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Cracks are emerging in Israel’s military. Reservists threaten not to serve if government plan passes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Cracks are emerging in Israel’s military.The Middle East’s best equipped and most powerful force is under one of the worst assaults it has encountered — a battle within its own ranks.A contentious government plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary has cleaved deep rifts within Israeli society. Those rifts have infiltrated the military, where reservists in key units have pledged not to show up for duty if the legislative changes are pushed through. The letters, signed by thousands of reservists over the last seven months, have up to now mostly remained threats. But this week, 161 critical air force personnel announced they will stop their service, raising concerns about the military’s readiness in the face of similar refusals at a time of heightened violence and tensions on several fronts. On Wednesday, hundreds of reservists from various units joined a rally in Tel Aviv, declaring they would not report for duty anymore.WHY ARE RESERVISTS REFUSING TO SHOW UP?Israel’...

Judge upholds the $5 million jury verdict against Trump in a writer’s sex abuse and defamation case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday upheld a $5 million jury verdict against Donald Trump, rejecting the former president’s claims that the award was excessive and that the jury vindicated him by failing to conclude he raped a columnist in a luxury department store dressing room in the 1990s.Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said the jury’s May award of compensatory and punitive damages to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation in the civil case was reasonable.Trump’s lawyers had asked Kaplan to reduce the jury award to less than $1 million or order a new trial on damages. In their arguments, the lawyers said the jury’s $2 million in compensatory damages granted for Carroll’s sexual assault claim was excessive because the jury concluded that Trump had not raped Carroll at Bergdorf Goodman’s Manhattan store in the spring of 1996.Kaplan wrote that the jury’s unanimous verdict was almost entirely in favor of Carroll, except that the jury concluded s...

Canadian government is recruiting high-skilled foreigners in the US to move to Canada instead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government is recruiting high-skilled foreigners working in the United States to move to Canada instead, and the program has been so successful that it met its target of 10,000 applicants in just two days.The government this week launched a special work permit for foreign workers who already have obtained an H-1B visa in the U.S., who number nearly 600,000 and come mostly from India and China. The program’s 10,000 quota was filled in the first two days of the week, a spokesman for Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Wednesday.“We even had a whole campaign to promote this and we had to put an end to that,” spokesman Jeremy Bellefeuille said. It is unusual for a country to so explicitly target the visa holders of another country. Bellefeuille said the Canadian program was a trial run, and that the minister would now consider next steps. Each year, up to 85,000 people are selected for H-1B visas in the U.S., a mainstay for technology giants ...

China says it will work with US on climate change as long as political conditions are met

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China is willing to work with Washington on reducing global warming as long as its political demands are met, the country’s vice president told U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Wednesday. Vice President Han Zheng told Kerry that addressing climate change was “an important aspect of China-U.S. cooperation,” but was predicated on mutual respect, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. He said it must proceed “on the basis of U.S. attendance to core issues that concern both parties, fully engaging and exchanging ideas.” Ties between the countries have hit a historic low amid disputes over tariffs, access to technology, human rights, China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and threats against self-governing Taiwan.Kerry said he had “very detailed meetings with a lot to catch up on” during his three days of talks, following China’s suspension of most contacts with President Joe Biden’s administration last August, including over efforts to address global warming...

Sports on TV for July 24 – 30

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

Adv22(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsMonday, July 24SOCCER (WOMEN’S)7 a.m.FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Brazil vs. Panama, Group F, Adelaide, Australia10 p.m.FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Colombia vs. South Korea, Group H, Sydney1:30 a.m. (Tuesday)FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: New Zealand vs. Philippines, Group A, Wellington, New Zealand4 a.m. (Tuesday)FS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Switzerland vs. Norway, Group A, Hamilton, New ZealandTBT BASKETBALL4 p.m.ESPN2 — TBT Tournament: The Nerd Team vs. Happy Valley Hoopers7 p.m.ESPNU — TBT Tournament: Team Gibson vs. Boeheim’s Army Syracuse9 p.m.ESPNU — TBT Tournament: The Commonwealth vs. The Rhody Way_____Tuesday, July 25MLB BASEBALL7 p.m.TBS — NY Mets at NY YankeesNORTHWOODS LEAGUE BASEBALL7 p.m.ESPNU — Great Lakes East vs. Great Lakes WestSOCCER (MEN’S)8:30 p.m.FS1 — Leagues Cup: TBD10:25 p.m.ESPN2 — Club Friendly: TBA10:30 p.m.FS1 — Leagues Cup: TBDSOCCER (WOMEN’S)4 a.m.FS1 — FIFA World Cu...

Egypt pardons jailed activists including two prominent rights defenders, official reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s president has pardoned a group of prisoners who include two prominent rights activists, one of whom has ties to Italy and was sentenced this week, the country’s state-run news agency reported Wednesday.Among those pardoned by President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was rights activist Patrick George Zaki, who was a post-graduate student in Italy and who was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday over an opinion article he wrote in 2019, the MENA news agency said.Also pardoned was Mohammed el-Baker, a rights lawyer, who was arrested in Sep. 2019, the agency reported. El-Baker was sentenced to four years in prison late in 2021 over charges of disseminating false news, misuse of social media and joining a terrorist group.The report didn’t elaborate who else was pardoned. Prisoners who are pardoned usually walk free within days.Egypt has pardoned dozens of detainees in the past several months, after its human rights record came under international scrutiny when...

5 Denver bars to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After four long years, the Women’s World Cup kicks off Thursday with three matches to start the 2023 competition. The United States women debut on Friday at 7 p.m. MDT to compete against Vietnam.Whether you’re looking to watch Team USA or the country of your choice, here are some of the best places to watch some football.Number 38Location: 3560 Chestnut Pl. The taproom is starting off the festivities with a World Cup Watch Party from 6-10 p.m. on Friday to watch the U.S. play ball. The outside patio will be filled with soccer fans and a huge screen to watch the game. Lionel Messi takes to the practice field for 1st time since signing with Inter Miami Tom’s Watch Bar Location: 1601 19th St., Unit 100 Tom’s Watch Bar is preparing for the World Cup with a viewing party and giveaways throughout the next month. It’s scheduled to watch more than just the United States play. Canada and Switzerland are on the calendar for Thursday.Celtic on Market Location: 1400 Market St....

2 decades later, smoking consequences to be posted at tobacco retailers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — New signage could be coming to your local gas station and convenience stores, and it would be posted near the cigarette counter.While the U.S. has made great progress in reducing smoking, 11.5% of adults, or 28.3 million, still smoke cigarettes.So why now?This all stems back from a lawsuit filed by the Clinton administration back in 1999.The initial result was a 2006 federal court ruling that said the major cigarette companies had violated federal anti-racketeering laws by what the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids calls “decades of deception and lies about the hazards of their products.” Thornton mayor granted permanent protection order Under this court order, tobacco companies were ordered to post signs highlighting the deadly consequences of smoking at 220,000 retail stores across the U.S.However, FOX31 was told the tobacco companies put all their resources into appeals. Over the course of 16 years, they have fought this requirement with four different appeals and...

Wesleyan University joins other schools in nixing legacy admissions after Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

(CNN) — Wesleyan University will stop giving preferential treatment to applicants who are the children of alumni – joining a growing list of schools to end legacy admissions after the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.“We will still value the ongoing relationships that come from multi-generational Wesleyan attendance, but there will be no ‘bump’ in the selection process,” Wesleyan University President Michael Roth said in a statement Wednesday.Family members of alumni will be admitted based on their own merits, he said.Roth said legacy status has only played a “negligible role” in the admissions process for years. “Nevertheless, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action, we believe it important to formally end admission preference for ‘legacy applicants,’” he said.Last month, the Supreme Court said colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration as a specific basis for granting admissio...

Double-lottery mania: Tonight’s Powerball drawing will be for $1 billion as the Mega Millions jackpot soars to $720 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:52:38 GMT

(CNN) — Start saying goodbye to your coworkers, because you might soon retire with a lottery ticket worth $1 billion.OK, probably not. But Wednesday night’s billion-dollar Powerball drawing – combined with a Mega Millions jackpot that keeps growing – means some lucky winners could become millionaires even if they don’t hit the jackpot.No one hit all six numbers in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing: 19, 22, 31, 37, 54 with a mega ball of 18.That means the jackpot for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $720 million, with a cash value of $369.6 million.If you can’t wait until Friday to buy 264 Ferrari LaFerraris (or whichever supercar you prefer), the drawing for Wednesday night’s $1 billion Powerball jackpot drawing will happen at 10:59 p.m. ET.The colossal jackpot is the seventh largest in US lottery history and the third largest Powerball jackpot. One insanely lucky winner scored the record-high $2....