings on album’s title track, “Here’s to new horizons.”Humberstone, 23, first established a fanbase in 2020 with the release of her EP “Falling Asleep at the Wheel.” In 2022, she was aw...

Live updates | Israel vows to punish Gaza as region and world feel ripples from Hamas attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:13:42 GMT

Israel’s defense minister has ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip following an unprecedented incursion into Israel by Hamas fighters.Israel formally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s surprise attack. More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides.The defense minister’s announcement on Monday came as Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks while pounding Gaza from the air. A spokesperson said the Israeli military regained control of border communities taken by Hamas fighters during the attack. But Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.EGYPTIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIANSDozens of students held a rally in support of the Palestinian people Monday at the prestigious American ...