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Henry Kissinger, secretary of state under Nixon and Ford, dies at 100

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100. With his gruff yet commanding presence and behind-the-scenes manipulation of power, Kissinger exerted uncommon influence on global affairs under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, earning both vilification and the Nobel Peace Prize. Decades later, his name still provoked impassioned debate over foreign policy landmarks long past. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Kissinger’s power grew during the turmoil of Watergate, when the politically attuned diplomat assumed a role akin to co-president to the weakened Nixon. “No doubt my vanity was piqued,” Kissinger later wrote of his expanding influence. “But the dominant emotion was a premonition of catastrophe.” A Je...

Truce in Israel-Hamas war extended by a day, minutes before it was set to expire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to extend a temporary truce by another day minutes before it was set to expire, said Qatar, which has been mediating between the two sides.Negotiations on extending it came down to the wire, with last-minute disagreements over the hostages to be freed by Hamas in exchange for another day of a halt in fighting.Word of the extension came just as the truce was to expire at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) Thursday. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the truce was being extended under the same terms as in the past, under which Hamas has released 10 Israeli hostages per day in exchange for the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners.The announcement followed a last-minute standoff earlier Thursday, with Hamas saying Israel had rejected a proposed list that included seven living captives and the remains of three who the group said were killed in previous Israeli airstrikes. Israel later said Hamas submitted an improved list, paving the way for the extension...

FBI searching for suspect in SW Miami-Dade bank robbery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

The FBI is seeking help from the public in identifying a suspect involved in a bank robbery in Southwest Miami-Dade.The incident occurred at the Interamerican Bank branch located at 10807 SW 72nd St., at around 11:45 a.m., Wednesday.According to the FBI, the robber, who appeared to be wearing an Amazon vest over his hooded sweatshirt, entered the bank and demanded money from a bank employee.Investigators said that the robber also appears to be wearing a Halloween-style face mask.Individuals with information about the robbery or related FBI investigations are urged to contact (754) 703-2000.

COP28’s success judged on challenging fossil fuel industry, UN official says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

Mark Carney, the United Nations’ special envoy on climate action and finance, has said that the achievements of COP28 will depend on the host country’s ability to confront the fossil fuel industry.“All countries need to be judged on what their contribution is,” Carney told POLITICO’s Power Play podcast, ahead of the summit which is set to begin in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday.“And that goes for a country [the UAE] that is a leading oil and gas producer, also a leading renewable producer,” he added.The UAE, home to some of the largest oil reserves in the world, has attracted criticism for appointing Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber as COP president, in spite of his role as CEO of its national oil company.Climate activist Greta Thunberg has, for example, said the appointment of al-Jaber — who is also chairman of the board of directors of the UAE’s national renewable energy company — was “co...

Time to ‘step up’: Mark Carney throws down the gauntlet at COP28

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Amazon Music The diplomatic caravan is rolling into Dubai for this year’s COP — the United Nations’ round of global climate talks. Scores of world leaders and luminaries — including King Charles and the pope — from nearly 200 countries are due to attend, alongside an estimated 70,000 ...

Sainte-Soline : une prime à la bassine pour le préfet des Deux-Sèvres

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

Le préfet des Deux-Sèvres a été encouragé financièrement à construire des bassines. Une feuille de route obtenue par POLITICO et signée en août 2021 par le Premier ministre Jean Castex liste “le nombre de constructions [de réserve] lancées” parmi les indicateurs utilisés pour évaluer la performance annuelle du préfet de l’époque.Quelques semaines plus tard démarrait la construction du projet de méga bassine de Sainte-Soline, qui a donné lieu à de violentes manifestations dans les mois qui ont suivi. Plusieurs de leurs organisateurs étaient jugés mardi à Niort, où plusieurs peines de prison avec sursis ont été requises.Le sujet est depuis devenu éminemment politique : les Insoumis défendent ce jeudi à l’Assemblée un moratoire sur les projets de méga-bassines dans le cadre de leur niche parlementaire, alors que plusieurs associations écologistes dénoncent l’impact sur les nappes phréatiques et la biodiversité de ces réserves d’eau à usage agricole.Feuilles de route et perfo...

Eddie Murphy decks the halls in ‘Candy Cane Lane’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

For “Candy Cane Lane,” his first-ever holiday movie, Eddie Murphy celebrates in El Segundo, aka Christmas Central.Screenwriter Kelly Younger’s childhood experiences on the real Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo inspired this wild, magical trip with elves, spells and what is easily several tons of Christmas decorations.Murphy, 62, is Chris, determined this year to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest.  Only Chris unwittingly signs a contract with Jillian Bell’s elf Penny who casts a serious spell.  Here comes the 12 Days of Christmas LIVE!Chaos ensues as Chris, his wife (Tracee Ellis Ross) and their three kids band together to stop Pepper and bring peace to the Lane.Director Reginald Hudlin last worked with Murphy on “Boomerang,” over 30 years ago.  “What happened,” said Hudlin in a virtual press conference yesterday, “we had been talking with Amazon, and I said, ‘I want to do a Christmas movie’ and they said, ‘We have a Christmas movie and Eddie Murphy wants t...

Editorial: Amid migrant crisis, D.C. Dems fight border security bid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

As those living outside the Beltway know, there’s a migrant crisis in America. Cities and states around the country are straining to cope with continued arrivals of individuals and families seeking shelter, food, housing and education.We’ve reached shelter capacity in Massachusetts, some migrants are staying in the state transportation building, and Gov. Maura Healey has sent up flares for federal and state funding to ease the burden.For Democrats on Capitol Hill, everything’s fine.According to The Hill, reports surfaced that a bipartisan group of lawmakers negotiating a foreign aid deal tentatively agreed to raise the legal standard for asylum claims and is considering cracking down on the humane parole of migrants into the United States. Some Senate Democrats are seeing red.“As negotiations surrounding the supplemental aid package progress, we are concerned about reports of harmful changes to our asylum system that will potentially deny lifesaving humanitarian pr...

5 classic holiday looks to dazzle this season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

Around the holidays, the “what to wear” options are endless, much more thrilling than usual, and so much, much more adventurous and fun. And they lend themselves to the kind of drama embraced by parties and movies, red carpets, and big nights out.Here are five iconic holiday looks for all kinds of occasions in the coming weeks.A Bit of Black Watch TartanA favorite of Kate Middleton and Megan Markle thanks to its place as a revered tradition in Scotland, it pops up mostly around the holidays in America. And as fetching as it is on sharp-looking casual numbers like the Black Watch plaid Holland pant ($47 on factory.jcrew.com), with their slim and straight leg, I really fall for it in a fancier form for the holidays. Exhibit A: The Black Watch Plaid One-Shoulder Georgette Gown by Polo Ralph Lauren ($798 on neimanmarcus.com). The gorgeous one-shoulder neckline is fit for gala evenings and big nights out, with its sleeveless fit and flare silhouette and high-drama, floor-swee...

‘Family Switch’ contrived, but cast makes it fun

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:37 GMT

Just when I thought I was never going to have to review another body-switching movie, along comes “Family Switch” from Netflix for the holidays. Directed by the filmmaker known as McG, whose credits include “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “Terminator Salvation,” and scripted by Victoria Strouse (“Let It Snow”), Adam Sztykiel (“Black Adam”) and Amy Krouse Rosenthal (“You May Want to Marry My Husband”), “Family Switch” has a title that is too on the nose. It tells the Christmas-themed tale of the supposedly dysfunctional Walker family. Mother Jess (Jennifer Garner) is an architect; father Bill (Ed Helms), who totally scored when he got the much better-looking Jess to marry him, teaches music at the school attended by his two older children. They are precocious smarty pants Wyatt (Brady Noon, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”) and soccer-playing phenom CC (Emma Myers, better known as the werewolf roommate of Wednesday Addams on “Wednesday.”)Within the first thre...