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Slain Israeli hostages were shirtless, waving white flag: Reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

Three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed on Friday were waving a white flag when an Israeli soldier fired on them, the findings of a preliminary probe by the Israeli army showed, according to Israeli media reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted that the Israeli military had killed three young men in the Shejaiya neighborhood in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli soldier mistook them for terrorists. The victims, who were among the 240 hostages taken captive by Hamas on October 7, were later identified as Yotam Haim, Samer El-Talalka and Alon Shamriz.The three men were shirtless and one of them was waving a makeshift white flag, according to the reports. The shots killed two of the men, while a third was wounded but managed to flee to a nearby building. He was later killed by gunfire when he came out of the building, after crying for help in Hebrew, the probe reportedly found.The killings have sparked protests across the country, as Israelis demand their government find a truc...

Author receives German prize in scaled-down format after comparing Gaza to Nazi-era ghettos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The Russian-American writer Masha Gessen received a German literary prize on Saturday in a ceremony that was delayed and scaled down in reaction to an article comparing Gaza to Nazi German ghettos.The comparison in a recent New Yorker article was viewed as controversial in Germany, which strongly supports Israeli as a form of remorse and responsibility for murdering up to 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.Criticism of Gessen’s criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians comes as Germany grapples with the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war, both pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israel demonstrations in reaction to rising antisemitism.Gessen was originally due to receive the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought on Friday in the city hall of Bremen, in northwest Germany, but the sponsoring organization, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Bremen Senate withdrew from the ceremony.It took place instead in a different location on Saturday with about 50 gu...

Premier League soccer match abandoned after player collapses on field

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

The Premier League match between Bournemouth and Luton was abandoned Saturday after Luton captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the field midway through the second half.Both teams left the field while Lockyer received medical treatment for around seven minutes at the Vitality Stadium.The 29-year-old Lockyer was eventually carried away on a stretcher. The score was 1-1 at the time and referee Simon Hooper made the decision to abandon the game, with the clock having stopped in the 65th minute.“Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all players involved in today’s match,” the Premier League said in a statement.Lockyer, a center back who plays international soccer for Wales, had fallen to the ground without any other player near him. Players from both teams were alert to the incident and called for help. Luton manager Rob Edwards also ran onto the field of play.Lockyer collapsed during Luton’s win over Coventry in the second-tier Championship playoff final at Wembley S...

Order blocking enforcement of Ohio abortion ban stands after high court dismisses appeal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has dismissed the state’s challenge to a judge’s order that has blocked enforcement of Ohio’s near-ban on abortions for the past 14 months.The ruling moves action in the case back to Hamilton County Common Pleas, where abortion clinics asked Judge Christian Jenkins this week to throw out the law following voters’ decision to approve enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.The high court on Friday said the appeal was “ dismissed due to a change in the law.” The justices in March agreed to review a county judge’s order that blocked enforcement of the abortion restriction and to consider whether clinics had legal standing to challenge the law. They ultimately denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yost’s request that they launch their own review of the constitutional right to abortion, leaving such arguments for a lower court.The clinics asked Jenkins on Thursday to block the abortion ban permanently on the heels of...

Brazil approves a major tax reform overhaul that Lula says will ‘facilitate investment’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s lower house has approved a major reform of the nation’s notoriously complicated tax system in a major victory for leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who threw his weight behind the proposal.The long-awaited tax reform aims to simplify the system, widely considered overly burdensome for both individuals and businesses, and boost economic growth that has drifted between downturns and doldrums for the last decade.The reform will “facilitate investment,” tweeted Lula, who celebrated the proposal’s approval late Friday and thanked Congress.The reform — initially approved by deputies in July — had to be voted on again after the Senate made changes to the text before sending it back to the lower house.The constitutional amendment passed easily by greater than 3-to-1 margins in both rounds of voting. When results appeared on the giant television screen in Congress, lawmakers reacted with cheers and applause.“After more than 40 years, the country will...

UT Austin ranks in list of top universities shaping US leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The University of Texas at Austin ranked in a list of universities producing the most powerful leaders in the United States. TIME Magazine and Statista took resumes from 2,000 top U.S. leaders and looked at where they earned their degrees. The study authors included politicians, CEOs, union leaders, Nobel winners and other esteemed positions across various industries in their analysis.   Report: UT Austin ranked 9th best public university in the nation Citing experts, Time said that it's not about whether these universities are better at teaching students to become leaders, but that alums from the university might be better poised for advanced opportunities. Additionally, the authors wrote that candidates with diplomas from elite universities may signal to employers they survived a grueling admissions process and are likely to be intelligent, making them stand out among other applicants. Unsurprisingly, Ivy League universities claimed several of the top t...

Another year of battling cedar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – We have reached the time of the year so many look forward to... and so many dread. Why? It's cedar fever season in Central Texas. Most cedar counts since the season started have been low. As of December 16, there has been just one day (December 9th) when the count reached the medium threshold.Meteorologist Rich Segal spoke with Dr. Amin Mery, an allergist with Hill County Allergy and Asthma, who suggested this could be another active season because of the ongoing drought. The warmer than normal temperatures also play a role in how this season will unfold.There are several over-the-counter medicines and eye drops that will help cedar sufferers during the season, one that peaks with abnormally high counts in late December and January. But for some, those OTC meds aren't enough. When that happens, Mery recommended seeing an allergists to help overcome the allergies and feel better. Sinus issues, skin issues, and allergic conjunctivitis (pink eye) are conditions that go ...

3 hostages mistakenly killed by Israeli troops had been holding a white flag, military official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

By JULIA FRANKEL, NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed, military officials said Saturday, in Israel’s first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its war against Hamas.Anger over the mistaken killings is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to renew Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping more of the remaining captives, which Israel says number 129, for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Hamas has conditioned further releases on Israel halting its punishing air and ground campaign in Gaza, while Israeli leaders have said the hostages’ release can only be achieved through military pressure.The account of how the hostages died raised questions about the conduct of Israeli troops. Palestinians on several occasions have reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire as civil...

Teen killed, woman wounded in Sun Valley drive-by shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

A 19-year-old man was killed and a 20-year-old woman wounded in a drive-by shooting during the early-morning hours in Sun Valley Saturday.Police say the victims were entering their vehicle around 1:20 a.m. in the 11100 block of Lorne Street when four male suspects approached in a vehicle. One of the males pulled out a gun and fired multiple rounds at the victims before the suspect vehicle sped off in an unknown direction, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Arriving officers found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds. The man was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. Southern California repo man killed on the job, suspect at large The woman was hospitalized in stable condition. No descriptions of the suspects or the suspect vehicle were available.It was unclear if the shooting was gang-related.

LASD buyback event offers gift cards for guns, 'no questions asked'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:23 GMT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will be offering gift cards in exchange for unwanted guns Saturday. The gun buyback will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pico Rivera City Hall located at 6615 Passons Blvd., the Sheriff's Department posted on Instagram, adding that the event comes "just in time for the holidays!" Firearms must be unloaded and transported in the trunk of a vehicle. The Sheriff's Department will be giving $50 gift cards for non-working firearms or parts, $100 gift cards for working pistols, rifles and shotguns, $200 gift cards for ghost guns (guns with no serial numbers) and $300 gift cards for assault rifles (AR-15, AK-47, etc.) Kobe Bryant video helped bring Ohtani to Dodgers The Sheriff's Department says that 3D and homemade guns will be evaluated for value on the day of the event.