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‘Thin line’ between freedom of speech and ‘freedom of hate,’ says Israeli ambassador

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

OTTAWA — Israel’s envoy to Canada says it is important for democracies to assess when a line has been crossed between freedom of speech and what he calls “freedom of hate.” Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, spoke generally about what he sees as a “thin line” between the two in an interview with The Canadian Press. He said he couldn’t comment on the nature of any demonstrations seen in Canada since Hamas launched surprise attacks on Oct. 7, when rocket attacks and raids by militants killed hundreds of civilians in southern Israel during a major Jewish holiday.Israel retaliated with airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas, and cut off access to essential supplies. More than 4,000 people have died in the latest Israel-Hamas war.Almost immediately, the conflict sparked protests worldwide.Political leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Liberal ministers, swiftly condemned demonstrat...

Palestinians in Gaza feel nowhere is safe amid unrelenting Israeli airstrikes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes pounded locations across the Gaza Strip early Thursday, including parts of the south that Israel had declared safe zones, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe.In the nearly two weeks since Israel began attacking in response to a devastating Hamas rampage in towns across southern Israel, airstrikes have relentlessly hit the densely populated territory. Even after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate the north and head to what it called “safe zones” in the south, strikes continued across the entire territory.The bombardments came after Israel agreed Wednesday to allow Egypt to deliver limited humanitarian aid to Gaza, the first crack in a punishing 11-day siege. Many among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have cut down to one meal a day and have been left to drink dirty water amid dwindling supplies.The announcement of a plan to bring water, food and other supplies in...

Russian-American journalist charged in Russia with failing to register as a foreign agent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

A Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, according to her employer. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty editor Alsu Kurmasheva is the second U.S. journalist to be detained in Russia this year. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested for alleged spying in March. Kurmasheva, an editor with RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir service, is being held in a temporary detention center, the Committee to Protect Journalists said, citing a Russian state news agency.The Tatar-Inform agency posted video which showed Kurmasheva being marched into an administrative building accompanied by four men, two of whom held her arms and wore balaclavas. Tatar-Inform said authorities accused Kurmasheva of collecting information about Russia’s military activities “in order to transmit information to foreign sources,” suggesting she received information about university te...

Daily horoscope for October 19, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

Moon Alert: Caution: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT today (12 noon to 7 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.Happy Birthday for Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023:You are independent, passionate and outspoken, which is why you often take the lead. This is the final year in a nine-year cycle, which means it’s appropriate to let go of people, places and things that are holding you back. It’s time for internal and external housecleaning!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Discussions with close friends and partners will be lively today. In fact, you will attract energetic, talkative people to you, especially people who are different. Do not finalize travel plans or important discussions with bosses during the Moon Alert. Tonight: You’re noticed.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★You can accomplish a lot today; nevertheless, much of this day is a Moon Alert, which means don’t agree to anything important. Likewise, do...

Commission approves amendment to 2022-2027 regional state aid map for Greece

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, an amendment to Greece's map for granting regional aid until 31 December 2027, within the framework of the regional aid guidelines.On 6 January 2022, the Commission approved the 2022-2027 regional aid map for Greece, and its amendment on 14 July 2022 to increase aid intensities for territories identified for support from the Just Transition Fund. On 30 May 2023, the Commission adopted a Communication regarding a possible mid-term review of the regional aid maps, taking into account updated statistics.In this context, the amendment to Greece's regional aid map approved today enables higher maximum amounts of aid to investments in certain regions, because of the decrease of  the gross domestic product per capita in those regions. The maximum amounts of aid will increase as follows: (i) from 40% to 50% of the eligible investment costs in Νότιο Αιγαίο / Notio Aigaio, and (ii) from 50% to 60% of the eligible investment ...

Harriette Cole: My boyfriend freaked out in the haunted house. Am I dating a coward?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: Halloween is around the corner, so I decided to take my boyfriend to a haunted house attraction for a fun date night. We were both excited, and he expressed nothing but enthusiasm for our plans.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I asked my sister to watch my teen, and she broke my trust Advice | Harriette Cole: I finally told my parents I’ll be leaving the U.S. next week, and they’re livid Advice | Harriette Cole: My co-worker cornered me about my son, and I was very uncomfortable Advice | Harriette Cole: I worry I’ll lose my friend because of this workplace issue Advice | Harriette Cole: Is it OK for me to hide my health concerns from my husband? When we entered the haunted house, things immediately went left. My boyfriend was completely horrified and begged me to leave early.Now I can’t help but feel a little nervous about our relationship. Is it possible t...

Miss Manners: How do I bring up the problem of the neighbor’s cats?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have the loveliest neighbors anyone could wish for. They own two sweet cats, who spend their days in the great outdoors.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: The bride hung up on me, and her mother was rude, too. Was I in the wrong? Advice | Miss Manners: This lady at church got stuck, and I accidentally laughed out loud Advice | Miss Manners: This well-off bride’s wedding shower has me baffled Advice | Miss Manners: I’m plagued by how I mishandled this neighborly interaction Advice | Miss Manners: One guest ignored my buffet and raided the refrigerator Our dear neighbor was recently lamenting that they had to “finish” a small bird their cat had attacked. I felt awful for the bird!How do I gently tell our neighbor that pet cats should be kept indoors, or closely supervised when outside? These are bright professionals and I am confident they know this fact.GE...

NYPD Cops Sued for Misconduct Cost City Millions in Settlements — Then Get Promotions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

New York City is on track to fork over more than $100 million this year in payouts for lawsuits alleging police misconduct against members of the New York City Police Department. Twenty of the officers stand out over the last decade for being named in the most suits or being named in suits with the highest payouts. Of the 20, the department has promoted at least 16 of the officers, some more than once. “They’re kind of failing upwards when they’re not only staying in the department but they’re also being promoted,” said Jennvine Wong, staff attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society, a public defense organization in New York City. Last month, Legal Aid released an analysis of data on settlements in cases alleging police misconduct. NYPD Sgt. David Grieco, a cop with the street nickname of “Bullethead,” was named in at least 17 suits between his hiring in 2006 and his first promotion in 2016. After advancing to the rank of sergeant in 2017, he was...

Netflix hikes prices again

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

Los Angeles (CNN) — Netflix has raised its prices again.The streaming giant said in its third-quarter earnings report that its premium ad-free plan in the United States will increase by $3 per month, to $22.99, starting Wednesday. Its one-stream basic plan will rise to $11.99 in the United States. All other plans, including its entry-level, $6.99-a-month ad-supported tier, will remain at the same monthly cost.Netflix also announced price increases for some subscription tiers in the United Kingdom and France.The company reported a 9% year-over-year increase in average paid memberships, adding 8.8 million subscribers last quarter. That’s compared to 2.4 million in the third quarter last year. Overall, Netflix reported 247 million paid global subscribers in the third quarter.Netflix attributed some of its strong subscriber growth to its continued password-sharing crackdown. Netflix said it has officially rolled out its “paid sharing” program in every region where the company operates, ...

Cleaner air: Mission (im)possible for cities

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:39 GMT

This article is part of POLITICO’s Global Policy Lab: Living Cities, a collaborative journalism project exploring the future of cities. Sign up here.Europe’s battle over clean air is coming for its streets.  As the EU looks to tighten the bloc’s air quality guidelines, city leaders are bracing for even more intense backlash to measures aimed at slashing pollution and meeting the new rules.Local efforts to curb transport exhaust and lower emissions are already proving controversial. Berlin is embroiled in a major tug-of-war over whether to pedestrianize one of its most iconic boulevards. Sweden’s Moderates have hit out at plans from Stockholm’s ruling left-wing coalition to ban petrol and diesel cars in parts of the city center from 2025. And in the Spanish city of Segovia, the far right is pushing hard against plans to install a low-emission zone, arguing that these schemes “attack the right of citizens to move freely” and “harm wor...