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Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan testifies at Netanyahu corruption trial over ‘supply line’ of gifts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan was testifying Sunday at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial to answer questions about an alleged “supply line” of champagne and cigars funneled to the Israeli leader and his wife said to have been in exchange for help with Milchan’s personal and business needs.Milchan, who appeared by videoconference from the English city of Brighton, near where he is based, is a key witness whose testimony is essential for prosecutors who are trying to prove that Netanyahu committed fraud and breach of trust in one of three cases brought against him.Prosecutors hope Milchan’s testimony, which extends through this week and next, will paint a picture of plush favors granted to Netanyahu and his wife that allegedly spurred the Israeli leader to use his position of power to advance Milchan’s interests. The defense will try to lay out their case that Netanyahu wasn’t acting in Milchan’s personal interests and that the gift...

Airstrike hits busy market in opposition-held northwestern Syria and kills at least 9 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

JISR AL-SHUGHUR, Syria (AP) — An airstrike early Sunday over a busy vegetable market in northwestern Syria killed at least nine people, activists and local first responders said.Activists and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Russia, a top ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, launched the strike over the strategic opposition-held town of Jisr al-Shughur near the Turkish border. The strike comes a day after Moscow’s top mercenary group briefly revolted against Russian President Vladimir Putin.Opposition-held northwestern Syria’s civil defense organization known as the White Helmets said over 30 people were wounded, and expected the death toll to increase.“We’re hearing that the critically wounded have been dying after reaching the hospital,” Ahmad Yaziji of the White Helmets told The Associated Press. “It was a targeted attack in the main vegetable market where farmers from around northern Syria gather.” Farmers rushe...

A law that bans sex toys as obscene and morally harmful is being challenged by women in Zimbabwe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Sitabile Dewa was content with her sex life when she was married, but after her divorce, she found her prospects for erotic pleasure rather bleak.In socially conservative Zimbabwe, divorced women and single mothers are often cast as undesirable partners for men, and in her frustration Dewa decided she wanted to use sex toys.The problem is sex toys are against the law in Zimbabwe.“I should not be deprived of self-exploration and indulgence in self-gratification,” said Dewa, 35.Part of Zimbabwe’s “censorship and entertainments control” law makes the importation or possession of sex toys illegal as they are deemed “indecent” or “obscene” and harmful to public morals. Owning sex toys can put a woman in prison.Dewa said the law is “archaic” and is challenging part of it in court on the basis that it is repressive and infringes on her freedom. She filed court papers in March suing the Zimbabwe government and seeking to have parts of the law repeal...

Other voices: Tax actual income, not theoretical income

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

Progressives have long dreamed of imposing a tax on wealth, and it looks as if an arcane corner of the 2017 tax reform might give them a legal opening. The Supreme Court can shut this constitutional door if it takes up a bad ruling on appeal from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.The Sixteenth Amendment revised the Constitution to allow “taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived.” The Supreme Court has long held that income is defined as money that is realized from, say, wages or the sale of a property or financial asset. It has never been defined as unrealized income, such as from an increase in the value of an asset on paper that isn’t paid out to the owner.Enter 2017’s mandatory repatriation tax, which taxed shareholders of some foreign corporations on their retained earnings. Congress was scrambling for revenue to pay for its reduction in tax rates, and foreign companies were an easy political target. But the tax also hits unsuspecting American bystanders.Two of them are C...

Seizure detection devices now covered by medical assistance in Minnesota

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

Seizure detection devices are now covered by medical assistance as a result of Minnesota’s Health and Human Services appropriations omnibus bill signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz last month.For people who experience recurring seizures, like Tabbie King, 16, of Duluth, these devices have been lifesaving and life-changing.King was diagnosed with epilepsy at the end of 2022. Her mother, Kaytee King, said the second half of last year was extremely difficult for her family as they were constantly in and out of doctor’s offices trying to get answers for why Tabbie was having what Kaytee recognized as seizures. Tabbie’s electroencephalography, or EEG, tests that measure electrical activity in the brain showed nothing unusual.“It was just a hard time from August to December,” Kaytee King said. “It was just a headache getting a script from the doctor. It was like they didn’t believe me.”The Kings needed a prescription from a doctor to keep Tabbie’s seizure detection device, the Embrace2. The ...

Ask Amy: This is the update from a writer that I found most moving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

Dear Readers: Like you, I’m often curious about what happens to the advice I offer once it leaves my desk, and so I’ve asked readers to send in updates.Of all of that I’ve received, today’s update has moved me the most.The original Q&A is printed below, followed by the update.Dear Amy: I’m an adult man, nearing 50, with a very difficult family history. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old. I lived with my mother and stepfather.Their relationship was quite twisted, and when I was 14 and 15 he sexually molested me, with my mother’s knowledge.I have done lots of healing about this, and today I have a great life.My question is: Now that my mother and biological father are elderly (my stepfather committed suicide), what kind of “allegiance” do I owe my parents, in terms of caring for them in their declining years?I have been on my own since leaving home at 15. The thought of spending time and money on two people who were poor parents makes me angry. Then comes the guilt.What’s ...

Examinarán grabaciones de voz y datos del buque Polar Prince, que transportó al submarino Titán antes de su implosión, según los investigadores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

(CNN) — Mientras un robot teledirigido cartografía el campo de escombros de la fatal implosión del submarino Titán, los investigadores revisarán las grabaciones de voz de la nave nodriza que transportó al sumergible y a sus cinco ocupantes en su viaje al lugar de los restos del Titanic, según informaron las autoridades.Los investigadores canadienses subieron este sábado a bordo del buque Polar Prince “para recoger información del registrador de datos del viaje del buque y de otros sistemas del barco que contengan información útil”, declaró este sábado Kathy Fox, presidenta de la Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte de Canadá.La tripulación y los familiares también estaban siendo entrevistados a bordo del Polar Prince, que regresó este sábado a St. John’s, la capital de Terranova y Labrador, con sus banderas a media asta.La misión de la agencia no es culpar a nadie, sino “averiguar qué ocurrió y por qué, y qué hay que cambiar para reducir la posibilidad o...

Jobseekers beware: Phony postings and job scams are on the rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

With the country’s sizzling hot jobs market, many people are finding and securing choice employment positions. But some are seeing an uptick in job scams, according to a recent survey by a cybersecurity research group.Nearly one-third of the people surveyed told PasswordManager.com that they were tricked into filling out fake job applications or doing phony interviews online within the last two years.“Unfortunately, a job scam can look absolutely credible,” said Daniel Farber Huang, a subject expert at PasswordManager.com. “Being able to put out a job posting is free or has very little upfront cost.”Scammers hope to access valuable personal information or to get victims to pay for phony expenses. They use sneaky methods to lure unsuspecting job seekers, Huang said.“They might say, ‘We’re going to run a credit check on you and it’s going to cost $75 to do so and you’re going to have to pay that,’” Huang said. “Or they might say, ‘Congratulations! You’ve made it to our nex...

Storms in Store Early Week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

Following a hot then unsettled Saturday, the risk for showers and storms will remain elevated to begin the new week as our weather pattern remains stuck, with plenty of moisture flowing in from our surrounding waters.This Sunday, expect some sunshine to start with spotty showers near the coast. Then by around lunchtime (or brunchtime), scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will become likely. These storms will be slow-movers, meaning areas that see heavy rainfall could experience street flooding. There is also the isolated risk for a strong storm containing gusty winds. It’s not until by the late-afternoon and evening hours this active should shift inland, meaning drier conditions for the metro and Florida Keys. Highs on Sunday will be near normal at around 90F due to the clouds and storms.On Monday, we should see at least a little more sunshine but storms will be likely once again around the midday time period as winds veer more out of the south. High temperatures a...

Austin Hays’ Orioles teammates believe he’s deserving of an All-Star nod: ‘It’s been a special first half’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:03:27 GMT

The Orioles didn’t sink when center fielder Cedric Mullins went on the injured list, and the unexpected slugging of Aaron Hicks and Ryan O’Hearn has largely been credited as the reason — and rightfully so.But that’s also because the way Austin Hays is playing is no longer a surprise. With Mullins sidelined, Hays hit .343 with a superb .909 OPS — close to his season averages. The 27-year-old leads the American League with a .318 batting average, and his .866 OPS is best among Baltimore’s qualified hitters.“He’s been doing amazing,” Hicks said about Hays. “I feel like every time I’m up to bat, he’s either on second or on first. It’s impressive.”Despite his stellar first half, Hays came nowhere close to advancing to the second phase of All-Star Game fan voting. He finished 14th among AL outfielders — more than 400,000 votes away from being top six and advancing. Now, Hays’ chance of making h...