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Parable pitfall: Irish PM’s biblical allusion prompts outrage in Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

DUBLIN — When Emily Hand, an Irish-Israeli girl kidnapped by Hamas, was released from captivity Saturday night, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attempted a poetic touch as he celebrated her freedom. But his imprecise use of biblical language triggered a furious response from Israel.The episode illustrates the strained state of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Israel — and the pitfalls of attempting nuance or allusion on social media.Shortly after Emily, who turned nine on Friday while still a hostage in Gaza, was reunited with her Irish-born father, Tom Hand, Varadkar tweeted a brief statement that borrowed an image and phrasing from the bible’s Parable of the Prodigal Son, who “was dead, and is alive … was lost, and is found.”“This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered,” Varadkar said — to an immediate barrage...

US details mechanisms to keep Gaza humanitarian aid from being hijacked by Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

Amid concerns that the four-day Israel-Hamas cease-fire could allow Hamas to bolster its forces, safeguards are in place to prevent the humanitarian aid being shuttled in Gaza as part of the hostage deal from being hijacked by Hamas forces, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.“First, Dana, there’s the inspection mechanism,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash. “The Israelis at a crossing called Nitzana, check all of the trucks before they go in through the Rafah crossing into Gaza. And they check to make sure that it is, in fact, humanitarian supplies and not goods that could help Hamas in its military campaign.”After that, aid trucks move on to U.N. depots and to other vetted humanitarian organizations, who distribute aid directly to people in need, Sullivan said on “State of the Union.”“We have seen this work over the course of the last several weeks as humanitarian assistance has ramped up,” Sullivan said, but U.S. leaders continue to monitor the process clo...

Telegraph sale: Don’t get ‘sentimental,’ UK minister warns, as Tories fear UAE buy-up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s investment minister warned critics of a controversial attempt to sell the Daily Telegraph newspaper to a fund backed by the United Arab Emirates not to get “sentimental about some of our so-called treasured assets.”Amid mounting calls for the government to intervene in the proposed acquisition of the 200-year-old Conservative Party staple on press freedom grounds, Dominic Johnson told POLITICO the U.K. needs to remain an “open economy.”And he suggested he would not oppose the sale of a national newspaper to the UAE as long as the proper “judicial processes” are followed.Lloyds Bank has agreed to a deal involving the effective takeover of the Telegraph and the Spectator — another favorite of grassroots Conservatives — by Redbird IMI, an investment vehicle controlled by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund.The deal has sparked fierce resistance from some Conservative MPs concerned about the right-leaning newspaper’s editorial freedom. They point to the UAE’s...

Police investigating multi-vehicle crash in Avon that left 3 people seriously injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

State police are investigating a violent crash early Sunday morning in Avon that left three people hospitalized with serious injuries.Troopers responding to a reported three-vehicle crash on the southbound side of Route 24 around 1:30 a.m. found three seriously injured people, two of whom had been ejected from their vehicles, according to state police.The driver of the first vehicle, a 24-year-old Dorchester woman, was taken to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.The driver of the second vehicle, a 28-year-old Dorchester woman, was life-flighted to a hospital in Burlington with serious injuries. The driver of the third vehicle, a 19-year-old Lakeville man, was taken to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details. 

Patriots starter suprisingly active in Week 12 matchup with Giants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Patriots left tackle Trent Brown is set to return to action after a three-week absence.Brown told reporters this week that he missed time with high and low ankle sprains and a sprained MCL in his knee. He was inactive Weeks 9 and 10 before the Patriots’ Week 11 bye.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots planning to start QB Mac Jones against Giants New England Patriots | Patriots release backup QB before Giants game New England Patriots | Four Patriots players to watch Week 12 vs. Giants include underrated defender New England Patriots | NFL notes: Why Patriots players see 3 future head coaches on staff besides Jerod Mayo New England Patriots | Patriots-Giants preview: How Bill Belichick and Mac Jones can end their losing streak Here’s the Patriots’ full list of inactives:CB Alex AustinRB Jamycal HastyOT Vederian LoweWR Jalen ReagorDE Sam R...

Hamas releases third group of hostages as part of truce deal, while Netanyahu visits Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis, in a third set of releases under a four-day cease-fire deal.Red Cross representatives transferred the hostages out of Gaza. Some were handed over directly to Israel, while others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said one was airlifted directly to an Israeli hospital.The Israeli hostages ranged in age from 4 to 84 and included Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7. In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.Separately, Hamas said it had released one of the Russian hostages it was holding, “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and as a show of appreciation for Moscow’s pos...

San Diego ranked worst US city for parking availability: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Finding a parking spot in San Diego can be challenging and also pricey. According to a new study, America's Finest City has the worst parking availability in the country and is among the most expensive for monthly parking. With the high cost of living between rent, housing, groceries and healthcare, researchers at car subscription company FINN compared the most populated cities in the U.S. to determine which spots are breaking the bank and causing headaches for drivers. Hoodmaps San Diego: This crowdsourced map stereotypes cities FINN used Spot Hero to take the lowest price of monthly parking for each city, removing any cities that didn’t have parking available or less than two parking options. For the starting date, FINN used Oct. 1, 2023.Researchers then used the filters for each city to note down the available parking amenities for each of the vehicle parks. From there, they counted the number of "excellent" rated vehicle parks in each city. Vehicle ...

Turned down for a loan, business owners look to family and even crowdsourcing to get money to grow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Among the many challenges small businesses face as they try to grow these days, getting a loan is right near the top.Banks big and small have tightened lending standards as the Federal Reserve hiked up interest rates the past two years. The collapse of three regional banks this spring and the possibility of stricter regulations have likely made some banks more cautious as well.So, business owners are having to make sacrifices, from turning to crowdsourcing instead of lenders, borrowing from family or friends, or simply forgoing expansion plans that would have been funded by more capital.According to the Federal Reserve, which surveys senior bank loan officers quarterly, about 49% of banks said they had tightened lending standards for small firms – those with less than $50 million in annual sales – during the July to September quarter, up from 22% in the same period last year. Loan officers cited an increasingly uncertain economic outlook as one reason for the tighten...

Are any cities in Illinois the best place to retire?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

(WJW) — If you're looking to retire, and do so on a budget, it may be hard to know where to live to get the most bang for your buck. A new analysis by the personal finance site GOBankingRates suggests a northeastern Ohio city may be just the place for you. GOBankingRates reviewed multiple U.S. cities based on their population and costs of living to find the 15 best for those looking to retire on a budget of $2,500 a month. It was Akron, Ohio, that ranked as the best place to retire, the analysis found. Man had no car, no furniture, but died with a big secret, leaving his N.H. town millions "No, it doesn't have the warm climes and white-sand beaches of Florida, but it does have an average monthly mortgage of just $699," reads an article from Travel + Leisure, published Monday.With other estimated costs like health care and groceries added in, a retiree would pay on average $2,361 per month to live there, according to GOBankingRates. It wasn't the least expensive city on the list, ...

Where it will cost most to heat your home this winter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A holiday gift is coming early this year. The average winter heating bill is expected to drop, according to projections by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). After a large spike in heating prices (and basically everything else) last year, Americans are getting some relief from rising costs. The EIA attributes the estimated 20% drop in winter heating prices to a large supply of natural gas and expected mild winter temperatures, among other factors. But even with drops across the board, residents of many states are still expected to fork over more than $100 a month to keep their homes toasty. Personal finance site MoneyGeek analyzed the EIA data to determine which states are likely to see the highest monthly heating bill come winter. It’s the first El Niño winter in 5 years. What will be different? Illinois residents are the unlucky winners who land at the top of the list. The average monthly natural gas bill this winter is expected to be $133. If it's any con...