Israeli defense minister lays out vision for next steps of Gaza war ahead of Blinken visit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Israeli defense minister lays out vision for next steps of Gaza war ahead of Blinken visit RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s defense minister on Thursday laid out his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza, describing how Israeli forces would shift to an apparently scaled-down “ new combat approach” in northern Gaza, while continuing to fight Hamas in the south of the territory “for as long as necessary.”Ahead of a visit by the U.S. secretary of state, Yoav Gallant also outlined a proposal for how Gaza would be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control while an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration, and the U.S. and other countries oversee rebuilding.Israel has come under heavy international pressure to spell out a post-war vision but so far has not done so. The issue is likely to be on the agenda in Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s talks this weekend in Israel and other countries in the region. The United States has pressed Israel to shift to lower-intensity military operations in Gaza that m...

WR Mike Evans looks to continue dominant play vs. Panthers, help Bucs clinch NFC South

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

WR Mike Evans looks to continue dominant play vs. Panthers, help Bucs clinch NFC South TAMPA BAY (8-8) at CAROLINA (2-14)Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.BETTING LINE: Buccaneers by 4 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.AGAINST THE SPREAD: Tampa Bay 10-6, Carolina 4-10-2.SERIES RECORD: Panthers lead 25-21.LAST MEETING: Buccaneers beat Panthers 21-18 on Dec. 3, 2023, in Tampa Bay. LAST WEEK: Buccaneers lost to Saints 23-13; Panthers lost to Jaguars 26-0.BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (31), PASS (15), SCORING (19).BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (6), PASS (32), SCORING (T9)PANTHERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (20), PASS (31), SCORING (31).PANTHERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (3), SCORING (30).TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Buccaneers plus-6, Panthers minus-7 BUCCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Baker Mayfield, who’s with his fourth team in six seasons, is trying to lead a club to the playoffs for the second time. He also did it in 2020 with Cleveland. He’s completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,907 yards and 28 touchdowns, the latter two of which are both career bests. ...

Pilot accused of threatening to shoot airline captain midflight calls it a misunderstanding

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Pilot accused of threatening to shoot airline captain midflight calls it a misunderstanding SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Attorneys clashed Thursday in a Utah courtroom over opposing characterizations of a fight between two commercial airline pilots in which the co-pilot allegedly threatened to shoot the captain for suggesting they divert the flight for a passenger’s medical emergency.Former Delta Air Lines pilot Jonathan J. Dunn, 42, made his first federal court appearance Thursday in Salt Lake City after he was indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 18, 2023, and charged with interfering with a flight crew. His lawyer, John W. Huber, who was once Utah’s top federal prosecutor, tried to characterize the altercation as “a misunderstanding,” while prosecutors described it as a “grave offense.”The heated argument had erupted in the cockpit of a 2022 flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, on which Dunn was the first officer, or co-pilot.The captain, who is not named in court documents, had proposed diverting their commercial flight to Grand Junction, Colorado, if the passenger’s cond...

UN economic forecast cites conflicts, sluggish trade, high interest and climate disasters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

UN economic forecast cites conflicts, sluggish trade, high interest and climate disasters UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations issued a somber global economic forecast for 2024 on Thursday, pointing to challenges from escalating conflicts, sluggish global trade, persistently high interest rates and increasing climate disasters.In its flagship economic report, the U.N. projected that global economic growth would slow to 2.4% this year from an estimated 2.7% in 2023, which exceeds expectations. But both are still below the 3% growth rate before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, it said.The U.N. forecast is lower than those of the International Monetary Fund in October and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in late November.The IMF said it expects global growth to slow from an expected 3% in 2023 to 2.9% in 2024. The Paris-based OECD, comprising 38 mainly developed countries, estimated that international growth would also slow from an expected 2.9% in 2023 to 2.7% in 2024.The U.N.’s report — World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024 ...

Dozens more Jeffrey Epstein documents are now public. Here’s what we know so far

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Dozens more Jeffrey Epstein documents are now public. Here’s what we know so far NEW YORK (AP) — The release of dozens of previously sealed court documents from a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein might disappoint online sleuths who anticipated explosive new information.The roughly 60 documents released as of Thursday largely mention figures whose names were already known, including high-profile friends of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly. In fact, the judge who made the call last month to release the information said she was doing so largely because much of it is already public.The plan to release the documents had prompted rumors that they contained a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators,” and misinformation about their contents is continuing to run rampant on social media. Still, the records do include some fresh details about the financier’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, and offer a reminder of how he leveraged his powerful connections to recruit his victims and help cover up his crimes.The documents unsealed this week are the latest of thous...

Colorado DAs: Desperate need for resources in state's mental health crisis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Colorado DAs: Desperate need for resources in state's mental health crisis DENVER (KDVR) -- A group of Colorado district attorneys co-wrote an op-ed addressing major issues with mental health statewide that affect their judicial processes.The four district attorneys that represent over half the population of Colorado are banding together to demand the state make drastic improvements to mental health services and laws. Louisville psychiatric hospital facing 4 state investigations District Attorneys John Kellner of the 18th Judicial District (Elbert, Lincoln, Douglas and Arapahoe Counties), Michael Doughtery of the 20th Judicial District (Boulder), Michael Allen of the 4th Judicial District (El Paso and Teller), and Brian Mason of the 17th Judicial District (Adams County) writing the op-ed to address their concerns. These four districts represent over half of the state population.Their main point is a major backlog in cases waiting for competency evaluations before trial, a backlog that’s affecting cases across the judicial systemThe three major demands i...

Look of the Week: Jeremy Allen White drops his pants for the New York skyline

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Look of the Week: Jeremy Allen White drops his pants for the New York skyline (CNN) — Whether it be thanks to his big screen projects, breathless paparazzi photos — like those of him pounding the pavement in barely-there shorts, or spending a wholesome afternoon at the farmer’s market — or tabloid headlines, the appetite for actor Jeremy Allen White is, at present, seemingly unquenchable.While the Emmy-nominated actor was made in Chicago (the location of his widely-lauded drama series “The Bear”), White was born in New York. So it’s only right, then, that he’s given his hometown the gift of his latest, internet-breaking moment: an underwear ad campaign that marks his debut for Calvin Klein.Shot by photographer Mert Alas, the campaign imagery sees White frolicking on a sun-soaked rooftop either shirtless, or pantless, and sometimes both. (In all cases, he’s wearing what Calvin Klein describes as its “most emblematic” underwear.) When he is wearing a shirt, it’s a classic white tank top — à la Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Rock Hudso...

Cirque Italia Water Circus invites you to dive into a magical world under the big top

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Cirque Italia Water Circus invites you to dive into a magical world under the big top South Florida gets plenty wet during hurricane season, but we don’t mind rain if a Cirque performance comes with it. Cirque Italia Water Circus opens Thursday night in Miami — just over the Rickenbacker Causeway. Here’s Deco’s splashy preview of all under the big tent.Emiliano Fusco, juggler: “Dive into the magical world of Cirque Italia.”Drown in laughter and amazement at Cirque Italia’s Water Circus.Emiliano Fusco: “The water is pretty much like 70% of the show. It goes up in the center, and it’s like rain, so the performers in the middle, they get wet, splash the people sometimes. Actually, you can see images in each drop of the water, like, we play music from the ’50s, based on images about that. It’s something you don’t see everywhere. People get amazed every time they see it.”Emiliano Fusco: “We have performers from all over the world. Me and my brother, we do a juggling act, so we can pass stu...

No injuries reported after crash involving NH State Police cruiser 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

No injuries reported after crash involving NH State Police cruiser  A crash involving a New Hampshire state police cruiser caused major traffic delays but resulted in no injuries Thursday morning, police said. New Hampshire State Police in a statement said the crash happened around 6 a.m. on F.E. Everett Turnpike in Merrimack while a trooper was on scene at a separate single-vehicle crash. Police said the trooper was parked in his cruiser in the breakdown lane with his K-9 partner when a pick-up truck hit his cruiser from behind. Police later identified the pick-up truck driver as a 39-year-old man from Chester, New Hampshire. He was not injured. The trooper and his K-9 similarly avoided injury in the crash, according to police.Though no one was hurt, state police said the crash triggered a five-mile traffic backup stretching through the Bedford Tolls. The backup, in turn, “resulted in two other crashes on the Turnpike,” according to police. Police said an investigation was ongoing as of Thursday afternoon and asked anyone who witness...

Bruins lose wild one to Penguins, 6-5

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:02:25 GMT

Bruins lose wild one to Penguins, 6-5 The Bruins, in theory, are built on goaltending and defense. Neither was on display at the Garden on Thursday night.Jeremy Swayman allowed a half dozen goals while the B’s defensemen could not clear the rebounds he was giving up, leading to a 6-5 loss and spoiling a Bruin comeback attempt.With Charlie McAvoy in the box for holding, Sidney Crosby put the Penguins up 6-5 when his shot from the top of the left circle deflected off of Hampus Lindholm and through Swayman’s pads with 8:41 left in the third.The B’s pulled Swayman with 2:41 and they had their chances to tie but just couldn’t get the equalizer.After trailing by three goals early in the second period, the B’s clawed back to tie with two goals in the second and then a beauty of a shorthanded goal by Brad Marchand at 3:08 of the third period. Charlie Coyle bulled his wayt through the neutral zone before moving it to Marchand at the blue line for a one-on-one battle with Kris Letang. Moving to his r...