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Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Women lose value if men can see their uncovered faces in public, a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday, adding that religious scholars in the country agree that a woman must keep her face covered when outside the home.The Taliban, who took over the country in August of 2021, has cited the failure of women to observe the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, as a reason for barring them from most public spaces, including parks, jobs and university.Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif, the spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that if women’s faces are visible in public there is a possibility of fitna, or falling into sin.“It is very bad to see women (without hijab) in some areas (big cities) and our scholars also agree that women’s faces should be hidden,” Akif said. “It’s not that her face will be harmed or damaged. A woman has her own va...

Progress toward parity for women on movie screens has stalled, report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study on inclusion in film shows just how much of a rarity “Barbie” is. For every woman as a speaking character in the most popular films of 2022, there were more than two men, according to report by University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.The USC report, published Thursday, found that 34.6% of speaking parts were female in the top 100 box-office hits of last year. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has been annually tracking that and many other metrics since 2007.And in its first such study in three years, USC researchers found that in many areas, progress toward parity on screen has stalled since the pandemic — and in some respects hasn’t changed all that much since 14 years ago. In 2019, 34% of speaking characters were female. In 2008, it was 32.8%.“It is clear that the entertainment industry has little desire or motivation to improve casting processes in a way that creates meaningful change for girls and women,” said S...

Teen, 15, critical after shooting in Palatine: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. -- A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition after a shooting in Unincorporated Palatine early Thursday morning. Palatine police said officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1700 block of East Clear Creek Bay around 5:19 a.m. and found several shell casings but no injured individuals. 87-year-old woman dies after striking 2 trees in suburbs A few minutes later officers responded to the 1200 block of Long Valley Drive and found a 15-year-old boy with gunshot wound to his upper body. He was transported to a hopsital in critical condition.There was no additional information provided and the incident is still under investigation.If any information is recovered on the incident, call Palatine police at 847-359-9000.

Over 1,000 former Northwestern athletes defend athletics culture at school in letter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A collection of former Northwestern athletes are showing their support for the culture around the school's athletics program after a host of controversies this summer. In a letter signed by over 1,000 Wildcats alumni who played a variety of sports in their time in Evanston, the group "strongly affirms" the positive experience they had at the school and that they would "do it all over again." The letter does condemn hazing of all kinds but believes it doesn't "represent or define the overall athletics culture at Northwestern.""For those who contributed to Northwestern’s athletic history on the fields and courts of intercollegiate competition, the pain is acute — and we all share the anger, sadness, and frustration," said former women's tennis player Alexis Prousis in a news release that accompanied the letter. "We condemn hazing of any kind and support the victims during their time of healing and recovery. What we must remember throughout this difficult time is that ...

Illinois Lotto jackpot climbs again for Thursday's drawing: $21.5 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

ILLINOIS — Thursday's Illinois Lotto jackpot will offer players a chance at the largest Lotto jackpot of the year, and the second largest in nearly five years.$21.5 million is up for grabs and all you have to do is match six numbers, selected from a total of 50. Sounds easy right? Well the odds of making the match are 1 in 15,890,700. It's the reason the jackpot has not been won since Oct. 17, 2022. Britney Spears’ husband files for divorce, source says While it's the biggest potential Lotto prize since a $22.5 million jackpot was won in Dec. 2018, Thursday’s top prize still falls well shy of the all-time record. That title goes to a 1989 drawing where four people each bought a winning ticket and split a $69.9 million payout.Lotto is an Illinois-only game that is played three times a week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Lotto can be played for $2 per line, and tickets can be purchased in-store, online, or on the Illinois Lottery’s mobile app.

87-year-old woman dies after striking 2 trees in suburbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — An elderly woman died Wednesday afternoon after striking two trees in the Northwest suburbs.At around 12:45 p.m., officers responded to the 100 block of Waterview Court, in Lake Barrington, on the report of a single-vehicle crash.An 87-year-old woman, of Lake Barrington, accelerated and drove off the roadway into a yard, police said.Her Nissan struck a garbage can and a small tree before striking a larger tree. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.Traffic crash investigators are investigating if the woman unintentionally pressed the gas pedal, instead of the brake pedal, causing her to lose control.

Pig kidney works in donated body for over a month, a step toward animal-human transplants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) - Surgeons at New York University Langone Health have transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a human body, and it continues to function well after more than a month — a critical step toward an operation the team hopes to eventually try in living patients.More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a human organ. But only one-third will live long enough to receive one.Scientists around the country are racing to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives, and bodies donated for research offer a remarkable rehearsal.The latest experiment announced Wednesday by NYU Langone Health marks the longest a pig kidney has functioned in a person, albeit a brain-dead one -– and it’s not over. Researchers are set to track the kidney’s performance for a second month.Doctors at NYU Langone Health said their work is a major step toward creating an alternate, sustainable supply of organs for transplant“Is this organ really going to work like...

Breastfeeding mom asked to leave pool

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A South Dakota mother says she was asked to get out of the water after being told she couldn't breastfeed her baby at a Sioux Falls city pool earlier this month. In response, the city is stepping up training to make sure it doesn't happen again."This is the natural way so it shouldn't be sexualized in the way that it is," Abigail Gukeisen said.Gukeisen was in the lazy river at Drake Springs Family Aquatic Center on August 9 when she says she was approached by employees who told her she is not allowed to breastfeed her baby inside the pool."Lactating mothers will know. I mean, if we don't feed our kids right away, whether we are feeding them on time or not, we still leak. There's no guarantee," Gukeisen said. Pool have a ‘chlorine smell’? Don’t swim in it Under South Dakota state law, breastfeeding in public is allowed as long as the mother is not breaking any other laws while doing so."I'm very discreet about it. I'm not like just whipping it out and stu...

Chick-fil-A scholarship program for 2024 returns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chick-fil-A has opened their scholarship program awards for the 2024-2025 school year.The fast-food chain has returned with their 51st year of scholarship awards to support education in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. The program awards at least 12 scholarships of $25,000 to individuals who do not work for Chick-fil-A or within a Chick-fil-A restaurant to help them pursue their education. ‘That was my moment’: Christopher Morel has dramatic homer – and celebration – in Cubs’ walk-off win Other scholarship programs are available for Chick-fil-A workers and team members.The chain offers two separate scholarships, awarding 12 $25,000 True Inspirations scholarships and Leadership scholarships ranging from $1,000 and $2,5000 annually. In 2023, Chick-fil-A awarded more than $25 million in scholarships. The application opens Aug. 1 and closes Oct. 18. For more information on the scholarships, visit: Remarkable Futures Scholarships | Chick-fil-A

Pritzker vetoes attempt to lift ban on new nuclear energy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:59 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — For nearly 40 years, Illinois has had a moratorium on building new nuclear power plants in the state. It looked like the state would lift the ban.Lawmakers sent a bipartisan measure to the governor's desk to do just that, but Governor J.B. Pritzker vetoed it."The governor's veto of my bill was a complete shock to everyone involved," said Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris). "This was a heavily negotiated bill. On both sides of the aisle."The bill would legalize the construction of advanced nuclear reactors, but Pritzker said the language was too vague, and could lead to too many plants being built. JB Pritzker signs Firearms Industry Responsibility Act into law "At the end, it got broadened to just any advanced reactor," Pritzker said. "And so, you know, that's the reason that I had to veto it."Rezin sponsored the bill the governor vetoed. She cited University of Illinois research into micro reactors as the inspiration behind the push. Micro reactors are much smaller,...