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Former leaders of Israel’s security services are speaking out against Netanyahu’s policies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

HERZLIYA, Israel (AP) — They contended with bloody uprisings, destabilizing wars and even the assassination of a prime minister during their service. But for dozens of former Israeli security commanders, the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government are the biggest threat yet to the country’s future.In unprecedented opposition, more than 180 former senior officials from the Mossad, the Shin Bet domestic security agency, the military and the police have united against steps they say will shatter Israel’s resilience in the face of mounting threats from the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran.“We were used to dealing with external threats,” said Tamir Pardo, a former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and a leader of the new group. “We’ve been through wars, through military operations and all of a sudden you realize that the greatest threat to the state of Israel is internal.”Netanyahu’s government, made up of ultranationalist and ultra-religious...

Bill Richardson is mourned in New Mexico after globe-trotting career, lies in state at Capitol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Friends and admirers of former Gov. Bill Richardson are mourning the hard-charging politician whose career spanned the globe, from mountain villages of northern New Mexico as a youthful congressman, to the United Nations and a litany of countries on unofficial diplomatic missions that often helped free imprisoned Americans.Richardson’s casket was scheduled to lie in state Wednesday in the rotunda of the New Mexico Statehouse astride a giant inlay of the New Mexico state seal and an ancient Zia Pueblo symbol of the sun.Richardson died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, earlier this month at age 75.Final memorials and funeral services were scheduled in Santa Fe, the state capital city where Richardson served two terms as governor starting in 2003 and is still remembered for innate political skills, ambition and an ability to both clash and reconcile with rivals.“He admired legislators who showed spunk and integrity and didn’t give in ...

Dozens of prominent European Rabbis condemn Armenia’s leaders for using Holocaust rhetoric

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

The letter was signed by 50 leading rabbis from 20 European countries including, France, England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Gibraltar, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, and Ukraine. Picture from RCE, writes Yossi Lempkowicz. The Rabbis also expressed their concern over Armenia’s close ties with Iran, “a country which incessantly openly and publicly calls for its destruction of the only Jewish country in the world.”“Expressions such as ‘ghetto’, ‘genocide’, ‘Holocaust’ and others are (…) inappropriate to be part of the jargon used in any kind of political disagreement”, wrote the rabbis in the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan.The Rabbis are also expressing their concern over Armenia’s close ties with Iran, “a country which incessantly openly and publicly calls for its destruction of the only Jewish country in the world”, according to the letter...

Neighborhood council collapses after new member is suspected of being a registered sex offender

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

LOS ANGELES - Studio City’s neighborhood council has imploded after members found out that they may have voted in a convicted sex offender - even after they alerted Los Angeles city leaders, KTLA has learned. Ian Mitchell King, a self-described a “non-practicing lawyer” and business consultant, joined the council in mid-August. At the time, he told councilmembers that he had served in the U.S. Marine Corps. and U.S. Navy. What councilmembers did not yet know, however, is that there is an individual who is listed on California's sex offender registry with an identical name and address as the new council member. Another council member first made the connection after finding an online article about an Ian Mitchell King who served 13 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman while on duty as a school resource officer who was listed on California’s sex offender registry. KTLA reviewed government documents, the sex offender registry, and contacted...

L.A. fashion student fights FIDM's partnership with fast-fashion retailer Shein

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

A Los Angeles fashion student is taking a stand against one of the largest fashion producers in the world after Shein announced a partnership with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise.Lexy Silverstein, a 20-year-old student at FIDM, is speaking out against her school’s collaboration with Shein, saying the move marks the antithesis of much-needed sustainability in the fashion industry.As one of the largest fast-fashion companies in the world, Shein, among others, is known for producing a large amount of clothing and accessories with cheap materials and oftentimes, questionable labor practices.  "I was just shocked,” Silverstein said. “The biggest thing for me is, how can a fashion institute that markets itself as one of the Top 10 most sustainable fashion schools in the world partner with Shein, one of the biggest fast fashion contributors in our industry today?”Lexy Silverstein, a 20-year-old student at FIDM, is speaking out against her school’s collaboration with Sh...

Temecula school board approves new flag policy despite concern over LGBTQ+ issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

A new controversial flag policy for the Temecula Valley Unified School District was passed with a 3-2 vote during Tuesday night's meeting.School officials discussed whether certain flags should be limited for display, which some critics believe will be used to censor LGBTQ+ support. Following the policy's approval, only state and U.S. flags can be displayed at schools. All other flags would require the superintendent’s approval.The school board president placed the policy on Tuesday night’s agenda. A large showing of parents, teachers, students and community members gathered at the meeting as tensions flared at times."This rainbow flag is infiltrating every corner of education and we need to talk about that," a supporter of the policy said.No text in the policy specifically mentions Pride flags on school campuses, however, members of the LGBTQ+ community believe the ban is being aimed at preventing Pride flags from being flown.“Taking down a Pride flag is telling people they're not ...

Arsonist sought in as many as 14 fires set in Reseda

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

Authorities believe the same person may be responsible for as many as 14 fires, including one that burned a pickup truck in the Reseda area over the past several days.Firefighters were alerted to several rubbish fires burning around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Vanowen Street and Reseda Boulevard, Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Thomas Gikas said. Crews managed to douse all of the fires and no injuries were reported.A pickup truck burned in one of several fires started in the Reseda area on Sept. 12, 2023. (Key News Network)“In this area, I think we’ve had a total of about 12 rubbish fires in the past three nights,” Gikas said.Most of the incidents involved fires burning in alleys and trash cans but a pickup truck was also torched. Video obtained by KTLA show flames shooting several feet into the air as crews worked to douse the fire in the bed of the pickup truck. Baby found inside abandoned stroller in L.A. A pile of burned leaves and damage to the back window o...

Sale closed in Los Gatos: $7 million for a five-bedroom home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

139 Longmeadow Drive – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 100 block of Longmeadow Drive in Los Gatos has new owners. The 8,763-square-foot property, built in 1958, was sold on Aug. 28, 2023. The $6,975,000 purchase price works out to $796 per square foot. This single-story house offers a spacious layout with five bedrooms and five baths. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. Additionally, the house comes with a two-car garage, allowing for convenient vehicle storage and additional storage space. The property’s backyard also includes both a spa and a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 3,105-square-foot home on the 100 block of Blueberry Hill Drive in Los Gatos sold in December 2022, for $4,125,000, a price per square foot of $1,329. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Clover Way, Los Gatos, in May 2023, a 2,442-square-foot home was sold for $4,250,000, a price per square foot of $1,740. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 b...

Deputies clear out heated Sunol Glen school board meeting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

SUNOL, Calif. (KRON) -- An Sunol Glen school board was cleared out by sheriff's deputies Tuesday night after it became disorderly, according to a KRON4 photographer at the scene. The board passed a resolution to restrict all non-state-required flags on school campuses. It only allows flags like United States and California flag, and bans items such as Pride flags. At about 9 p.m., before it was voted on, the school board asked everyone to leave and called in Alameda County Sheriff's deputies to escort people out. The vote passed 2-to-1 at about 9:40 p.m. Massive sinkhole forms in SF intersection after water main break The resolution raised questions about whether the school board was discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community, and the meeting became heated when some people felt the comments were becoming one-sided. "It takes away educational factors for our school," said a parent at the meeting named Rhiana B. "LGBTQ rights are part of our social studies history curriculum here ...

Five former Memphis officers federally indicted in Tyre Nichols case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:45 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) --- An indictment was filed in federal court Tuesday charging five former Memphis police officers with depriving Tyre Nichols of his rights during a January 7 arrest that led to his death. The indictment lists four separate counts including excessive force and failure to intervene, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness tamper, and witness tampering for former officers, and Emmitt Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. It also lists overt acts committed by the officers during the incident. One of the acts includes Haley and Mills taking off their body-worn cameras and setting them aside before gathering with the other officers to discuss the force used on Nichols and making statements such as "I thought when he wasn't going to fall, we about to kill this man," while emergency medical personnel were at the scene. “The country watched in horror as Tyre Nichols was kicked, punched, tased, and pepper sprayed, and we a...