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Israel slams Greta Thunberg after she backs Palestinians in Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

The Israeli military lashed out at Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday, after she sent a message supporting Palestinians and endorsed a comment which said a “genocide” was being perpetrated in Gaza. Thunberg said “the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected,” as the Israel-Hamas war escalates and threatens to become a regional conflict. Thunberg also shared on her Instagram account a post by a German-based pro-Palestinian account which says a “genocide” is happening in Gaza.The group, Palestine Speaks, talked of its “indignation against genocide in Gaza and the repressive state terror of many Western states against anyone who shows and acts in solidarity with the Palestinians.”In reaction, Arye Sharuz Shalicar, spokesman for the Israeli army, told POLITICO: “Whoever identifies with Greta in any way in the future, in my view, is a terror supporter.”He added...

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara to return to court, expected to request dismissal of charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara be back in court Friday and her attorney is expected to request that the charges she’s facing in connection with a crash earlier this year be dismissed.Lara is accused of driving with a revoked license and speeding when she crashed her allegedly unregistered and uninsured car into a home on Centre Street on June 30. Lara’s 7-year-old son was injured in the crash. A police report said she was traveling at least 53 mph in a 25 mph zone when the crash happened.Her attorney is expected to argue that Lara never properly received her citation for the charges against her in violation of due process and state law.Lara lost her bid to be re-elected to city council and she is set to leave office in JanuaryThis is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Will the Chicago Bears draft a QB in 2024? What to know about top prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

There is always that one player — the guy who stands out from the rest, who rises to the occasion, blossoms in the moment and lives in memories for years to come.That player is never a Chicago Bears quarterback.With 11 games remaining and the timeline unclear for Justin Fields to return from a dislocated right thumb, it’s becoming likely the Bears will be in the market for a quarterback again in the 2024 NFL draft.Even if Fields were healthy, his chances of sticking have faded as losses and poor performances — excepting recent games against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders — pile up.General manager Ryan Poles said after last season he would have to be “blown away” to select a quarterback with the No. 1 pick that he subsequently traded to the Carolina Panthers. It stands to reason the same criteria would apply to Fields: Poles would have to be blown away to keep the quarterback he inherited for a fourth season.Fields’ career numbe...

Patriots mailbag: What changes are coming in the next year?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

The Patriots’ 2023 season is going to be a slog if it keeps up this way.Because of how poorly the team has played over the last three weeks, fans are already looking to 2024 and beyond. And that’s understandable.This week’s mailbag features questions about what changes the Patriots can make in the next year and how quickly the team can rebuild after a 1-5 start to the season.@_DerekPaulWhat is the biggest change you think we are likely to see in the next 12 months?Based on how the season has gone up to this point, the biggest change the Patriots are likely to make is at quarterback. I don’t believe the Patriots can plan to start Mac Jones in 2024 based on how he’s played now for the last two seasons.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: Bills QB Josh Allen has become Bill Belichick-proof New England Patriots | Patriots release 2023 NFL Draft pick, freeing up roster spot New England Patriots | Patriot...

Police activity prompts closure on State Route 94

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Eastbound State Route 94 to the Spring Street ramp is closed due to police activity, Caltrans said.All lanes are reported to be blocked as of 4:18 a.m., according to a Sigalert.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Scholz says that Germany needs to expand deportations of rejected asylum-seekers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany needs to start deporting “on a large scale” migrants who don’t have the right to stay in the country, adding to increasingly tough talk on migration since his coalition performed badly in two state elections earlier this month.Scholz’s comments in an interview with weekly Der Spiegel were published Friday, as a leading German opposition figure called for the center-left chancellor to dump his quarrelsome coalition partners and instead form a government with conservatives to deal with migration issues.Scholz has signaled an increased desire to take personal charge of migration over the past two weeks, following a pair of regional elections in which voters punished his three-party coalition, which has squabbled publicly on a wide range of subjects. Mainstream conservatives won both votes and the far-right Alternative for Germany made significant gains. Last week, Scholz announced legislation to ease deportations of unsucces...

India defends actions after Ottawa’s alleges precedent-setting diplomatic move

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

OTTAWA — India is defending its diplomatic actions a day after Ottawa announced it had pulled most of its envoys from the country over what it called a precedent-setting diplomatic threat.  India’s Ministry of External Affairs says its move to reduce the number of Canadian diplomats in India, who it says outnumber India’s staffing in Canada, was in line with diplomatic convention. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday that Canada had removed most of its diplomatic presence from India after New Delhi threatened to strip diplomatic immunities from them and their families.She said a unilateral revocation of the special rights and protections is contrary to international law, labelling it a precedent-setting threat. Relations with New Delhi have hit a deep freeze since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a month ago that Canadian intelligence services were investigating “a potential link” between India’s government and the killing of a Sikh lead...

Can the new film ‘Uncharitable’ change people’s minds about “overhead” at nonprofits?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — All Hands and Hearts makes a promise in big letters on the front page of its website: “95 cents of every dollar is spent on our programs.”The Massachusetts-based disaster relief nonprofit, like so many charitable organizations have for decades, feels the pressure to operate as leanly as possible. Izzy Smith, chief information officer for All Hands and Hearts, which mobilizes volunteers to respond to natural disasters, called it an “enduring challenge for nonprofits” to explain to donors and the public about the need to invest in operations and shared services. “Financial instability as a nonprofit actually reduces our effectiveness and efficiency,” Smith said.A new documentary “Uncharitable,” from “Paris Trout” and “Losing Isaiah” director Stephen Gyllenhaal, wants to change that. It tells the story of longtime advocate Dan Pallotta, who pioneered the idea of fundraising through bike rides and road races initially to raise money for AIDS and cancer research and...

Church parking near stadiums scores big in a win-win for faith congregations and sports fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — The Eagles and the NFL might still be the sports favorites at Calvary Baptist Church, just outside Philadelphia. But many here are also rooting for their neighbors who last year reached the championship game of Major League Soccer.Their new-found fandom is all about location: the Philadelphia Union plays at Subaru Park, a stadium beside the Delaware River just a few blocks from Calvary.As the Union continues to attract loyal fans and reach new heights, so have the blessings bestowed on this historic church where Martin Luther King Jr. attended as a seminarian.It has been crucial. Like many other Black Protestant churches, Calvary Baptist struggled economically during the coronavirus pandemic. Attendance numbers fell, and along with it, funding. But the church has transformed its parking lot to accommodate game-day fundraisers, with volunteers from the congregation staffing the lots and selling spaces for $15 per vehicle.These days, the church raises up to $3,000 ...

Inside the hilarious, secretive and petty world of book blurbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:28 GMT

We’ve all been told not to judge a book by its cover. So why do so many people—from readers, to retailers, to publishers and reviewers—judge them by one little name, next to a little generic quote, that appears on that cover?Sophie Vershbow wrote about book blurbs for Esquire. She says that for writers, sourcing blurbs for their books is a process that is universally reviled. “Being asked to do it, having to keep asking to do it, is something that everyone seems to really dread,” says Vershbow.If you’ve ever chosen your next read because the book came with a kind word from your favourite author, or if you’ve ever read some of those effusive blurbs, then read the book and wondered, “Did that person even read this thing?!” Well, welcome to the publishing industry’s weirdest little secret world.It’s “an amazing episode of The Big Story, one of the best for sure!” — Producer Joe FishYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on&...