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Yemeni rebels sentence activists to prison for criticism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A court in Yemen’s rebel-held capital on Tuesday sentenced four activists to prison terms, ranging from six months to three years, over their criticism of the Iran-backed rebels on social media, a lawyer said. According to their lawyer, Waddah Qutaish, the four were convicted of inciting chaos, disrupting public peace and insulting the Iran-backed rebels, also known as Houthis. They were detained in Sanaa in December and January on charges stemming from videos they had posed on social media last year criticizing the Houthis over alleged corruption and their handling of the economy. The rebels control Sanaa and most of northern Yemen. The activists’ arrest and trial are part of the Houthis’ crackdown on dissent and on those seen as working for the enemy, the Saudi-led coalition which has been battling the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war since 2015 in an effort to restore the internationally recognized government to power. One of the activists, Ahmed Elaw,...

Paris Olympics organizers looking for 45,000 volunteers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The Paris Olympics is putting out a call for 45,000 helpers.Organizers of the 2024 Games are launching a drive this week to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers willing to work without pay at the world’s biggest sports event.And they want the group of volunteers to include at least 3,000 people with disabilities — in line with Paris’ drive to stage an event that is open to everyone.At a news conference Tuesday to launch the volunteer recruitment drive, the French government’s minister for people with disabilities called the 2024 Games “a magnificent opportunity” to make France more inclusive.“People with disabilities often lack confidence in themselves and think of themselves as excluded from all these events,” said the minister, Geneviève Darrieussecq. “And here we’re telling them, ’No, on the contrary. Not only are you not excluded but we need you.’”She urged people with disabilities to sign up as volunteer candidates, saying: “Everyone is welcome.”Prospectiv...

Citi Trends: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Citi Trends Inc. (CTRN) on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $6.6 million.On a per-share basis, the Savannah, Georgia-based company said it had net income of 81 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 83 cents per share.The clothing and accessories company posted revenue of $209.5 million in the period.For the year, the company reported profit of $58.9 million, or $7.17 per share. Revenue was reported as $795 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CTRN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CTRNSource

Colorado native Christian McCaffrey seeking record price for Charlotte penthouse

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Though Castle Rock native Christian McCaffrey is in San Francisco, he still has a home in Charlotte.That includes a premier 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath, two-story penthouse located in Skye Condominiums' high-rise Uptown building. He's asking for $3.75 million.“To me, this penthouse was more than a home," McCaffrey said. "It allowed me to feel a part of the city that I love so much every time I look out the window." McCaffrey Reveals He First Felt ‘Anger’ When Panthers Traded Him If it sells anywhere near that amount, it would be the most expensive condo ever sold in Charlotte on a per-square-foot basis, according to his real estate agent Victoria Speer of Ivester Jackson Christie’s International Real Estate.(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Courtesy: Mario Bianco – SkyCam Digital)(Cou...

Cuban catcher defects after World Baseball Classic, per report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

(CNN) — After being eliminated from the World Baseball Classic by the US team in Miami on Sunday, the Cuban team landed in Havana on Monday without one of its players.Ivan Prieto Gonzalez, a 26-year-old catcher, has defected from his home nation, Major League Baseball officials confirmed to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.CNN has reached out to MLB for comment.CNN’s Patrick Oppmann in Havana reports that Cuba’s president met the team and congratulated the players upon arrival, but has not said anything about the defection.Cuba lost to the US 14-2 in the semifinals Sunday. Team USA, a win away from becoming back-to-back World Baseball Classic champions, will face Japan in the final Tuesday in Miami.Japan has won the World Baseball Classic twice, with back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009.

New species of orchid discovered in Japan, petals look glass-spun

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

(CNN) — Sometimes newfound flower species are lurking where scientists least expect to see them — in parks, gardens and even in planters on balconies.That’s where researchers in Japan recently identified a new species of orchid, its pink-and-white blooms so delicate and fragile they look like they were spun from glass.The newly described flower is a neighbor to populations of a related orchid species common in Japan that it closely resembles. Its discovery is an important reminder that unknown species are often living right under our noses, scientists reported Friday in the Journal of Plant Research.“The incredible diversity of the orchid family, Orchidaceae, is truly astonishing, and new discoveries like this Spiranthes reinforce the urgency to study and protect these botanical gems,” Justin Kondrat, lead horticulturist for the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection, told CNN in an email. Kondrat was not involved in the research.Orchids in this genus — Spiran...

Cool Start, Mild Finish

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

Brisk breeze out of the Northwest and clearing skies have helped temperatures drop into the upper 50’s to low 60’s to start. Drier air is filtering in and by the afternoon, North-Northeast winds take over with milder temperatures in the upper 70’s. Steady warming expected as the week progress with high pressure sliding into the Western Atlantic Ocean and winds turning off the ocean. By mid-week, temperatures moderate to more Spring-like values with lows in the upper 60’s and highs around 80 degrees. Conditions forecast to remain quiet with bright sunshine and dry air around the remainder of the week. Heading into the weekend, winds shift out of the South-Southwest to draw up the heat and humidity ahead of another front. Therefore, a chance of spotty showers returns Sunday. Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Channel 7

Tory Euroskeptics pan Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal, don’t say if they’ll vote against

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

LONDON — Euroskeptic Conservatives will hold an 11th-hour meeting on Wednesday after failing to decide whether to back Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal.After three weeks of deliberations, a ‘Star Chamber’ of lawyers convened by the European Research Group today gave a withering verdict on the Windsor Framework, arguing it will keep EU law supreme in Northern Ireland.ERG chairman Mark Francois said a green lane for goods to avoid checks was “not really a green lane at all,” and that the Stormont Brake — meant to allow the Northern Ireland devolved assembly the power to challenge EU laws applying to Northern Ireland — is “practically useless.”“The framework itself has no exit, other than through a highly complex legal process,” he added. Asked if the ERG had been “misled” about its contents, Francois said: “I am going to leave that to others to judge.”But despite issuing a 52-page assessment, the ERG did not co...

Boris Johnson says no evidence he ‘intentionally or recklessly’ misled MPs over Partygate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson accepted that he misled the House of Commons over the Partygate scandal — but denied doing so “intentionally or recklessly,” as he hit out at his aide-turned-nemesis Dominic Cummings.Johnson will face the cross-party privileges committee of MPs Wednesday over the accusation he lied to parliament about the Partygate row, which saw a host of rule-breaching parties held in government offices in 2020 and 2021 despite strict lockdown restrictions. Johnson was among those later fined by police for breaches.In a 52-page dossier setting out his defense ahead of a marathon committee grilling Wednesday, the former prime minister said the only evidence supporting claims he intentionally misled parliament came from his former top adviser, Cummings, who he said could not be “treated as a credible witness” given the “animus” he bears towards Johnson.The inquiry is centered around statements Johnson made in the House of Commons in December...

Stop overthinking it: An indictment would be bad for Trump

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:12:48 GMT

Alexander Burns is an associate editor for global politics at POLITICO. His Tomorrow column explores the future of politics and policy debates that cross national lines.The widely expected indictment of Donald Trump in Manhattan has all the makings of a political disaster for him. It should be the climactic event in a yearslong saga involving marital infidelity, sleazy financial dealings and now the first-ever criminal charge against a former American president.Naturally, the question arises: Could this actually be good for Trump?That thought generates itself by reflex in America’s political brain. It is a habit forged in 2016, when Trump defied countless terminal prognoses to defeat Hillary Clinton.It is not irrational speculation. Americans have a history of sticking with flamboyant politicians with more than a passing relationship with the criminal justice system, from Marion Barry in Washington, D.C., to Edwin Edwards in Louisiana. Trump is a character from a similar mold, with ...