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China says Israel’s actions go beyond self-defense: Report

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

China’s foreign minister said Saturday that Israel has gone too far in responding to last week’s invasion by Hamas, China’s official news agency reported.Speaking to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Israel’s actions have extended beyond self-defense.According to Xinhua, China has an interest in helping resolve the conflict and the underlying issues involving the Palestinian population.The report contained no direct quotes, but Xinhua said about Wang’s remarks during the phone conversation: “China is in intensive communication with all parties to push for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting, he said, adding that the pressing task is to ensure the safety of civilians, open humanitarian corridors for aid as soon as possible, and protect the basic needs of the people in Gaza.”Before the Hamas incursion and subsequent Israeli military response, it was believed that Israel and Saudi Arabia, driven by a common animus toward ...

Putin to meet Xi in China this week

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing this week — a rare international visit by the Russian leader.Putin will attend a forum marking 10 years of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure program that has helped boost its influence worldwide. The visit to Beijing on October 17-18 marks Putin’s first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest in March over the forced transport of children to Russia from Ukraine. China is not party to the ICC. Washington and Brussels have been eyeing with alarm the relationship between China and Russia, with Beijing refusing to condemn Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even as it has voiced support for the principle of territorial integrity. Russia has increased its energy exports to China as it grapples with Western sanctions imposed as a response to the invasion of Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borre...

How to protect your mental health while keeping tabs on the Israel-Hamas war

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

(CNN) — As the situation in Israel and Gaza continues to unfold, many people far from the conflict are nonetheless exposed to countless images, stories and sounds of conflict via television and radio news reports, newspaper and digital stories, and of course social media.And this is taking a toll on all of us, including our children. The American Psychological Association released a statement this week warning that consuming violent and traumatic news can in and of itself negatively affect our mental health.“Psychological science tells us that fear, anxiety and traumatic stress have long-term effects on health and well-being. These impacts are also being felt by people around the world who have families and friends in the region, as well as those concerned about the effects of war everywhere,” it says.So how do we stay informed and stay connected while protecting our mental health and that of our children? This is an issue that has come up over and over in the co...

Cooler Air Setting Up Shop

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

A cool and brisk day is on tap for today, really giving us the October feel that has been pretty hard to come by this month so far. Temperatures will climb to around 60° today but a gusty breeze will develop and make it feel a little brisk outside. Clouds will break up a little bit today and give us at least some sunshine this afternoon.There’s a big area of low pressure JUST offshore from us, throwing clouds our way this morning and a few light showers across the Cape and Islands. The shower chance there will continue to diminish this morning as the storm pushes northeast. However, as it moves toward the Canadian Maritimes, it will spin down a trough that will keep things rather cloudy and unsettled to kick off the work week.The rain chances Monday and Tuesday are just spotty showers. It’s not an all day rain, nor is it heavy, but enough where you probably will want to grab the umbrella out the door tomorrow morning. The better chance of these showers both Monday and Tu...

5 takeaways from the MLB postseason, including the ‘attaboy’ heard round the world and Lance Lynn’s record-setting feat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

The matchups in the league championship series, which begin Sunday with the Texas Rangers at the Houston Astros in the ALCS, aren’t exactly what MLB had hoped for.Three teams with 100-plus wins — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles — all bowed out quickly, leaving baseball with the all-Texas matchup in the ALCS and an NLCS series pitting a rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks team with no household names against the star-studded Philadelphia Phillies.A possible repeat of an Astros-Phillies World Series would likely be greeted by yawns. Last year’s matchup was the second-lowest rated World Series in history.But who knows? It could be riveting baseball, which is something the postseason has lacked in the first two rounds thanks to all the blowouts and sweeps.Here are five takeaways from the postseason.1. Obviously the playoff format will be questioned when 3 of the top 4 seeds who had byes are gone.The long wait for the first postseason...

Biden and Democrats report raising $71 million-plus for his 2024 race from July through September

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised more than $71 million for his reelection in the three months ending Sept. 30, a strong indication that party donors remain united behind him going into a 2024 race that may feature a rematch with Donald Trump. Sunday’s announcement comes after the Biden campaign and the party reported raising $72-plus million in the 10 weeks between his official campaign announcement on April 25 and the end of the second quarter on June 30. Both totals include donations to Biden’s campaign and to a network of joint fundraising arrangements with the national and state parties. The campaign said Democrats had $91 million in cash on hand through the end of last month, the highest-ever total by a Democrat at this point in an election cycle.“This quarter’s fundraising haul and historic cash on hand speak to the very real enthusiasm and support,” Julie Chavez Rodriguez, manager of Biden’s reelection campai...

Water runs out at UN shelters in Gaza. Medics fear for patients as Israeli ground offensive looms

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Water has run out at U.N. shelters across Gaza as thousands packed into the courtyard of the besieged territory’s largest hospital as a refuge of last resort from a looming Israeli ground offensive and overwhelmed doctors struggled to care for patients they fear will die once generators run out of fuel.Palestinian civilians across Gaza, already battered by years of conflict, were struggling for survival Sunday in the face of an unprecedented Israeli operation against the territory following a Hamas militant attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians.Israel has cut off the flow of food, medicine, water and electricity to Gaza, pounded neighborhoods with airstrikes and told the estimated 1 million residents of the north to flee south ahead of Israel’s planned attack. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 2,300 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted last weekend.Relief groups called for the protecti...

A Supreme Court dispute over a $15,000 IRS bill may be aimed at a never-enacted tax on billionaires

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Charles and Kathleen Moore are about to have their day in the Supreme Court over a $15,000 tax bill they contend is unconstitutional.The couple from Redmond, Washington, claim they had to pay the money because of their investment in an Indian company from which, as Charles Moore, 62, said in a sworn statement, they “have never received a distribution, dividend, or other payment.”But significant parts of the story they have told to reach this point seem at odds with public records.The Moores are the public face of a high court case backed by business and conservative political interests that could call into question other parts of the U.S. tax code and rule out a much-discussed but never-enacted tax on wealth. The case is set for arguments on Dec. 5. The Moores are the latest example of plaintiffs whose lawsuits seem to simply be exercising their legal rights, but whose cases are backed by others with enormous amounts of money or a consequential social issue at stak...

Top US envoy will return to Israel after stops in Arab nations aimed at avoiding a broader conflict

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel this week after completing a frantic six-country rush through Arab nations aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas war from igniting a broader regional conflict.The U.S. State Department announced Blinken’s plan to travel Monday to Israel — his second visit in five days — as America’s top diplomat arrived in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It was the last of Blinken’s meetings with Arab leaders amid increasing fears that an impending Israeli ground offensive into Gaza could spark a wider war with devastating humanitarian consequences.Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters traveling with Blinken that the secretary was returning to Tel Aviv “for further consultations with Israeli officials.” Miller did not elaborate.Before landing in Egypt, Blinken met on Sunday morning with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. That meeting followed tal...

Body found on CTA Red Line track after fleeing traffic stop on Dan Ryan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:54:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- A body was found on a CTA Red Line track after fleeing a trooper on the Dan Ryan Friday night. Illinois State Police said a trooper initiated a traffic stop on I-94 southbound on 95th Street for a code violation when the occupant of the car fled on foot. 8-year-old boy killed, woman injured after stabbing in Plainfield Township The trooper lost sight of the occupant who was then found deceased on the 95th Street Red Line CTA track. There was no additional information provided and policer are investigating the incident.