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Photos: Muslims celebrate Ramadan around the world

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

Joanna Tavares | New York Daily NewsMuslims around the world began their month-long observance of Ramadan at sundown on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The holy month is done with prayer and fasting from dawn to dusk to honor Allah. Practitioners pray, fast, reflect and abstain from smoking and sex to bring them closer to God until the final night on April 22. The dates usually vary by a few days depending on the moon and a country’s location.Peshawar, PakistanMuslim devotees pray before breaking their fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Peshawar on March 23, 2023. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP) (Photo by ABDUL MAJEED/AFP via Getty Images)Srinagar, IndiaMuslim devotees pray inside the Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani shrine on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Srinagar on March 23, 2023. (Photo by TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP) (Photo by TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images)Manila, PhilippinesWomen pray during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in T...

Bruins’ A.J. Greer given one-game suspension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

A.J. Greer was given a one-game suspension by the NHL’s Department of PlayerSafety for his crosscheck to the face of Montreal Canadiens’ forward Mike Hoffman in the Bruins’ 4-2 win over the Habs on Thursday at the Garden.It is the first time Greer has been suspended or fined in his 99 games in the National Hockey League.Late in the first period, Greer and Hoffman were jousting with their sticks before a faceoff. They eventually turned to face each other and, after Hoffman put his stick into Greer’s chest in what the league deemed a defensive posture, Greer crosschecked him in the face.“It is important to note that this is not a case of a stick directed towards the body that rides up the opponent,” according to the league’s video explanation. “This crosscheck is delivered cleanly to the head of Hoffman. And while we understand Greer’s assertion that he does not intend to strike Hoffman in this manner, players are responsible for t...

Bruins notebook: This weekend could be a tone setter for B’s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

The Bruins’ back-to-back games this weekend had appeared to be a pivotal two-game set for months. They will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (1 p.m.) at the Garden and then travel to Carolina to play the Hurricanes on Sunday (5 p.m.).But the importance of these two games has changed. Standings-wise, Saturday’s game does not matter much. The B’s have all but sewn up the Atlantic Division (a win on Saturday or a regulation loss by Toronto will clinch the Atlantic). Meanwhile, the Bolts won’t be caught from behind by Florida and their hopes of catching Toronto for second-place are dimming.Psychologically, however, a game against a potential second-round opponent at this point in the season is not a throwaway.Neither team wants to lay an egg in this situation and, to be honest, both clubs could stand to manufacture a good performance. The B’s are riding a five-game win streak but have needed superb goaltending performances from Linus Ullmark and Jer...

ACLU: Lawsuit likely if Nebraska bill on trans health passes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Now that a Nebraska bill to ban gender-affirming treatments for minors has cleared its first and toughest hurdle, parents and children likely to be affected by the measure are preparing for a legal fight, the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday.“It’s discriminatory on the basis of sex,” said Jane Seu, policy counsel with the Nebraska ACLU. “It also violates the free speech rights of doctors.”The bill — which has led opposing lawmakers to stage an effort to filibuster every bill before the Legislature this session — would outlaw gender-affirming therapies such as hormone treatments, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery for those 18 and younger. It would also ban Nebraska doctors from referring minors to other providers — even those in another state — for such treatment.Republican lawmakers on Thursday advanced the bill from the first of three rounds of debate on a largely party-line vote. But even if enacted this year, opponents say the f...

US, Canada end loophole that let asylum-seekers cross border

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (AP) — The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.Since early 2017, so many migrants entered Canada via Roxham Road outside Champlain, New York that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police staffed a reception center to process them, less than five miles (8 kilometers) from the official border crossing where they’d be returned to the United States. Mounties warned they’d be arrested, but once on Canadian soil, they were allowed to stay and pursue asylum cases that can take years to resolve.The new policy says that any asylum seekers who lack U.S. or Canadian citizenship and are caught within 14 days of crossing will be sent back across the border. It was set to take effect a minute after midnight Saturday, a ...

Reese Witherspoon, Jim Toth announce plans to divorce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reese Witherspoon and her husband say they are divorcing after nearly 12 years of marriage.The actor-producer and her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, announced their breakup Friday in a joint statement on Instagram. Their wedding anniversary is Sunday.“It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the post said. “We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together.”Witherspoon and Toth have one son together and they said he remains their biggest priority, asking for privacy.The statement’s authenticity was confirmed by a Witherspoon representative. No records of a divorce filing could be found in Los Angeles Superior Court.Witherspoon was previously married to actor Ryan Phillippe, with whom she has two children.The Associated Press

Former ‘Family Feud’ contestant charged in wife’s slaying

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

QUINCY, Ill. (AP) — A former contestant on the long-running television game show “Family Feud” has been charged with first-degree murder and home invasion in the slaying of his estranged wife in western Illinois.Timothy Bliefnick, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon at his arraignment in Adams County Circuit Court in Quincy, according to court records.Bliefnick was indicted Thursday by a county grand jury, KHQA-TV reported.The body of Rebecca Bliefnick, 41, was found by a family member inside her Quincy home after she failed to pick up her children from school. She had been shot multiple times. Timothy Bliefnick was arrested March 13. His Quincy home was searched March 1.The couple was separated and going through divorce proceedings, the television station reported from court records.A restraining order had been filed against Timothy Bliefnick, who also filed one against his estranged wife.In 2020, Timothy Bliefnick and some of his family members appeared on ABC’s “Family ...

Human rights groups criticize Cuba’s new criminal code

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba enacted a new penal code this week that activists and human rights organizations warned Friday could further limit free expression and snuff out protests at a time of deepening discontent on the island.The code, a modified version of the country’s 1987 regulations approved by the Cuban government in May, will ripple to journalists, human rights activists, protesters, social media users and opposition figures. The changes come amid deepening discontent in Cuba produced by compounding crises and as the government continues to dole out punishments to participants — including 16- to 18-year-olds — in the island’s historic 2021 protests. Some older protesters have been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.Among some of the changes are increases in the minimum penalties and prison sentences on things like “public disorder,” “resistance” and “insulting national symbols.”The new code also establishes criminal categories for digital offenses, saying that people diss...

Utah social media law is ambitious, but is it enforceable?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

Utah’s sweeping social media legislation passed this week is an ambitious attempt to shield children and teens from the ill effects of social media and empower parents to decide whether their kids should be using apps like TikTok or Instagram.What’s not clear is if — and how — the new rules can be enforced and whether they will create unintended consequences for kids and teens already coping with a mental health crisis. And while parental rights are a central theme of Utah’s new laws, experts point out that the rights of parents and the best interests of children are not always aligned. For instance, allowing parents to read their kids’ private messages may be harmful to some children, and age verification requirements could give tech companies access to kids’ personal information, including biometric data, if they use tools such as facial recognition to check ages. “Children may be put at increased risk if these laws are enforced in such a way that the...

5 killed in west Sudan tribal violence, rights group says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:20 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Two days of tribal violence in western Sudan’s long-troubled Darfur region killed at least 5 people, tribal leaders and a rights group said Friday. The violence between African Masalit tribesmen and Arab shepherds in West Darfur erupted Thursday after two armed assailants fatally shot a merchant in a remote area, leaders from both groups said. In a statement, Masalit tribesmen accused Arab militia of being behind the killing. The slaying sparked a series of targeted attacks that killed at least four more people, the tribal leaders and the rights group both said. Five victims were later identified by the Darfur Bar Association, a Sudanese legal group focusing on human rights in the western province. The group called on both sides to de-escalate tensions.The violence comes as wrangling cross-party talks continue in Khartoum over how the African country will usher in a civilian government following 17 months of military rule.Sudan has been steeped in chaos after a mi...