Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was detained last month in Iran while on a reporting trip, was released and on her way back to Italy on Wednesday, the Italian government said in a statement. “The plane that is taking journalist Cecilia Sala home took off a few minutes ago from Tehran,” the Italian government announced Wednesday morning, adding that “thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities.” Iranian officials have not commented on the announcement from Italy.Ms. Sala, 29, had been held for 20 days and told her family…
Author: THE CONNECTING NEWSPAPER
LaMelo Ball is leading all Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting. Perhaps that’s because he does moves in the regular season that most players only attempt in the All-Star Game. Ball put together a number of playground moves in a 115-104 win over the baffled Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, including a play where he threw a pass to himself from the free-throw line that led to free throws for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. That wasn’t even the only time Ball passed to himself off the glass in this game. Later he drove for an and-one in a play…
Army takes control of RSF territories in Mansoura, Murabaat and Elfitihab, and seizes weapons and ammunition depot.Sudan‘s military forces claim to have advanced into the country’s second-largest city Omdurman, taking some areas previously controlled by rival rebel group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Fighting was reported to be raging in the city, which sits directly across the Nile River from the capital, Khartoum, for a second day on Wednesday. The army has now seized control of former RSF territories in Mansoura, Murabaat and Elfitihab, according to Hiba Morgan, Al Jazeera’s Sudan correspondent. Fighting in #Sudan’s capital is mostly in Omdurman…
Jimmy Carter to lie in state at Capitol Rotunda The body of President Jimmy Carter arrives at Capitol Rotunda to lie in state. ATLANTA – Amy Carter was just 9 years old when her father, Jimmy Carter, became the 39th President of the United States in 1977. With her golden locks and shy demeanor, the youngest Carter quickly captured the public’s attention as the first child to live in the White House since the Kennedy children. The 57-year-old Carter has been living a mostly private life but has been thrust back into the spotlight, first with the death of her…
China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, commenced his annual New Year tour of Africa on Sunday, January 6, continuing a 35-year tradition aimed at strengthening Beijing’s influence across the continent. His visit to Namibia, Republic of Congo, Chad, and Nigeria underscores China’s commitment to Africa, contrasting with waning European engagement and shifting US priorities. While global powers focus on issues like the Ukraine war and domestic politics, China is increasing its financial support for Africa’s heavily indebted economies. Beyond that, Beijing is seeking more critical minerals deals with the resource-rich continent and new markets for its exports, particularly electric…
Toya Delazy Champions A New Dawn With Afrorave For 2025. South African rapper and global trailblazer Toya Delazy has once again reminded the world why she’s a force to be reckoned with. Toya Delazy Champions A New Dawn With Afrorave For 2025 Now based in the UK and spearheading her self-coined musical genre, Afrorave, Toya took to social media to share an impassioned message of gratitude, unity, and cultural preservation as she reflected on her electrifying performance in Bristol. “Afrorave 2025—Are we ready?” she asked, setting the tone for an inspiring post that celebrated not just music but a deeper…
The political party on the verge of leading Austria would take an already conservative country into a growing group of nations shifting to the far-right of European politics. It has flirted with Nazi slogans, cozied up to Russia and drawn warnings from Holocaust survivors’ groups. It campaigned on promises to deport immigrants and ban political forms of Islam.The Freedom Party, known as the FPÖ, and its firebrand leader, Herbert Kickl, were given the chance to form a governing coalition this week, after efforts to bar them from power collapsed. If they succeed in forming a government, it would be a…
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young called game in the most incredible way Tuesday against the Utah Jazz. Jazz guard Collin Sexton had just tied up the game at 121-121 with a clutch triple with 2.9 seconds left at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. With the Hawks out of timeouts, the contest looked headed for overtime. But Young had other ideas. The Hawks All-Star took two dribbles toward the halfcourt line and pulled up for a shot right in Sexton’s face. You already know what happened next. Young probably had dinner plans and didn’t want to keep his guests waiting.…
Some frightened residents were forced to abandon their cars and flee on foot from rapidly growing conflagration.Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of Los Angeles as strong winds drove the rapid growth of wildfires around the western United States city. More than 30,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday as high winds helped a brush fire surge into the coastal Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Further blazes later saw other areas around southern California come under threat. Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing…
Just south of Brooklyn Bridge Park, six cranes dot the waterfront. Just one of them is in service, bringing in around 90,000 containers per year that come to Red Hook’s port — mostly food from Latin America and the Caribbean.Of the five other cranes at Brooklyn Marine Terminal, two sit on condemned, crumbling piers. Hurricane Sandy left another crane in ruins, and the last hasn’t worked in years. But the area is slated to be transformed, with crucial upgrades to the port and working waterfront that would allow an expansion of consumer goods transported there, taking vehicles off the road. Thousands of…