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SNP pledges to push for independence if it wins a majority in next election

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

ABERDEEN — Scotland’s pro-independence SNP will claim a mandate to open negotiations on independence if it wins a majority of seats in next year’s election.The Scottish National Party is struggling to retain its recent dominance of Scotland’s electoral politics in the face of a resurgent Scottish Labour Party and the chaos — and arrests — that greeted Nicola Sturgeon’s sudden resignation as SNP leader in February. As they gathered for their first annual conference under new leader Humza Yousaf, the SNP agreed on a new strategy for their ultimate goal of independence — one that will see them claim winning a majority of the Scottish seats in Westminster is enough to trigger negotiations to “give democratic effect” to Scotland becoming an independent country.Whether that means a referendum — as the party lost in 2014 — or negotiations to directly bring about independence, has been left deliberately vague by the SNP leadership.Either way, both U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and op...

EU issues fresh statement amid divisions on Israel crisis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

The European Union has issued a fresh statement on the situation in the Middle East, as it seeks to project a united front on the issue after a week of mixed-messaging. In a statement issued Sunday evening, the 27 leaders of the EU member states condemned “in the strongest possible terms Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel.” But the statement also addressed the situation in Gaza, stressing the importance of “the provision of urgent humanitarian aid” and the need to help citizens most in need in the Gaza Strip.The statement, issued by European Council President Charles Michel following consultations with EU capitals over the weekend, comes ahead of a special summit of EU leaders which has been called for Tuesday.  A number of EU citizens have been taken hostage in the conflict. And other EU citizens are in the Gaza Strip. The European Union has been struggling to formulate a united policy position since last week’s attack by Hamas. ...

How hackers piled onto the Israeli-Hamas conflict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

Hackers sympathetic to Hamas are working to make the Israel-Gaza conflict the next front of cyberwarfare.Hacking groups with links to countries including Iran and Russia have launched a series of cyberattacks and online campaigns against Israel over the past week, some that may have even occurred in the runup to the October 7 strike by Hamas.On Telegram, hacking teams claimed they compromised websites, the Israeli electric grid, a rocket alert app and the Iron Dome missile defense system. At least one Israeli newspaper, The Jerusalem Post, acknowledged hackers took down its site temporarily.It’s unclear how far and deep the cyberattacks went. But the online campaigns show an effort to bolster the physical onslaught with a digital offensive, potentially looking to replicate the way Russia and sympathetic hacktivists buffeted Ukraine with cyber strikes in the first days of that war.The allegiances of the groups perpetrating the attacks could also offer clues to whether Hamas perpetrat...

Pete Davidson in poignant ‘SNL’ opening: ‘My heart is with everyone whose lives have been destroyed this week’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

(CNN) — “Saturday Night Live” host Pete Davidson addressed “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza” in deeply personal remarks during the opening minutes of the long-running sketch show’s new episode.Davidson’s emotional comments particularly focused on the children who have suffered as a result of the conflict.Davidson spoke about his personal connection to coping with tragedy and terrorism after his father, Scott Davidson, a New York City firefighter, died in the 9/11 attacks.Read his full statement below.This week, we saw the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza. And, I know what you’re thinking, who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson? (laughter)Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was seven years old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So, I know something about what that’s like.I saw so many terrible pictures this week of children suffering – Israeli children and Palestinian children – ...

Week 6 updates: Chicago Bears return 3 starting defensive backs for today’s game vs. the Minnesota Vikings

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

The 1-4 Chicago Bears will play the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field in a Week 6 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, Fox-32).5 things to watch in the Bears-Vikings game — plus our Week 6 predictionsInactives announcedThe Bears will have their entire starting secondary active for the first time since the season opener when they play the Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field.Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon and safety Eddie Jackson will return after absences.Gordon hasn’t played since the opener after he went on injured reserve with a broken hand. Johnson missed two games with a hamstring injury. Jackson missed three games with a foot injury he said was different than the one that ended his season in 2022.Center Lucas Patrick also is active after going through concussion protocol last week.The Bears previously ruled out running backs Khalil Herbert, whom they put on IR with an ankle injury, Roschon Johnson (concussion) and Tra...

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton ejected for helmet-to-helmet hit against Titans; Marcus Williams exits

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton was ejected in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans for making a helmet-to-helmet hit against wide receiver Chris Moore.With the Titans facing first-and-15 on the Ravens’ 30-yard line with 8:37 left in the third quarter, quarterback Ryan Tannehill floated a pass to Moore near the goal line. Cornerback Brandon Stephens broke up the pass as Moore leapt in the air before Hamilton came crashing in to make the tackle. Hamilton’s helmet made contact with Moore’s, and the former Ravens receiver hit the ground hard.Moore had trouble getting up and was immediately attended to by team trainers before walking off the field under his own power. He was ruled out with a concussion.After a discussion, the officials announced that Hamilton was disqualified from the game. It’s the first ejection of the second-year player’s career.Geno Stone, who has been a regular contributor this season while safety Mar...

Canadian Press NewsAlert: Five Canadians killed in Israel, Global Affairs confirms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada is confirming the death of a fifth Canadian in Israel. More coming.The Canadian Press

Palestinian mother fears for her children as she wonders about the future after evacuating Gaza City

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Najla Shawa and her family are safe for now after fleeing their home in Gaza City, but she’s worried she may never be able to return.Shawa, a Gaza native who works for the international aid group Oxfam, is sheltering with her husband, two daughters and about 50 others at a compound in Zawaida, a community just south of the area Israeli forces ordered residents to evacuate before an anticipated ground offensive.The adults are sleeping in shifts and the group is rationing food and water amid an Israeli siege that has blocked supplies from entering the Gaza Strip. But the compound has solar panels, so they have a few lights, internet service and are able to charge their phones.Aid work has stopped as Shawa and her colleagues focus on their families.“The worry is now sinking in, in a way that we need to be prepared for all scenarios,” Shawa, Oxfam’s Gaza-based country director, told The Associated Press in a video call. “There are no answers, really, because the destructio...

Drug used in diabetes treatment Mounjaro helped dieters shed 60 pounds, study finds

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

The medicine in the diabetes drug Mounjaro helped people with obesity or who are overweight lose at least a quarter of their body weight, or about 60 pounds on average, when combined with intensive diet and exercise, a new study shows.By comparison, a group of people who also dieted and exercised, but then received dummy shots, lost weight initially but then regained some, researchers reported Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine. “This study says that if you lose weight before you start the drug, you can then add a lot more weight loss after,” said Dr. Thomas Wadden, a University of Pennsylvania obesity researcher and psychology professor who led the study. The results, which were also presented Sunday at a medical conference, confirm that the drug made by Eli Lilly & Co. has the potential to be one of the most powerful medical treatments for obesity to date, outside experts said. “Any way you slice it, it’s a quarter of your total body weight,” said Dr. Caroline A...

'No proof of life from Hamas': Denver man's family members taken hostage in Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:20 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver man's family members, who were visiting Israel, are among those taken hostage by Hamas earlier this month.Ben Raanan spoke with Nexstar's KDVR and said his family was on a call with President Joe Biden on Friday, confirming the kidnapping. Now they're in shock and desperately hoping for their loved ones' safe return home.Raanan's 17-year-old sister, Natali Raanan, and his step-mother, Judith Tai Raanan, both from Evanston, Illinois, were visiting relatives and celebrating holiday in Israel in Nahal Oz, near Gaza, when the attacks began earlier this month.In this undated photo provided by Rabbi Meir Hecht on behalf of the Raanan family is Judith Raanan, left, and her daughter Natalie, 18, after Natalie's recent high school graduation. Judith and Natalie are missing while visiting relatives in Nahal Oz for Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday that marks the conclusion of the annual reading of the Torah. (Raanan Family via AP)According to Raanan, the last ti...