Middle East latest: 1 killed and 4 wounded in stabbing attack in Haifa, Israeli officials say
Israeli police say a man in his 60s was killed and four other people were wounded in a stabbing attack Monday in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Police say they’re treating the stabbing, which took place in a central transit hub, as a militant attack. They say a security guard and civilian killed the attacker. Police say the assailant was an Arab citizen of Israel who had recently returned to Israel after some time abroad. The attack took place as regional tensions are high surrounding the fate of the ceasefire in Gaza. The militant group Hamas praised the attack but stopped short of claiming responsibility.
With the Gaza ceasefire in limbo, Israel tries to impose an alternative plan on Hamas
Israel has introduced what it said was a new U.S. ceasefire plan and is trying to force Hamas to accept it by imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip. The plan is different from the one the two sides agreed to in January. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to it as the “Witkoff proposal.” He says it came from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff. But the White House has yet to confirm that. Netanyahu’s remarks came a day after the first phase of the negotiated ceasefire ended, with no clarity on what would come next since the agreement’s second phase has not yet been hammered out. The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
A driver rams a car into crowd in Germany’s Mannheim, leaving 1 dead and others injured
BERLIN (AP) — Police in Germany say a driver rammed a car into a crowd Monday in the city of Mannheim, and one person was killed and several others injured. A suspect is in custody. Police would not immediately characterize the incident as an attack. Cars have been used as deadly weapons in acts of violence in recent months in Germany. Mannheim University Hospital said they were treating three people from this crash, two adults and a child, German news agency dpa reported. It was not immediately clear whether other hospitals received patients.
Trump’s speech to Congress comes as he wields vast power almost daring lawmakers, courts to stop him
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill this week to deliver a speech to Congress. Trump will be speaking to the coequal branch of government he has bulldozed past this first month in office, wielding unimaginable executive power. With top aide Elon Musk, Trump is firing federal employees, shuttering government agencies and badgering the president of Ukraine, a U.S. ally. As lawsuits pile up, the Republican president is essentially daring Congress and the courts to stop him. Critics warn of a constitutional crisis. The Tuesday address will be in the House chamber where lawmakers crouched in fear on Jan. 6, 2021, while a mob of Trump’s supporters roamed the halls.
Pope appears to be overcoming a setback in his recovery from pneumonia
ROME (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis has had a good night’s rest. All indications suggest he has overcome the possible risks from a respiratory crisis last week. He is stable, off mechanical ventilation and shows no sign of new infection following the coughing fit on Friday. The doctors reported the 88-year-old pope spent all day Sunday without using the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask that pumps oxygen into his lungs. Francis did continue to receive high flow supplemental oxygen through a nasal tube. The Vatican says Francis was up on Monday and receiving therapy.
Key Oscar moments, from Zoe Saldaña’s emotional win and ‘Oz’ opening to Kieran Culkin’s baby wish
After accepting the Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in “Emilia Pérez,” Zoe Saldaña spoke emotionally about her family and her grandmother, tearing up during her speech. It was one highlight during Sunday’s almost-four-hour-long telecast. Another was Morgan Freeman understatedly honoring his friend, Gene Hackman, and a cute moment when Kieran Culkin asked for more kids from his wife. Host Conan O’Brien took a back seat at the opening number, ceding the floor to a “Wizard of Oz”-themed musical medley led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and there was a James Bond segment in which singers Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye each tackled a 007 title song.
Musk’s embrace of right-wing politics risks turning off car buyers and sinking Tesla’s stock
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk appears be to turning off potential Tesla buyers with his embrace of far-right politicians around the world, analysts say, and the hit couldn’t come at a worse time. The company was already losing market share to European and Chinese automakers as they catch up in quality to Tesla’s electric vehicles. Now Musk has to contend with a fierce political backlash, too. He has been hung in effigy in Italy, mocked in Britain for selling “swasticars” and faced calls for a boycott in Poland. Tesla sales plunged 45% in Europe in January, after a drop in California. Its stock is falling, too. Since Inauguration Day, Tesla investors have lost $550 billion.
Illinois man accused of deadly mass shooting at July 4th parade faces trial 3 years after attack
WAUKEGAN, Ill (AP) — Opening statements are set to begin in the trial of a man accused of opening fire on a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade and killing seven people in 2022. Jurors were chosen last week for the trial scheduled to begin Monday. There have been several delays during the case, partly because of the erratic behavior of the defendant, Robert Crimo III. He has been charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, among other charges. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to last about a month with testimony from survivors and police. Prosecutors have turned in thousands of pages of evidence, as well as hours of a videotaped interrogation during which police say Crimo confessed to the shooting.
Cartel-plagued Mexican city pins hopes on Trump’s anti-drug trafficking pressure
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — In Mexico’s Culiacan, a city of 1 million residents, an elementary school principal starts each day checking for shootouts before deciding whether to cancel classes. For the past six months, Culiacan has been the battlefield for the two main factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Unlike in other states, this is the first extended period of violence that has touched Culiacan’s residents because the cartel’s control was previously so complete. Many residents believe the pressure applied by U.S. President Donald Trump to get Mexico to do more against drug trafficking has been good for them. Some are even optimistic that this difficult period could change the persistent view that the cartel has been their protector.
Austria’s new government takes office after a record 5-month wait
VIENNA (AP) — Austria’s new government has taken office after an unprecedented five-month wait for a new administration. Christian Stocker took over as chancellor at the head of a previously untried three-party coalition on Monday. The new government will have to deal with rising unemployment, a recession and a creaking budget. Its coalition agreement, presented last Thursday after the longest negotiations in post-World War II Austria, also foresees strict new asylum rules in the European Union country of 9 million people. This is the country’s first three-party government. The alliance in the political center came together only at the second attempt after the far-right Freedom Party emerged as the strongest political force in a parliamentary election on Sept. 29.
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