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Tag: 2024-2025 mideast wars

  • Trump rolls out Board of Peace at Davos forum

    DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump on Thursday inaugurated his Board of Peace to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body he said could eventually rival the United Nations — despite many U.S. allies opting not to participate.

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    By JOSH BOAK, AAMER MADHANI and WILL WEISSERT – Associated Press

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  • Trump highlights false claims as he reviews past year

    President Donald Trump marked his first year back in office Tuesday by presiding over a meandering, nearly two-hour press briefing to recount his accomplishments, repeating many false claims he made throughout 2025.

    Among the topics about which he continued to spread falsehoods were the 2020 election, foreign policy, the economy and energy.

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    By MELISSA GOLDIN – Associated Press

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  • She set a photo afire, and became a symbol of resistance for Iran protesters

    LONDON — With one puff of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of defiance against Iran’s bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the flame.

    A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the flame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement.

    Whether staged or a spontaneous act of defiance — and there’s plenty of debate — the video has become one of the defining images of the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy, as U.S. President Donald Trump considers military action in the country again.

    The gesture has jumped from the virtual world to the real one, with opponents of the regime lighting cigarettes on photos of the ayatollah from Israel to Germany and Switzerland to the United States.

    In the 34 seconds of footage, many across platforms like X, Instagram and Reddit saw one person defy a series of the theocracy’s laws and norms in a riveting act of autonomy. She wears no hijab, three years after the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests against the regime’s required headscarves.

    She burns an image of Iran’s supreme leader, a crime in the Islamic republic punishable by death. Her curly hair cascades — yet another transgression in the Iranian government’s eyes. She lights a cigarette from the flame — a gesture considered immodest in Iran.

    And in those few seconds, circulated and amplified a million times over, she steps into history.

    In 2026, social media is a central battleground for narrative control over conflicts. Protesters in Iran say the unrest is a demonstration against the regime’s strictures and competence. Iran has long cast it as a plot by outsiders like United States and Israel to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

    And both sides are racing to tell the story of it that will endure.

    Iranian state media announces wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those it calls “terrorists” and also apparently looking for Starlink satellite internet dishes, the only way to get videos and images out to the internet. There was evidence on Thursday that the regime’s bloody crackdown had somewhat smothered the dissent after activists said it had killed at least 2,615 people. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the mayhem of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    Social media has bloomed with photos of people lighting cigarettes from photos of Iran’s leader. “Smoke ’em if you got ’em. #Iran,” posted Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana.

    In the age of AI, misinformation and disinformation, there’s abundant reason to question emotionally and politically charged images. So when “the cigarette girl” appeared online this month, plenty of users did just that.

    It wasn’t immediately clear, for example, whether she was lighting up inside Iran or somewhere with free-speech protections as a sign of solidarity. Some spotted a background that seemed to be in Canada. She confirmed that in interviews. But did her collar line up correctly? Was the flame realistic? Would a real woman let her hair get so close to the fire?

    Many wondered: Is the “cigarette girl” an example of “psyops?” That, too, is unclear. That’s a feature of warfare and statecraft as old as human conflict, in which an image or sound is deliberately disseminated by someone with a stake in the outcome. From the allies’ fake radio broadcasts during World War II to the Cold War’s nuclear missile parades, history is rich with examples.

    The U.S. Army doesn’t even hide it. The 4th Psychological Operations Group out of Ft. Bragg in North Carolina last year released a recruitment video called, “Ghost in the Machine 2 that’s peppered with references to “PSYWAR.” And the Gaza war featured a ferocious battle of optics: Hamas forced Israeli hostages to publicly smile and pose before being released, and Israel broadcast their jubilant reunions with family and friends.

    Whatever the answer, the symbolism of the Iranian woman’s act was powerful enough to rocket around the world on social media — and inspire people at real-life protests to copy it.

    The woman did not respond to multiple efforts by The Associated Press to confirm her identity. But she has spoken to other outlets, and AP confirmed the authenticity of those interviews.

    On X, she calls herself a “radical feminist” and uses the screen name Morticia Addams —- after the exuberantly creepy matriarch of “The Addams Family” — sheerly out of her interest in “spooky things,” the woman said in an interview with the nonprofit outlet The Objective.

    She doesn’t allow her real name to be published for safety reasons after what she describes as a harrowing journey from being a dissident in Iran — where she says she was arrested and abused — to safety in Turkey. There, she told The Objective, she obtained a student visa for Canada. Now, in her mid-20s, she said she has refugee status in and lives in Toronto.

    It was there, on Jan. 7, that she filmed what’s become known as “the cigarette girl” video a day before the Iranian regime imposed a near-total internet blackout.

    “I just wanted to tell my friends that my heart, my soul was with them,” she said in an interview on CNN-News18, a network affiliate in India.

    In the interviews, the woman said she was arrested for the first time at 17 during the “bloody November” protests of 2019, demonstrations that erupted after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal that Iran had struck with world powers that imposed crushing sanctions.

    “I was strongly opposed to the Islamic regime,” she told The Objective. Security forces “arrested me with tasers and batons. I spent a night in a detention center without my family knowing where I was or what had happened to me.” Her family eventually secured her release by offering a pay slip for bail. “I was under surveillance from that moment on.”

    In 2022 during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, she said she participated in a YouTube program opposing the mandatory hijab and began receiving calls from blocked numbers threatening her. In 2024, after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, she shared her story about it — and was arrested in her home in Isfahan.

    The woman said she was questioned and “subjected to severe humiliation and physical abuse.” Then without explanation, she was released on a high bail. She fled to Turkey and began her journey to Canada and, eventually, global notoriety.

    “All my family members are still in Iran, and I haven’t heard from them in a few days,” she said in the interview, published Tuesday. “I’m truly worried that the Islamic regime might attack them.”

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  • Some personnel at key US base in Qatar advised to evacuate amid Iran tensions

    WASHINGTON — Some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar have been advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, a U.S. official said. The decision came as a senior official in Iran brought up an earlier Iranian attack there.

    The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, described the move at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precautionary measure. The official wouldn’t go into any further details about the move, including whether the evacuation was optional or mandatory, if it affected troops or civilian personnel, or the number of those advised to leave, citing the need for operational security.

    In response, Qatar said Wednesday that such measures were being “undertaken in response to the current regional tensions.”

    “The IMO reaffirms that the State of Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities,” Qatar’s media office said in a post on X.

    The Pentagon declined to comment on questions about the move. The State Department had no immediate comment on the potential for any security alerts to be issued for American diplomats or other civilians in Qatar. In June, the embassy had issued a brief shelter-in-place advisory to U.S. citizens in Doha but stopped short of evacuating diplomats or advising Americans to leave the country.

    The precautionary measure comes as anti-government protests in nearby Iran continue and President Donald Trump has said that he is willing to conduct military operations in the country if the government continues to retaliate against the protesters.

    The base, which hosts thousands of U.S. service members, was targeted by Iran in June in retaliation for U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.

    Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the social platform X wrote “the #US President, who repeatedly talks about the futile aggression against #Iran’s nuclear facilities, would do well to also mention the destruction of the US base in #Al-Udeid by Iranian missiles.”

    “It would certainly help create a real understanding of Iran’s will and ability to respond to any aggression,” he added.

    Iranian and Qatari officials had spoken on Tuesday amid the deadly crackdown in Iran and America’s escalating threats to intervene if protesters are not spared.

    Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had a phone call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister.

    In a statement on X, Al Thani said that he “reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s backing of all de-escalation efforts, as well as peaceful solutions to enhance security and stability in the region.”

    Iran’s decision in June to retaliate against U.S. strikes by targeting the sprawling desert facility outside Doha created a rare tension between the two maritime neighbors, with Qatari officials saying it caught them by surprise.

    No American or Qatari personnel were harmed, the U.S. military’s Central Command said at the time, noting that the two forces worked together to defend the base. A Qatari military officer said one of 19 missiles fired by Iran was not intercepted and hit the base, but the Republican U.S. president said in a social media post at the time that “hardly any damage was done.”

    The Gulf state has been caught in the crossfire of other regional tensions, including an Israeli strike in September on the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Doha while the group’s top figures had been gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

    ___

    Amiri reported from New York.

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  • Lebanon signs gas exploration deal with international consortium amid economic crisis

    BEIRUT — BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon ’s government on Friday signed a deal with an international consortium to explore gas in an offshore area bordering Israel.

    The deal for exploration at the so-called Block 8 off the coast of southern Lebanon comes after Lebanon and Israel signed a 2022 agreement over their maritime border. The new deal is the latest to be granted by Lebanon to international companies to search for gas in its territorial waters.

    Cash-strapped Lebanon hopes that future gas discoveries will help the small Mideast nation pull itself out of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history.

    The deal was signed at the government’s headquarters in downtown Beirut by Energy Minister Joe Saddi from the Lebanese side and officials from the international consortium consisting of France’s TotalEnergies, Italy’s ENI, and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy.

    TotalEnergies said in a statement that the consortium plans to start with a 1,200-square kilometer (463 square mile) 3D seismic survey to assess the area’s exploration potential.

    In 2017, Lebanon approved licenses for France’s TotalEnergies, Italy’s ENI and Russia’s Novatek to move forward with offshore oil and gas development for two of 10 blocks in the Mediterranean Sea, including one that was at the time in a disputed part with neighboring Israel.

    The companies did not find viable amounts of oil and gas in one of the blocks north of Beirut, and drilling in another in the south was repeatedly postponed because of the maritime border dispute with Israel. Lebanon and Israel later signed a deal over their maritime border in 2022.

    In August 2023, an offshore drilling rig began operations in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon’s coast.

    That did not give positive results, but Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, said in a statement that they will keep trying in other areas.

    “We remain committed to pursue our exploration activities in Lebanon,” said Pouyanné. ” We will now focus our efforts on Block 8, together with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy and in close cooperation with Lebanese authorities.”

    On Oct. 8, 2023 Lebanon’s Hezbollah started firing rockets toward Israeli posts along the border to back its Hamas allies a day after the Palestinian group attacked southern Israel. The war lasted 14 months during which Hezbollah was severely weakened.

    In January 2023, Lebanon, ENI, TotalEnergies and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy signed an agreement in which the Qatari firm replaced Novatek. Under the deal, Qatar Energy takes Novatek’s 20% stake in addition to 5% each from ENI and TotalEnergies, leaving the Arab company with a total stake of 30%. TotalEnergies and ENI will each have 35% stakes.

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  • Iran seizes an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

    TEHRAN, Iran — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran seized a foreign oil tanker as it traveled the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state media said Friday.

    Mojtaba Ghahramani, a provincial chief of the justice department, said the oil tanker was carrying some 4 million liters, or 25,000 barrels, of smuggled fuel when the Revolutionary Guard naval forces seized the vessel, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    Ghahramani said the forces also detained 16 foreign crew members of the tanker, adding that the seizure was a remarkable “blow “ to smugglers. He did not disclose the nationality of the crew or the flag of the tanker.

    Iran occasionally seizes oil-carrying vessels over similar charges in the region. In November, Iran seized a ship as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz over what it said were violations, including carrying an illegal consignment.

    The West has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

    Iran also seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship MSC Aries in April 2024.

    Following years of tensions between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, Iran saw a full-scale 12-day war in June with Israel, whose strikes led to the deaths of senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 in Israel.

    Tehran has long threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all traded oil passes. The U.S. Navy has long patrolled the Mideast through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep the waterways open.

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  • Egypt and Iran complain about planned World Cup ‘Pride’ match in Seattle

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations that target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.

    Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium, which local organizers say will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.”

    In Egypt, the soccer federation issued a statement late Tuesday saying it sent a letter to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.”

    Seattle PrideFest has been organized in the city since 2007 by a nonprofit which designated the June 26 game for celebration before FIFA made the World Cup draw Friday.

    FIFA chose Saturday to allocate the Egypt-Iran game to Seattle instead of Vancouver, where the teams’ group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time.

    Already, organizers in Seattle have promoted an art contest for the game, including one entry of a rainbow-flagged sun rising over Mount Rainier as a crab goalie goes for a soccer ball while holding a cup of coffee in its pinchers.

    “With matches on Juneteenth and pride, we get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome,” Seattle’s Mayor-elect Kate Wilson wrote on social media. “What an incredible honor!”

    FIFA controls only stadiums and official fan zones in World Cup host cities and should have no formal authority over community events like Seattle PrideFest.

    FIFA declined comment Tuesday to the Associated Press, and did not address a question if it would consider switching the Belgium-New Zealand game to Seattle.

    Angry response in Iran, Egypt

    In Iran, where gays and lesbians can face the death penalty, the president of Iran’s Football Federation Mehdi Taj criticized scheduling the match during an interview aired on state television late Monday.

    Taj said Iran would bring up the issue during a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week. The longest-serving member of the 37-person council chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino is Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida.

    “Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point,” Taj said. State TV on Tuesday confirmed a complaint would be sent to FIFA.

    The Egypt soccer federation led by Ado Rida said of the pride celebration it “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”

    It urged FIFA to stop the celebration to “avoid activities that may trigger cultural and religious sensitivity between the presented spectators of both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially as such activities contradict the cultures and religions of the two countries.”

    Iran had threatened to boycott the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. over complaints about five of its nine-person delegation, including Taj, not getting visas to enter the United States.

    Iranians are subject to a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration and the U.S. in the past has denied visas for those with ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, like Taj. Iran ended up sending a smaller delegation including the team’s coach.

    Tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program, particularly after American warplanes bombed atomic sites in the country during Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic Republic in June. Unlike the 2022 World Cup, however, Iran is not scheduled to play the United States in the World Cup’s opening matches.

    Seattle’s response

    Asked about the complaint Wednesday, Seattle’s organizing committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament.”

    “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle,” spokesperson Hana Tadesse said in a statement. “We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that defines our region.”

    Iran, Egypt target LGBTQ+ community

    For years, Egyptian police have targeted gays and lesbians, sparking warnings even from the app Grindr in the past. Though Egypt technically does not outlaw homosexuality, authorities frequently prosecute members of the LGBTQ+ community on the grounds of “debauchery,” or “violating public decency.”

    Iran also has targeted the LGBTQ community and its theocracy is believed to have executed thousands of people for their sexuality since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once famously went as far as to claim during a 2007 visit to the United States: “We don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” A crowd at Columbia University responded by laughing and heckling the leader.

    FIFA dilemma

    FIFA risks being accused of a double standard if it sides with World Cup teams’ federations over the city of Seattle.

    At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA fiercely defended the right of the host nation’s cultural norms to be respected in full by visiting teams.

    A group of European federations wanted their team captains to wear a “One Love” armband with some rainbow colors that symbolized human rights and diversity, which FIFA and Qatari officials viewed in part as criticism of the emirate criminalizing same-sex relations. Some Wales fans had rainbow hats removed before entering the stadium.

    Qatar also will play in Seattle at the World Cup, on June 24 against a European opponent which could be Italy or Wales.

    ___

    AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report

    ___

    AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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  • Eurovision champion Nemo returns the winner’s trophy to protest Israel’s inclusion

    GENEVA — Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, said Thursday they will return the winner’s trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete in the politically troubled pop music competition.

    In an Instagram video, Nemo held the microphone-shaped glass ornament and said “today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf.”

    “Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion and dignity for all people,” Nemo said, adding that Israel’s participation, given its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, shows those ideals are at odds with organizers’ decisions.

    The nonbinary singer won the contest in May 2024 with pop-operatic ode “The Code.”

    Five countries have announced they will boycott the 2026 contest after organizers declined to expel Israel: Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland.

    “When entire countries withdraw it should be clear that something is deeply wrong,” Nemo said before placing the trophy in a box they said would be sent to the Geneva headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision.

    Next year’s Eurovision is scheduled to take place in Vienna in May, after Austrian singer JJ won the 2025 contest in Basel, Switzerland. By Eurovision tradition, the winning country hosts the following year.

    The walkouts cast a cloud over the future of what’s meant to be a feel-good cultural party marked by friendly rivalry and disco beats.

    The contest, which turns 70 in 2026, strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    It has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

    Opponents of Israel’s participation cite the war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

    Israel’s government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the attack by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in the attack and took 251 hostage.

    A number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim Israel has vigorously denied.

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  • Former AP photographer’s vintage images of Ireland capture a world before it disappeared

    BERLIN (AP) — Rare photographs of Ireland from 1963 show a world about to disappear, a country before it took its first steps toward modernity.

    Black and white images captured by a young German photographer, Diether Endlicher — who later spent four decades covering the Olympics and major global events for The Associated Press — are being shown at the Irish embassy in Berlin, where Endlicher, now 85, was honored last weekend for his role in documenting moments of Irish life from another era.

    The photos feature boatmen, fishermen, workmen, herders taking their animals to markets, women transporting milk by donkey cart, a funeral, devout worshippers praying to relics in stone-walled fields, ruined abbeys, dramatic landscapes, children looking at TVs through a shop window, an evocation of a time before modern conveniences arrived to convert all.

    The pictures lay unseen and forgotten in Endlicher’s attic until recently, when he rediscovered them after deciding to go through his archive. He scanned the now 62-year-old negatives and contacted the embassy to see if there was any interest. There was.

    Maeve Collins, the Irish ambassador to Germany, praised the photographs’ “beautiful detail” and historical importance.

    “They bring a vivid expression to the lived experience of people on the west coast of Ireland in the early 1960s,” she said.

    Photos are record of a road trip

    Endlicher was 22 when he traveled with a friend from Germany to the west coast of Ireland in a tiny Fiat 500, a two-door bubble car known as the “Bambino” that was not designed for road trips. He carried a Leica M2 and three lenses to places where few had seen cameras before.

    Once they got to Ireland’s west coast, they found a man transporting turf to Inishmaan, one of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, in a large sailing vessel with no motor. They decided to go with him and Endlicher took photos as they went.

    “I thought we’d never arrive there because the wind was not so strong. The boat traveled very slow,” Endlicher told the AP. “It was an interesting trip there and then when we landed on Inishmaan, that was a different world.”

    He saw fishermen at work, and peasants threshing barley by beating stalks on stones. Their clothes were home-spun from tweed. Electricity hadn’t reached the island. Turf from the mainland was used for heating and cooking.

    Many of the locals made clear they didn’t want their photos taken. The Aran Islands are still part of the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking area, and on Inishmaan at the time, most did not speak any English.

    “Inishmaan was a different world, even from the mainland,” Endlicher said. “Europe was very different then and so the difference between Ireland and Europe, mainland European countries was not so big. The agriculture was about the same. Farmers worked with horses. The only thing that was different in Ireland was donkeys. There were many donkeys at the time.”

    Return to work for the AP

    Endlicher returned to Ireland in 1984 to cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s visit for the AP. He worked for the news agency from 1965 to 2007.

    “I covered 29 Olympics altogether, Winter and Summer Olympics. I covered many Winter Olympics. As a Bavarian, I almost grew up on skis,” said Endlicher, who would ski the slopes before big races to find the best positions for photos.

    Endlicher was at the 1972 Olympics in Munich where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed after being targeted by the Palestinian group Black September.

    He traveled to Israel for news assignments in the 1980s and 90s and did several stints in Gaza, where he saw the first intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

    He remembers Israeli soldiers forcing him to hand over his film after he took photos of them beating a child who had been running with a Palestinian flag in Khan Younis, in Gaza.

    “I had no chance, I had to give them the film,” he said.

    Endlicher covered the changes unleashed by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union, as well as uprisings in Georgia and Armenia.

    “I remember in Moscow, there was this uprising when the communists tried to occupy the parliament, that was after (former Russian President Boris) Yeltsin, there were a lot of shootings in Moscow,” he said. “I was undercover, under a truck, and next to me was a TV cameraman in a telephone cell, and they shot at the telephone cell and he was wounded.”

    Endlicher was also embedded with American troops during the Gulf War in 1991, and had been in Prague, Czechoslovakia for the Soviet invasion in 1968, when he relied on a taxi driver driving to and from Vienna, Austria to get his films out to be processed and transmitted.

    “He must have had some deal with the border police or the Russian army,” he said.

    Job presents dangers

    Reflecting on the dangers he faced over a 42-year career with the AP — Endlicher also previously worked for German news agency DPA – he said he believes there is a necessity to take pictures, to bear witness.

    “It’s necessary that some people are willing to take the risk. Like Anja Niedringhaus, she paid with her life,” he said of his former AP colleague who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014. “The thing is you have to be independent, I think. If you’re married and have kids, it’s a different story. If you are single and have no obligations … It’s also difficult to keep up friendships. I had also a time when the job was the most important thing to me. And I neglected some of my family life. It’s a conflict.”

    Endlicher’s son, Matthias, accompanied him to the embassy’s tribute on Saturday, and they were joined by his wife, Andrea, at the ambassador’s residence for dinner that evening.

    “I’m very happy that they saw the value of these pictures,” he said.

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  • Eurovision plans changes to voting, security after allegations of Israeli government ‘interference’

    GENEVA (AP) — Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced plans to change the voting system of the popular musical extravaganza to ensure fairness, a move that follows allegations of “interference” by Israel’s government.

    The European Broadcasting Union, a Geneva-based union of public broadcasters that runs the event, said Friday that the changes were “designed to strengthen trust, transparency and audience engagement.”

    Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years and won four times. But calls for Israel to be kicked out swelled over the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.

    The allegations of Israeli government interference have added a new twist to the debate.

    In September, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS — citing human suffering in the Gaza war — said that it could no longer justify Israel’s participation in the contest. Several other countries took a similar stance.

    The Dutch broadcaster went on to say there had been “proven interference by the Israeli government during the last edition of the Song Contest, with the event being used as a political instrument.” The statement didn’t elaborate.

    That same month, the CEO of Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Golan Yochpaz, said that there was “no reason why we should not continue to be a significant part of this cultural event, which must not become political.”

    Kan also said then that it was “convinced” that the EBU “will continue to maintain the apolitical, professional and cultural character of the competition, especially on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Eurovision” next year.

    As part of the new Eurovision measures, in next year’s contest — scheduled to take place in May in Vienna — the number of votes per payment method will be reduced by half to 10, the EBU said.

    In addition, “professional juries” will return to the semifinals for the first time since 2022 — a move that will give roughly 50-50 percentage weight between audience and jury votes, it said.

    Organizers will also enhance safeguards to thwart “suspicious or coordinated voting activity” and strengthen security systems that “monitor, detect and prevent fraudulent patterns,” EBU said.

    Contest director Martin Green said that the neutrality and integrity of the competition is of “paramount importance” to the EBU, its members, and audiences, adding that the event “should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized.”

    The EBU’s general assembly on Dec. 4-5 is poised to consider whether Israel can participate next year. A vote on that participation will only take place if member broadcasters decide the new steps are “not sufficient,” Green said.

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  • Eurovision plans voting, security changes after allegations of Israel ‘interference’

    GENEVA — Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced plans to change the voting system of the popular musical extravaganza to ensure fairness, a move that follows allegations of “interference” by Israel’s government.

    The European Broadcasting Union, a Geneva-based union of public broadcasters that runs the event, said Friday that the changes were “designed to strengthen trust, transparency and audience engagement.”

    Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years and won four times. But calls for Israel to be kicked out swelled over the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.

    The allegations of Israeli government interference have added a new twist to the debate.

    In September, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS — citing human suffering in the Gaza war — said that it could no longer justify Israel’s participation in the contest. Several other countries took a similar stance.

    The Dutch broadcaster went on to say there had been “proven interference by the Israeli government during the last edition of the Song Contest, with the event being used as a political instrument.” The statement didn’t elaborate.

    That same month, the CEO of Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Golan Yochpaz, said that there was “no reason why we should not continue to be a significant part of this cultural event, which must not become political.”

    Kan also said then that it was “convinced” that the EBU “will continue to maintain the apolitical, professional and cultural character of the competition, especially on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Eurovision” next year.

    As part of the new Eurovision measures, in next year’s contest — scheduled to take place in May in Vienna — the number of votes per payment method will be reduced by half to 10, the EBU said.

    In addition, “professional juries” will return to the semifinals for the first time since 2022 — a move that will give roughly 50-50 percentage weight between audience and jury votes, it said.

    Organizers will also enhance safeguards to thwart “suspicious or coordinated voting activity” and strengthen security systems that “monitor, detect and prevent fraudulent patterns,” EBU said.

    Contest director Martin Green said that the neutrality and integrity of the competition is of “paramount importance” to the EBU, its members, and audiences, adding that the event “should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized.”

    The EBU’s general assembly on Dec. 4-5 is poised to consider whether Israel can participate next year. A vote on that participation will only take place if member broadcasters decide the new steps are “not sufficient,” Green said.

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  • Dubai Air Show opens as local airlines likely seek more jets, defense remains a worry

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The biennial Dubai Air Show opened Monday as hometown airlines Emirates and FlyDubai likely look to increase their fleets off record earnings and unending demand for flights through this East-West travel hub.

    The air show will also see renewed interest in flying taxis, something the sheikhdom long has promised and now hopes to deliver on next year. Military sales as well remain a focus, with Russia again taking part despite facing Western sanctions over its grinding, yearslong war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Israeli firms won’t be attending over lingering anger from the devastating Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

    Emirates, the state-owned flagship airline of Dubai, earned annual profits of $5.2 billion in the last fiscal year and passenger numbers remain record-breaking at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel. The airline made a $52 billion purchase of Boeing Co. aircraft at the 2023 edition of the air show, which takes place at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central.

    FlyDubai, the lower-cost sister to Emirates, also has seen record-breaking earnings, and likely wants to expand its fleet of single-aisle aircraft. The airline currently flies 95 Boeing 737 variants, with Airbus wanting to break into the carrier’s fleet. FlyDubai ordered $11 billion worth of 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners at the last air show, which when delivered will be the airline’s first wide-body aircraft.

    Al Maktoum airport itself is on the agenda for Dubai’s government. It plans a $35 billion project to expand to five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates, to be completed within the next decade. The airport now has just two runways, like Dubai International Airport. Those additional slots coming online will help Emirates and FlyDubai grow their network, and require more aircraft to fly those routes.

    Meanwhile, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter, plans to display its aircraft and weapons systems at a massive pavilion at the air show. The UAE has maintained economic ties and flights to Moscow despite the war on Ukraine.

    Rosoboronexport said in a statement it planned to showcase a full-scale Pantzir-SMD-E surface-to-air missile system as well. Air defense systems have taken on a new importance in the Mideast after Qatar came under attack by both Israel and Iran this year. Iran also saw its systems devastated by Israel in a 12-day war between the countries in June.

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  • Gal Gadot win’s Israel’s Genesis Prize for her wartime support

    Israeli actor Gal Gadot has been awarded Israel’s Genesis Prize in recognition of her strong support for the country at a time when many in the entertainment industry have criticized it over the war in Gaza.

    Describing herself as a “proud Jew and a proud Israeli,” the “Wonder Woman” star, who at times has paid a personal price for her advocacy, said she would donate the $1 million prize to organizations committed to helping Israel recover from the trauma of its two-year war against Hamas.

    “Israel has endured unimaginable pain,” she said in a statement released by the prize on Tuesday. “Now we must begin to heal — to rebuild hearts, families and communities.”

    The Genesis Prize, nicknamed “the Jewish Nobel” by Time magazine, is granted each year to a person for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values. Winners have donated the award to promote causes close to their hearts, such as battling antisemitism, advancing women’s rights or fighting for economic justice.

    The war in Gaza erupted with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which militants killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and took over 250 others hostage.

    While Israel received some international sympathy in the early days of the war, global opinion quickly turned against it as its retaliatory offensive intensified. Health officials in Gaza say over 69,000 Palestinians have been killed, and the territory has suffered widespread destruction. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last month.

    The negative sentiment toward Israel has reverberated in Hollywood, where hundreds of industry workers, including some leading directors and actors, recently pledged to boycott the Israeli film industry.

    Throughout the war, Gadot, who served in the Israeli military after high school, remained a fervent advocate for Israel. She campaigned for the release of hostages held by Hamas, met with hostage families and released hostages and helped promote the screening in Los Angeles of a graphic film documenting the Hamas attack.

    At times, she has faced pressure and criticism for this support.

    Gadot, who played the wicked stepmother in “Snow White,” has said she believes anti-Israel sentiment was a factor in the poor performance of the film early this year. When she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last March, supporters of Israel and of Palestinians clashed nearby. And in August, hundreds of people from the film industry signed a letter calling on the Venice Film Festival to withdraw an invitation to Gadot. The festival’s director rejected the call, though Gadot did not attend.

    Stan Polovets, the co-founder and chair of the Genesis Prize Foundation, praised Gadot’s “moral clarity and unwavering love for Israel,” saying it had come at great personal and professional risk.

    A date for the awards ceremony next year was not immediately announced. The most recent winner, Argentine President Javier Milei, came to Jerusalem in June to receive the 2025 award.

    Previous winners include former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; actor Michael Douglas; violinist Itzhak Perlman; sculptor Anish Kapoor; filmmaker Steven Spielberg; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft,; former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharansky; Pfizer chair and chief executive Albert Bourla and entertainer Barbra Streisand.

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  • Vance optimistic about Gaza ceasefire but notes ‘very hard’ work to come

    KIRYAT GAT, Israel — U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called progress in Gaza’s fragile ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged during an Israel visit the challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land devastated by two years of war.

    Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct. 10 is going “better than I expected.” The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that “we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time.”


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    By RENATA BRITO, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY – Associated Press

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  • Maccabi Tel Aviv declines tickets for Aston Villa game, citing safety concerns

    TEL AVIV, Israel — TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Maccabi Tel Aviv has announced it will decline any tickets offered for a Europa League game against Aston Villa next month regardless of growing calls for the English city of Birmingham to reverse a ban imposed on the Israeli club’s fans.

    West Midlands Police last week deemed the Nov. 6 match at Villa Park to be high risk and cited violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played at Ajax in Amsterdam last season.

    The subsequent ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans for the Villa game attracted widespread criticism, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said it was the wrong decision.

    In a statement posted on social media late Monday, Maccabi Tel Aviv acknowledged the efforts to overturn the ban but added: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context.”

    Behind the scenes, the British government has been seeking to resolve the row, which comes at a time of heightened worries about antisemitism in Britain following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue earlier this month and calls from Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

    Maccabi’s decision came despite the British government pledging to give police extra resources so that the game could be played safely with both teams’ fans present.

    The U.K. government said in a statement Tuesday that it was “deeply saddened” by the team’s decision.

    “It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponized to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us,” it said. “We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.”

    Bans for traveling fans are not unheard of in European soccer, but are typically based on a history of violence between fans of rival clubs. There is no history of violence between Aston Villa and Maccabi fans.

    However, Maccabi fans have been increasingly in the spotlight over the past year or so, partly linked to the war in Gaza. Most notably, Maccabi fans clashed violently with city residents in Amsterdam last season when the team visited for a Europa League game against Ajax.

    Dozens were arrested and five people were treated in a hospital following the night of violence which was condemned as antisemitic by authorities and which also saw some supporters of the Israeli team chanting anti-Arab slogans.

    In Italy last week there was a heavy police presence, including snipers on the roof of the stadium, for a World Cup qualifier between Italian and Israeli national teams after authorities placed the game in the highest risk category.

    And last Sunday, dozens of people were injured after rioting soccer fans at a domestic league derby game in Tel Aviv threw flares and smoke grenades. The game at the Bloomfield Stadium between city rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was eventually abandoned out of concern for public safety, police said.

    The Nov. 6 encounter at Villa Park is set to be Maccabi’s first away match in the Europa League, European soccer’s second-tier competition, since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, when the club played PAOK on Sept. 24. About 120 Maccabi fans traveled to Greece for that game and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.

    European soccer’s governing body UEFA was weighing a vote to suspend Israeli teams from its competitions before that was overtaken this month by the ceasefire in Gaza.

    In the club statement, Maccabi Tel Aviv said soccer should bring people together, not divide them.

    “We have been instrumental in bringing forward footballing talent from around the world irrespective of race or creed. Our first team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide,” the statement said, adding that the club had been “working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base.”

    The statement said there were critics who sought to “malign” Maccabi fans.

    “We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future,” the club said.

    ___

    AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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  • A fire aboard a gas tanker off the coast of Yemen kills 2 mariners

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A fire that erupted on a Cameroonian-flagged gas tanker traveling through the Gulf of Aden killed two mariners on board, authorities said Monday, as the ship remained adrift off the coast of Yemen.

    The blaze aboard the Falcon began on Saturday and appeared to be an accident, according to the U.S. Navy-overseen Joint Maritime Information Center. However, there were no other immediate details and the ship had been abandoned at sea, without any time for further investigation.

    “The incident resulted from an explosion deemed as an accident and not caused by external factor/influence,” the center said, citing the crew members. “Of the 26 crew onboard, 24 crew members were evacuated safely by responding vessels but two of the crew members have unfortunately passed away.”

    The ship’s crew was Indian with one Ukrainian abroad. Photos released by the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority showed the mariners had arrived in Djibouti.

    The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center initially reported the Falcon had been “hit by an unknown projectile” on Saturday, but later said it could not confirm what caused the blast.

    Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press showed the ship ablaze off Yemen at 0750 GMT Saturday. Photographs released early Monday by the European Union’s Operation Aspides, which patrols the Red Sea corridor, showed flames burning and extensive damage to the piping on its deck, though the ship was not listing, meaning tilting to the side.

    The Falcon “remains on fire and adrift,” the EU force warned. It said a private firm would salvage the tanker.

    Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been carrying out attacks targeting ships traveling through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the waterways. The Iranian-backed Houthis have gained international prominence during the Israel-Hamas war over their attacks on shipping and Israel, which they said were aimed at forcing Israel to stop fighting.

    However, since the ceasefire in Gaza began on Oct. 10, no attacks have been claimed by the Yemeni rebels.

    The Falcon previously had been identified by United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based pressure group, as operating allegedly in an Iranian “ghost fleet” of ships moving their oil products in the high seas despite international sanctions. The ship’s owners and operators, listed as being in India, could not be reached for comment.

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  • Israel receives remains of 4 more hostages

    The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed that authorities received the remains of four more dead hostages. It said late Tuesday that the Red Cross handed the bodies over to Israeli forces inside Gaza. The transfer comes a day after…

    By SAM MEDNICK and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO – Associated Press

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  • Israel prepares to welcome last living hostages from Gaza

    CAIRO — Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead, in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war.

    Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.


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    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    By SAMY MAGDY and JOSEF FEDERMAN – Associated Press

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  • Trump suggests calling off Xi meeting after blasting China for restricting rare earths exports

    WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry.

    The Republican president suggested that he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves.

    “One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration.”

    The United States and China have been jockeying for advantage in trade talks, after the import taxes announced earlier this year triggered a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Both nations agreed to ratchet down tariffs after negotiations in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, yet tensions remain as China has sought to restrict America’s access to the difficult-to-mine rare earth’s needed for a wide array of U.S. technologies.

    On Thursday, the Chinese government restricted access to the rare earths ahead of the scheduled Trump-Xi meeting. Beijing would require foreign companies to get special approval for shipping the metallic elements aboard. It also announced permitting requirements on exports of technologies used in the mining, smelting and recycling of rare earths, adding that any export requests for products used in military goods would be rejected.

    Trump said that China is “becoming very hostile” and that it’s holding the world “captive” by restricting access to the metals and magnets used in electronics, computer chips, lasers, jet engines and other technologies.

    “I have not spoken to President Xi because there was no reason to do so,” Trump posted. “This was a real surprise, not only to me, but to all the Leaders of the Free World.”

    The U.S. president said the move on rare earths was “especially inappropriate” given the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza so that the remaining hostages from Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack can be released. He raised the possibility without evidence that China was trying to steal the moment from him for his role in the ceasefire, saying on social media, “I wonder if that timing was coincidental?”

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  • Israeli Cabinet approves ‘outline’ of hostage release deal

    CAIRO — Israel’s Cabinet has approved the “outline” of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said early Friday, as top Israeli officials debated a tentative deal to pause the devastating two-year war with Hamas.

    The approval is a key step in implementing a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The brief statement focused on the hostage release and made no mention of the other parts of Trump’s plan for ending the war.


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    By SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and WAFAA SHURAFA – Associated Press

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