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Israeli FM: UAE pardons Israeli citizen after drug sentence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli officials said Sunday the United Arab Emirates has pardoned an Israeli woman after initially sentencing her to death for drug possession, a case that tested the nascent ties between the two countries.Fida Kiwan was arrested in early 2021 with half a kilogram (over 1 pound) of cocaine that she claimed did not belong to her, Israeli media reported. The UAE, which has harsh drug laws, later commuted the death sentence to life in prison.Lior Haiat, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said Kiwan had returned to Israel overnight Saturday after the pardon. The office of Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, said the pardon came following a request by Herzog to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed “as a gesture of good will,” to release her.There was no immediate comment from officials in the UAE.Kiwan’s arrest came shortly after Israel and the UAE normalized ties under U.S.-brokered agreements known as...

Kanye West says a film made him 'like Jewish people again'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

In an early morning Instagram post on Saturday, the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, announced that he likes Jewish people again thanks to watching Jonah Hill in the film “21 Jump Street.”The 45-year-old wrote that watching the 2012 cop comedy also starring Channing Tatum made him "like Jewish people again.”He continued saying, “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people. No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill I love you.”Ye’s newest post is a reversal from his previous antisemitic statements on social media and in interviews which have since led to major companies and labels cutting ties with the rapper including Adidas, which terminated the production of his Yeezy branded products, Balenciaga, his talent agency The Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Gap, Foot Locker, MRC Entertainment and more.In October, Ye came under fire after he Tweeted he would soon g...

Putin says Russia to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Moscow would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian state media reported. Russia will “complete construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus on July 1,” Putin said, according to a report by Ria Novosti.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has agreed to the deployment, which won’t violate obligations under nuclear nonproliferation agreements, Putin was quoted as saying. Moscow would not transfer control of the nuclear arms to Minsk, according to the reports.“We agreed with Lukashenko that we would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the nonproliferation regime,” Putin said, according to Tass. “The United States has been doing this for decades,” Putin was quoted as saying. “They deployed their tactical nuclear weapons long ago on the territories of their allies, NATO countries, in Europe,” he said.&#...

Biden declares emergency as crews dig through storm wreckage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

President Joe Biden early Sunday issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi, making federal funding available to Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, the areas hardest hit Friday night by a deadly tornado that ripped through the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions of the U.S.At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through several towns on its hour-long path. One man was killed after his trailer home flipped several times in Alabama.Search and recovery crews on Sunday resumed the daunting task of digging through the debris of flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to evaluate the destruction.FEMA Coordinating Officer John Boyle has been appointed to oversee federal recovery operations. Following Biden’s d...

Tensions on the rise at revered Kyiv monastery complex

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The courtyards of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra have been busy with more than just the usual worshippers, going to and from its churches in the sprawling monastic complex that is Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site.Also busy Friday were people in civilian clothes, loading cars with plasma televisions, furniture and other items from the buildings — helping the resident monks remove belongings of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, or UOC, before a threatened government eviction on March 29.There also were police officers checking the cars to make sure no one was removing items that belong to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra preserve, which oversees the complex.The Russian invasion of Ukraine is reverberating here in a struggle for control of the Lavra, known in English as the Monastery of the Caves. The complex contains church, monastic and museum buildings; its oldest parts date back to the dawn of Christianity here a millennium ago.The dispute is part of a wider religious conflic...

Missing scuba diver found dead in Laguna Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

A missing scuba diver was found dead in Laguna Beach on Saturday.The 46-year-old man was reported missing around 12:32 p.m. at Shaw’s Cove, according to Laguna Beach city officials.After an extensive search, emergency responders located the diver about 100 yards offshore.Lifeguards retrieved the man around 1:33 p.m. and lifesaving measures were provided by paramedics. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials confirm.Details remain limited and the events leading up to the man’s death are under investigation.His identity has not been released.

Questions swirl around key players

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

On a roster full of short-term free agent additions, veterans attempting comebacks, newcomers eager to prove themselves, and players trying to live up to big contracts and the accompanying expectations, there are many kinds of key players.There’s Chris Sale and James Paxton, two starting pitchers in their mid-30s who were dominant before needing Tommy John surgery in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Both had their comeback attempts derailed by injuries last summer; can they stay healthy this time around?Garrett Whitlock was outstanding out of the bullpen his rookie season in 2021, but struggled as a starter in 2022, and then had season-ending hip surgery. Can he become the full-time starting pitcher the Red Sox think he can be?Likewise for Tanner Houck, who came up as a starter, but was relegated to the bullpen last year before season-ending back surgery. Can he settle into a steady role? Can he get through a lineup the third time through?Speaking of the bullpen, can Kenley Jansen lead ...

Daylight savings dispute leaves Lebanon with two time zones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight savings time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday.With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in the same tiny country.In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation’s largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move.The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries.However, on Thursday Lebanon’s government announced a decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to push the start of daylight savings to April 21.No reason was given for the decision, but a video of a meeting between Mikati and Parliament Speaker...

Honduras establishes ties with China after Taiwan break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Honduras established diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after breaking off relations with Taiwan, which is increasingly isolated and now recognized by only 13 sovereign states, including Vatican City.Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique in Beijing — a decision the Chinese Foreign Ministry hailed as “the right choice.”The new ties come amid rising tensions between Beijing and the United States, including over China’s increasing assertiveness toward self-ruled Taiwan, and signal growing Chinese influence in Latin America. The new China-Honduras relationship was announced after the Honduran and Taiwanese governments made separate announcements that they were severing ties. The Honduran Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Twitter that its government recognizes “only one China in the world” and that Beijing “is the only legitimate government that represents all of China.”It added that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese terr...

Hong Kongers hold first protest in years under strict rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:55 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong’s first authorized demonstration against the government since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks.The rules set out by the police, who cited security reasons, came as the financial hub was promoting its return to normalcy after years of anti-virus controls and political turmoil.During the pandemic, protests were rare due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, many activists have been silenced or jailed after Beijing imposed a national security law following massive protests in 2019. Critics say the city’s freedom of assembly has been eroded. Sunday’s demonstration against the proposed reclamation and construction of rubbish-processing facilities was the first police-approved march of its kind after the city scrapped its mask mandate and social distancing limits. But organizers had to comply with police requirements ...