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Blinken takes aim at Israeli settlements; says US will press ahead with Israel-Saudi normalization

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the expansion of Israeli settlements and ongoing demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank are taking Israel further away from peace with the Palestinians. Yet, he stressed that the U.S.-Israel relationship remains “iron-clad,” lauded American security commitments to the Jewish state and said the Biden administration will continue to promote normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors, particularly with Saudi Arabia.At the same time, he made clear the administration’s displeasure with actions that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has taken in expanding Jewish settlements and increasing Palestinian home demolitions.“Settlement expansion clearly presents an obstacle to the horizon of hope we seek,” Blinken said in a speech to the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington.“Likewise, any move toward annexation of the West Bank, de f...

Casabe, Cuba’s little-known traditional bread, seeks world recognition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

QUIVICÁN, Cuba (AP) — When Julio César Núñez was a child, he helped his grandmother make casabe from scratch, using artisanal tools — and an ancient cooking method — to turn grated yuca root into a thin, white, crispy flatbread.Today, Núñez, 80, and a younger generation of family members in this town south of Havana, continue the tradition of harvesting and preparing casabe the ancestral way, but it’s no longer just for their own consumption. They sell it to small businesses and restaurants in the capital.Casabe, a flatbread made of yuca root, which is also called cassava, is one of Cuba’s oldest Indigenous meals. It is making a comeback on the island nation, with promoters and restaurants hyping its benefits as a gluten-free alternative to bread and officials seeking its addition to the prized intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural agency. “Casabe is an Amerindian tradition that came from northern South America and made its way to the Antilles,...

UN nuclear chief, facing Israeli criticism on Iran, says his agency ‘very fair but firm’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

VIENNA (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency will “never politicize” its work in Iran, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday, insisting after Israel’s prime minister accused it of capitulating to Iranian pressure that his agency has been “very fair but firm.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments came after a confidential report from the IAEA last week said that its investigators had closed off their investigation of traces of man-made uranium found at Marivan, near the city of Abadeh, about 525 kilometers (325 miles) southeast of Tehran.Analysts had repeatedly linked Marivan to a possible secret Iranian military nuclear program and accused Iran of conducting high-explosives tests there in the early 2000s.“Iran is continuing to lie to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency’s capitulation to Iranian pressure is a black stain on its record,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet in televised remarks on Sunday.“If the IAEA becomes a politi...

Book Review: ‘George’ is a memoir by Frieda Hughes is about saving and being saved by a wild bird

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

“George: A Magpie Memoir,” by Frieda Hughes (Avid Reader Press)Frieda Hughes in an English poet and painter who has built a following on birding Instagram (@friedahughes) with her beguiling videos of owls. She has also written several children’s books and a weekly poetry column for The Times of London. Yet she has spent much of her life living in the shadow of her world-famous parents, the poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.In her new book, “George: A Magpie Memoir,” her first work of nonfiction, Hughes recounts the nearly two years she spent caring for an injured baby magpie — a “tiny, feathered scrap” — at her ramshackle estate some 200 miles from London — and how it helped her come to terms with her traumatic legacy.On one level, it is an expert bit of nature writing, akin to a David Attenborough documentary. But on another level, it is a psychologically profound investigation of how George, her other animals, and the extensive gardens she cultivates on an acre of land in the Wels...

Woman accused of hiring hitman to kill wife of man she met on Match.com

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville, Tennessee, woman is accused of hiring a hitman through the dark web to murder the wife of a man she met on the internet dating website Match.com, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.In the complaint dated May 11, a Homeland Security agent wrote that Melody Sasser allegedly hired the hitman through a site called "Online Killers Market" on Jan. 11. The "order for murder" had a description that said the hitman was to kill a woman in Prattville, Alabama, according to the complaint."It needs to seem random or accident. Or plant drugs, do not want a long investigation," the description read, as described in the documents. The description went on to include even more details about the victim and her husband's vehicles and jobs. Capitol Police stopped a children’s choir from singing the national anthem. Why? The Homeland Security agent received information on the alleged plot from a foreign law enforcement agency on April 27. Agents in...

Readers’ pets featured in the Morning Report newsletter in June

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

We share photos of our subscribers’ pets at the end of every Morning Report newsletter.To sign up for the Morning Report, our free newsletter that curates local headlines on weekday mornings, go to twincities.com/newsletters and follow the prompts.You can also see pets featured earlier in 2023 in our previous roundup.In June, we have met three Pomeranians waiting for breakfast, one Shih Tzu who has never met a stranger and a cat named Pooh who is missed very much.Dusty has never met a stranger.Dusty and Larry.Waiting for breakfast.RIP, Pooh.Show Caption of ExpandMonday, June 5 (Memorial Monday)Pooh was mostly Siamese, part Himalayan. RIP, Pooh.“Pooh was a regal kind of cat,” writes Carroll. “He was 20 years old when this picture was taken and lived a few months more. We miss him greatly.”Friday, June 2Dusty!“This is Dusty. He is a 2-1/2 year old Shih Tzu.” writes Sandi of Burnsville. “He was born Sept. 27, 2020, and adopted by myself a...

2023 'Concerts at the Crossings' lineup announced

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The 2023 "Concerts at the Crossings" lineup has been announced. The free concerts take place at the Crossings Park gazebo from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Colonie. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! LineupJuly 6: New York PlayersJuly 13: Edge of TownJuly 20: Georgie Wonders BandJuly 27: Lustre KingsAugust 3: Big Sky CountryAugust 10: Body & SoulAugust 17: Garland Nelson: ReflectionsAugust 24: Hammerhead HornsAugust 31: Spirit of Johnny CashThe concerts are rain or shine. Attendees can bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics, and dancing partners to the events. The concert series is sponsored by ANJO Construction.

Lineup for East Greenbush's 'Music in the Park' series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The lineup has been announced for East Greenbush's "Music in the Park" summer concert series. The concerts take place at Onderdonk Memorial Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! LineupJuly 25: The Schmooze with Gourmelis food truckAugust 1: Thee Mister E Band with Cookout with a CopAugust 8: 18 Strings of Trouble, food truck TBDAugust 15: The Lost Art Band with Pizza Trails food truckAugust 22: The Rhythm Pilots, food truck TBDAugust 29: Downtown Horns with Cookout with a CopYou can check out more musical performances in the Capital Region, both local and mainstream bands, under the Concerts and Performances tab on the NEWS10 website.

Boil water advisory lifted in Argyle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

ARGYLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The boil water advisory in Argyle has been lifted as of 9:30 Monday morning. The boil water advisory followed a water main break that happened Tuesday on Sheridan Street. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the Washington County Department of Public Safety, the leak caused unplanned interruptions in the water supply within the village.

Shooting death investigated near downtown Los Angeles bus stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:57 GMT

The shooting death of a man near a downtown Los Angeles bus stop is under investigation Monday morning.The man's body was found on the ground near the Civic Center/Grand Park Metro Station at West 1st Street and North Hill Street around 10:40 p.m. Sunday night. Early reports indicated the man may have suffered some kind of wound and investigators later confirmed the victim had been shot at least once. A bus driver pulled over to offer the victim assistance. “There was a bus that pulled up. That bus driver attempted to render medical aid to the victim while being on the phone with a 911 dispatcher,” Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Ryan Rabbett said. First responders pronounced the man, believed to be in his 30s, dead at the scene.Investigators don't yet know what led up to the shooting or if the man had been on a Metro bus at some point. They did say shots were heard prior to any radio calls to the station. Police have no description of a suspect or suspects. Authorities are hopefu...