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Benny Gantz eyes his moment to topple Israel’s Netanyahu

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

TEL AVIV — All eyes are on when retired general Benny Gantz is going to make his move against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since Hamas’ murderous attacks on October 7, Israelis have largely put partisan politics aside, but the strain for such a highly rambunctious nation is starting to show. With the first phase of action in Gaza coming to a close, the weeks ahead now look set to roll into a potential endgame for Netanyahu, as many Israelis blame him for last month’s catastrophic security blunder. Gantz is the most likely challenger to step up and call time on Netanyahu’s long political career. Before the attacks, the former defense minister expressed concern over the dangerously “extremist” direction Netanyahu and his allies were taking the country but after October 7 he was still ready to join Netanyahu’s war cabinet for the sake of national unity. As he noted: “There is a time for peace and a time for war. Now is a time for w...

Israel and Hamas extend truce by a day

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their temporary cease-fire for an extra day on Thursday, as two gunmen killed three people in a shooting in Jerusalem.The cease-fire — which had already been extended by two days earlier this week — was set to expire on Thursday at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. CET), but was extended in a last-minute announcement. It is now due to run until Friday morning local time.“The Palestinian and Israeli sides have reached an agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip for an additional day (today, Thursday) under the existing conditions,” said the Qatari foreign ministry in a statement, minutes before the truce was due to expire. Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel has halted military activity and allowed humanitarian aid to enter into the Gaza strip, in exchange for Hamas releasing hostages its militants kidnapped from Israel during the October 7 mass attack. Israel has also released Palestinians held in Israeli detention.The Israel Defen...

Boris Johnson faces COVID inquiry grilling next week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a two-day grilling by the country’s official COVID-19 pandemic next week.Johnson will appear Wednesday, December 6 through Thursday, December 7 for a marathon session that will look at how his government handled the pandemic. It’s likely to make for an uncomfortable time for Johnson, who was ousted as prime minister last year and has been the subject of damaging testimony at the inquiry so far as former aides and officials questioned his judgment and grip during the crisis.This developing story is being updated.

France bans ministers from WhatsApp, Signal; demands French alternatives

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has banned widely used messaging apps WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal for ministers and their teams due to security vulnerabilities, according to a memo obtained by French news outlet Le Point. “These digital tools are not devoid of security flaws, and therefore cannot guarantee the security of conversations and information shared via them,” reads the document, dated November 22. Borne set a deadline of December 8 for the government to switch to using the French app Olvid instead, which is certified by France’s cybersecurity watchdog ANSSI. “My team and I have been using it since July 2022. In December, the entire government will be using [Olvid], the world’s most secure instant messaging system,” French digital minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed on X. Tchap, the government-developed secure messaging and collaboration app, launched in 2019, is also allowed.The government previously ordered civil servants to rem...

Trump will attend super PAC fundraiser instead of 4th GOP primary debate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

While GOP presidential hopefuls duke it out on stage at the fourth Republican primary debate in Alabama next week, former President Donald Trump will attend a fundraiser in Hallandale Beach, Florida, to raise money for MAGA, Inc., the super PAC supporting his candidacy, multiple sources told CNN.A text message sent from his campaign to supporters Sunday announced the “VIP reception” and told recipients that if they donated to Trump’s campaign, they would be automatically entered to win a trip to meet the former president at an end-of-year reception on December 6, the same day as the debate.Trump has not attended any of the debates, citing a commanding lead in the polls. Instead, he has sat with Tucker Carlson for an interview, held an event for autoworkers in Detroit amid the union strike and put on a competing Florida rally.Earlier this month, Trump’s campaign called on the Republican National Committee to cancel all future deb...

Elon Musk apologizes for antisemitic tweet but tells advertisers ‘go f**k yourself’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

New York (CNN) — Elon Musk, in his first interview with mainstream media since his antisemitic post on X earlier this month, apologized Wednesday for what he called his “dumbest” ever social media post. But he lashed out at advertisers leaving his platform because of rising antisemitism on X.“I don’t want them to advertise,” he said at the New York Times DealBook Summit in New York. “If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising or money go f**k yourself. Go. F**k. Yourself,” he said. “Is that clear? Hey Bob, if you’re in the audience, that’s how I feel” he added, referring to Disney CEO Bob Iger, who spoke earlier at the summit on Wednesday.Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk’s remarks.Musk made the remarks as the X CEO, Linda Yaccarino, sat in the audience. Yaccarino was brought into the company to woo back big-name advertisers.In a meandering conversation that lasted well over an hour, Musk also said he has no problem being hated. “Hate...

The case for and against the Red Sox signing Whit Merrifield

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

Of all the potential free agent signings the Red Sox could make this offseason, veteran infielder Whit Merrifield has emerged as perhaps the most polarizing.To some fans adding Merrifield seems like a no brainer. To others he’d be a waste of money and the Red Sox would be better off without him. With such a thin class of free agent infielders there aren’t many viable alternatives, so the Merrifield question has become particularly charged among certain portions of the fanbase.So, who’s right? Should the Red Sox sign Merrifield to take the reins at second base or should they steer clear? There are pros and cons to each approach, so here’s an argument for and against bringing Merrifield aboard this winter.Why Merrifield makes senseRight now the Red Sox options at second base include rookies Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton and journeyman utility player Pablo Reyes, who had his moments last season but who has primarily been a minor leaguer throughout his caree...

Teenage suspects accused of plotting to blow up a small truck at a German Christmas market

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A 15-year-old boy and an alleged accomplice are accused of plotting to blow up a small truck at a Christmas market in western Germany in an attack modeled on the methods of the Islamic State group, prosecutors said Thursday.The teenager was detained Tuesday in Burscheid, a town near Cologne, and a court in Leverkusen on Wednesday ordered him kept in custody pending a possible indictment. Another teenager was arrested in the eastern German state of Brandenburg.Officials say the 15-year-old wrote in a chat group about attack plans. Prosecutors in Duesseldorf said Thursday that he and the other suspect are accused of agreeing to attack a Christmas market in Leverkusen, a city in the western Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia state, at the beginning of December by using fuel to blow up a small truck.The teenager claimed he had acquired gasoline for the plan, according to a statement from prosecutors. The two suspects allegedly planned to leave Germany together after th...

UN weather agency says 2023 is the hottest year on record, warns of further climate extremes ahead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.N. weather agency said Thursday that 2023 is all but certain to be the hottest year on record, and warning of worrying trends that suggest increasing floods, forest fires, glacier melt, and heat waves in the future.The World Meteorological Organization also warned that the average temperature for the year is up some 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times – a mere one-tenth of a degree under a target limit for the end of the century as laid out by the Paris climate accord in 2015.The WMO secretary-general said the onset earlier this year of El Nino, the weather phenomenon marked by heating in the Pacific Ocean, could tip the average temperature next year over the 1.5-degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target cap set in Paris.“It’s practically sure that during the coming four years we will hit this 1.5, at least on temporary basis,” Petteri Taalas said in an interview. “And in the next decade we are more or less goi...

South Korean farmers rally near presidential office to protest proposed anti-dog meat legislation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:40 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Dozens of South Korean dog farmers scuffled with police during a rally near the presidential office on Thursday to protest a push by authorities to outlaw dog meat consumption.Earlier this month, government and ruling party officials agreed to introduce legislation by the year’s end that would ban the centuries-old practice. Individual lawmakers have submitted similar anti-dog meat bills in the past, but this would be the first time for the government to back such legislation.About 200 farmers, restaurant owners and others involved in the dog meat industry gathered in Thursday’s rally. They sang, raised their fists and took turns making speeches criticizing the government’s move. One protester said he would kill himself if the government and governing party move ahead with the legislation.Some farmers brought dogs in cages on their trucks but were prevented from taking them to the protest site. A shoving match between some protesters and p...