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A Top U.K. Official Displayed the Terrifying Ignorance of the World’s Leaders on Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, left, and the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, right, greet people as they attend an event held to mark the 30th anniversary of Hamas, at Al-Katiba Square on December 14, 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza.Photo: Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesDo the people who run the world know the most basic facts about the world? This urgent question is raised by a recent column on the Israeli attack on Gaza by the British politician Ben Wallace, who, until a few months ago, was the United Kingdom’s defense minister. Terrifyingly enough, the answer appears to be no.The problem is that Wallace places great significance on Hamas’s original 1988 charter, which is explicitly antisemitic and rejects any coexistence with Israel. But he doesn’t appear to know Hamas issued a new charter in 2017. In it, Hamas affirms that its “conflict is with the Zionist project not with the Jews because of their religion.” And, while the rev...

‘It’s Columbine all over again’: WTOP’s Lauryn Ricketts describes Prague after university shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

A student opened fire at a university in the Czech capital, Prague, shooting dead 14 people before killing himself, authorities said Friday. It was the worst mass shooting in Czech history.Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said police in Prague all the 14 who died in Thursday’s attack have been identified. The Institute of Music Sciences confirmed that its head, Lenka Hlávková, was among the dead.The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed that three of those wounded were foreigners — two from United Arab Emirates and one from the Netherlands.WTOP meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts, who lives in Prague, joined John Aaron and Michelle Basch and described the scene before and after the shooting. toggle audio on and off change volume download audio ...

Fed’s favored inflation gauge tumbles in November as price pressures continue to ease

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fed’s favored inflation gauge tumbles in November as price pressures continue to ease.Source

Florida man steals tarp from Bass Pro Shops indoor pond

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WSVN) — A peculiar incident unfolded at a Bass Pro Shops in Southwest Florida as Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputies launched an investigation into the theft of a live 50-pound tarpon from the store’s fish pond. A cellphone video captured the suspect, sporting dark pants, a navy blue T-shirt, and a distinctive fishing hat, making off with the prized fish.The suspect’s getaway, documented in a Snapchat video shared with authorities, revealed his exit from the Gulf Coast Town Center store, leaving investigators to fish for leads on the unknown direction of his escape.“LSCO is attempting to locate retail theft suspect. But not just your ‘normal retail theft,” said deputies on Facebook. “We guess you could say THIS one will o-fish-ially catch your eye.”The LCSO, collaborating with the Animal Cruelty Task Force, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, is intens...

Taraji P. Henson explains why she’s considered quitting acting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

(CNN) — Taraji P. Henson is letting her reality as a working actor be known.In a recent interview with Gayle King on SiriusXM radio to promote the film version of the musical “The Color Purple” in which Henson stars, she broke down in tears talking about her career.Henson, who was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for her role “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” said people have told her, “You work a lot.”“I have to,” Henson explained.“The math ain’t mathing,” she said. “And when you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone.”“When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account,” she continued.“Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50 percent. Now (I) have $5 million,” she said. “Your team is getting 30 percent off what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math.”It all made her emotional.“I’m only human and it seems every time I do something and I break another ...

Biden is pardoning thousands convicted of marijuana charges on federal lands and in Washington

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is making thousands of people who were convicted of use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia eligible for pardons, the White House said Friday, in his latest round of executive clemencies meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system.The categorical pardon Friday builds on a similar round issued just before the 2022 midterm elections that made thousands convicted of simple possession on federal lands eligible for pardons. Friday’s action adds additional criminal offenses to those eligible for a pardon, making even more people eligible to have their convictions expunged. Biden is also granting clemency to 11 people serving what the White House called “disproportionately long” sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.Biden, in a statement, said his actions would help make the “promise of equal justice a reality.”“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barrier...

Miami’s Big Orange makes glorious comeback for New Year’s Eve

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

In a vibrant revival, the iconic “Big Orange” is set to reclaim its place in the Miami skyline after a three-year absence. Crews were hard at work Thursday afternoon, installing the famed symbol in downtown Miami in preparation for a dazzling New Year’s Eve celebration.The South Florida rendition of New York’s famous New Year’s ball, the “Big Orange,” took a hiatus due to the pandemic, but this year, it has received the green light to shine once again.“It’s amazing because we’ve been wanting to do it, but all kinds of obstacles, Covid, and we had a lot of different things happen at the same time,” shared Steve “Mr. Neon” Carpenter. “Every year we think we’re gonna do it, and then something happens, and we’re so happy that we got a green light to put it up, so it’s fabulous.”Come New Year’s Eve, the Big Orange will ascend to the top of the Intercontinental Miami, marking ...

Closing arguments conclude in trial of paramedics in 2019 Elijah McClain death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

(CNN) — Closing arguments concluded Wednesday in the trial against two Aurora, Colorado, paramedics charged in the wrongful death of Elijah McClain in August 2019.Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec pleaded not guilty to felony charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, after a 500-milligram dose of ketamine they administered to McClain caused his death, according to an amended autopsy report released in 2022.Jury deliberations will begin on Thursday morning.Both paramedics testified Monday that they believed McClain was experiencing “excited delirium” during his confrontation with Aurora police officers, and their treatment protocol was to administer a ketamine dose they believed was safe and would not kill a person.“During our training, we were told numerous times that this is a safe, effective drug,” Cichuniec told the court. “That is the only drug we can carry that can stop what is going on and calm him down so we can control his a...

Body found near Miami Seaquarium sparks investigation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

Aerial footage from 7Skyforce revealed an active police scene at the Miami Seaquarium, where a boat docked with a covered body on deck has become the focal point of an ongoing investigation. According to 7News’ Steven J Grey, responders initially discovered the body in the water before carefully moving it onto the boat, Friday morning.The Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed the victim as a female, describing her as a DOA floater. The discovery was made by a fisherman near the aquarium, though further details remain unknown at this time.Law enforcement is actively engaged in the investigation, working to unravel the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Gaza death toll exceeds 20,000 as Israel expands ground war against Hamas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:30 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 20,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, health officials said Friday, the latest indication of the staggering cost of the conflict as Israel expands its ground offensive and orders tens of thousands more people to leave their homes.The deaths amount to nearly 1% of the territory’s prewar population.The 11-week conflict has displaced nearly 85% of Gaza’s people and leveled wide swaths of the tiny coastal enclave. And more than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday from the United Nations and other agencies.Israel has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is removed from power in Gaza and all the hostages taken during its Oct. 7 cross-border attack are freed.Despite the humanitarian emergency, a U.N. Security Council vote on aid deliveries and terms for a cease-fire was delayed again late Thursday, af...