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Israel-Hamas cease-fire begins, amid plans for release of hostages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

The first captives held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas are set to be released on Friday afternoon as part of a prisoner exchange, as a four-day cease-fire deal with Israel came into effect at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. CET).The BBC reported that what appeared to be Israeli strikes on Gaza could still sporadically be heard until around 7:15 a.m., but that the truce held thereafter.The cease-fire will also allow aid to enter Gaza. The first fuel trucks entered the enclave from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt shortly after the pause in fighting began, local media reported.On Thursday evening, a spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry — which acted as an intermediary to help broker the cease-fire deal, together with the United States and Egypt — announced the first hostages would be released by Hamas at around 4 p.m. local time (3 p.m. CET) on Friday.“They will be 13 in number, all women and children and those hostages from the same families will be put together ...

Bon Green Friday à tous !

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

Notre newsletter quotidienne sur les enjeux de lobbying et de transparence en France.Par AURORE GORIUSAvec ALEXANDRE LÉCHENET et ÉLISA BRAUN Infos, tuyaux et mini-drames à partager ? Ecrivez à Océane Herrero, Aurore Gorius, Alexandre Léchenet et Paul de Villepin | Voir dans votre navigateurLE MENU DU JOUR— Sus au Black Friday : Béchu tient bon malgré les critiques.— Les états généraux de l’information hackés par des députés.— À la source de l’influence marocaine au Parlement européen.Bonjour à toutes et à tous, ami lecteur rassure-toi, les tickets-restaurant pourront toujours servir à payer pâtes, riz, œufs et autres denrées alimentaires — mêmes celles pas directement consommables — au supermarché. Ce régime dérogatoire, qui devait expirer au 31 décembre, devrait bien être prolongé pendant toute l’année 2024, après le large vote positif des députés hier, et en attendant celui des sénateurs.Ils mangeront des nouilles. L’inflation, qui reste élevée, a sans (aucun) doute...

Commission welcomes political agreement on automated data exchange for police co-operation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

The security of those living in Europe is a key priority for the Commission. To fight crime effectively, law enforcement authorities need to be able to exchange data in a timely manner.Today, the Commission welcomes the political agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on the Regulation on automated data exchange for police cooperation (Prüm II). This agreement revises the existing Prüm framework, a cornerstone of EU police cooperation and a core element of the EU's framework to enhance security in the European Union.By revising the existing Prüm framework, this agreement will upgrade law enforcement tools to fight crime.The Prüm framework has proven instrumental in solving many crimes in Europe. Exchanges under the Prüm framework are used on a daily basis by the police for identifying criminals, and for the fight against organised crime, drugs, terrorism, sexual exploitation, trafficking of human beings and other criminal activities. This framework is now being...

Dear Abby: All these women want to date me, and I don’t know what to do

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

DEAR ABBY: Three months ago, I lost my dear, loving wife (the best part of me) to cancer, COVID-19, pneumonia and heart problems. We had a great marriage, not perfect, but the happiest times of our lives.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: How can I get my wife to give my car keys back? Advice | Dear Abby: I’m dreading talking to this girl’s parents about the cheek situation Advice | Dear Abby: I’m on the verge of blowing up at my boss over my unofficial duties Advice | Dear Abby: The bride has no room for all the gifts she wants Advice | Dear Abby: They dated for a month, and now she’s threatening to reveal his private business We were together 40 years, rearing a blended family of four children. Seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren followed.In disbelief, carrying a burden of grief, sorrow and pain, I am lonely and alone — but it is getting lighter with each pas...

Single family residence sells for $2.1 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

1758 Comstock Lane – Google Street ViewA 1,622-square-foot house built in 1962 has changed hands. The property located in the 1700 block of Comstock Lane in San Jose was sold on Nov. 6, 2023, for $2,055,000, or $1,267 per square foot. This single-story house offers a capacious living environment with its four bedrooms and two baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. In addition, the house includes a two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The property’s backyard also includes both a spa and a pool.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In July 2023, a 1,765-square-foot home on Hudson Drive in San Jose sold for $2,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,190. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,496-square-foot home on the 2500 block of Dumbarton Avenue in San Jose sold in October 2023, for $1,850,000, a price per square foot of $1,237. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Raleigh Drive, San Jose, in March 2023, a 1,573-squ...

Experience Black Friday at Barceló Hotels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

You can benefit from unprecedented promotions at Barceló Hotels for Black Friday 2023. Guests can access discounts of up to 55% in all hotels in the Barceló chain. This year, at Barcelo.com, owners launched offers on hotels for Black Friday at the best-guaranteed price so that you can have great experiences.About Barceló Chain OfferThese hotels and resorts in the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Dubai, Andalusia, or Madrid, among other destinations, have the most considerable discount of 2023 this Black Friday, so you can enjoy them with up to 40% off. + 15% EXTRA with code 23BH15 until November 29, 2023, and traveling until December 2024.If you want to disconnect and relax without worrying about anything, once again, Barceló Hotel Group makes it easy for you with the best Black Friday hotel and resort deals for 2023. Discover the most exclusive discounts throughout the year and enjoy your vacations in all available destinations.Remember that by booking as a Barceló customer, you get the ...

Nissan confirms future of Sunderland factory with government support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

LONDON — Japanese carmaker Nissan has committed to building three new electric vehicle models in the north east of England in a major boost to Britain’s automotive sector.The long-term commitment by Nissan is expected to be backed by government support.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Nissan’s investment was a “massive vote of confidence in the U.K.’s automotive industry.” Sky News reported earlier this week that Sunak had been personally involved in discussions with Nissan.The company announced on Friday that it will build new electric Qashqai, Juke and LEAF models at its factory in Sunderland, which will also be supplied by an additional battery gigafactory and electricity grid infrastructure.Taken together, the plans represent £2 billion of investment and protect 7,000 direct British jobs, Nissan said.The overall sum of government support for the project was not disclosed on Friday, but will include £15 million for a research center in Bedfordshire and the creation of a North East...

Israel-Hamas conflict is the West’s war too

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

Gideon Sa’ar is a minister in the Israeli Government, a member of the Security Cabinet and chairman of the New Hope Party.In 2005 Israel withdrew from Gaza. It uprooted every Israeli and every community. Every Israeli grave was relocated. All soldiers were withdrawn, and military bases shuttered. Israel unilaterally withdrew to the pre-1967 border.Gaza has always been an epicenter of hate, incitement, and terrorism against Israel. Since Israel’s withdrawal, instead of choosing prosperity and peace, instead of developing Gaza into the Singapore of the Middle East, Hamas and Islamic Jihad decided to use the entity as a launching pad for their armies to wage their war against Israel.In the past decades and elsewhere in the Middle East (Lebanon, Yemen and others), Islamist terrorists have taken control and created “terror states” that operate and function completely differently from normal sovereign states.They’re not just a “terrorist organization” acting within the territory of anothe...

China will allow visa-free entry for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China announced Friday that it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia as it tries to encourage more people to visit for business and tourism.Starting Dec. 1, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will be allowed to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa. The trial program will be in effect for one year.The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing.China’s strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early this year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after...

Rescuers in India hope to resume drilling to evacuate 41 trapped workers after mechanical problem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:32 GMT

UTTARKASHI, India (AP) — Rescuers racing to evacuate 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for nearly two weeks are hoping to resume drilling on Friday after a mechanical problem a day ealier forced them to halt, officials said. The platform of the drilling machine, which became unstable while boring through rock debris, has been fixed, Bhaskar Khulbe, a former adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, said at the accident site. But before they can resume drilling, rescuers are manually digging through the debris to remove pieces of metal to avoid damaging the machine, said Kirti Panwar, a government spokesperson. Drilling was also paused on Wednesday after the boring machine hit a metal girder, causing some damage to its blades and a six-hour delay as rescuers worked to clear the obstacle. The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, when a landslide in mountainous Uttarakhand state caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile)...