Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages

Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages

(Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel will begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year-old war on terms acceptable to Israel. Speaking to soldiers serving in Gaza, Netanyahu said he was meeting commanders to approve plans for capturing Gaza City and defeating Hamas. "At the same time I have issued instructions to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war on terms acceptable to Israel," he said, adding: "We are in the decision-making phase." The Israeli military maintained its pressure on Gaza City into Thursday. On Wednesday, the military called up 60,000 reservists in a sign that the government was pressing ahead with the plan, despite international condemnation. Calling up tens of thousands of reservists is likely to take weeks, giving time for mediators to attempt to bridge gaps over a new temporary ceasefire proposal that Hamas has accepted, but the Israeli government has yet to officially respond to. The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas militants and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli government has stated that all of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive. (Reporting by Mayaan Lubell and Howard Goller; Editing by Ros Russell)

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August 21, 2025

Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages

Netanyahu says Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire negotiations to end war, release hostages (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said o...

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Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando

Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando

A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, Florida, that was part of the city's Pulse Memorial was painted over by the state late Wednesday night. The memorial honored the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer criticized the removal of the crosswalk on social media, calling it a "cruel political act." "We are devastated to learn that overnight the state painted over the Pulse Memorial crosswalk on Orange Avenue," he wrote. "This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando's commitment to honor the 49 lives taken." Dyer added that the crosswalk adheres to safety standards and was actually installed by the state. It was created in 2017. Brandon Wolf, one of the Pulse shooting's surviving victims, said the removal was a desecration of the deceased victims' memories. "In the dark of night, they came to erase our show of solidarity, our declaration that we will never forget,"Wolf wrote on X. "The cowards who feel threatened by our lives should feel lucky they didn't have to bury the ones they love — then watch the state come & desecrate their memory." Gov. Ron DeSantiscommented Thursday afternoon on X. In response to a video of Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith criticizing the rainbow crosswalk's removal, DeSantis wrote: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes." The state Transportation Department and DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The crosswalk's removal follows a directive last month from President Donald Trump's transportation secretary, Sean Duffy. On July 1, Duffy sent a letter to all 50 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, about roadway safety that stressed "consistent" roadway markings that are "free from distractions." In asocial media postthat same day, Duffy shared the letter along with a message taking direct aim at rainbow crosswalks, which are typically intended to symbolize LGBTQ Pride. "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks," he wrote. "Political banners have no place on public roads. I'm reminding recipients of@USDOTroadway funding that it's limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It's that simple."

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August 21, 2025

Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando

Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, Florida, that was part of the city's...

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Part of Delta plane wing breaks off mid-flight: See video

Part of Delta plane wing breaks off mid-flight: See video

ADelta Air Linesflight heading from Orlando to Austin experienced amalfunctionthat caused a part of one of its wings to detach. Delta flight 1893 flew from Florida to Texas on Aug. 19 with "a portion of the left wing's flap … not in place," the airline said in a statement. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, safely landed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 2:30 p.m. local time after departing Orlando International Airport around 12:55 p.m., according toFlightAware data. There were six crew members and 62 passengers on board, the airline said, noting the aircraft has been taken out of operation for maintenance. Two flights scheduled on Aug. 20 were cancelled due to the matter. 83028115007 "We apologize to our customers for their experience as nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers," the airline's statement continued. Shanila Arif, one of the passengers on board, toldKXAN, an NBC affiliate, she noticed an issue shortly after takeoff. "While the plane was at an altitude of approximately 12,000 feet, we noticed that a part of the wing had broken and was visibly detached," she said, calling the ordeal a "serious safety event." Arif separately told CNN she felt bad turbulence during the flight. "The plane was shaking," shesaid. "The lady in front of us opened the window and told us it is broken. I opened the window and got scared." She recorded footage showing the piece of the flap coming off of the wing. She said she was worried that it would detach, hit the tail and cause an accident. There were no reported injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating the incident. More travel news:Spirit flight sparks storm fears after flying near Hurricane Erin It's not the only issue involving a Delta plane this month. On Aug. 10, a Delta plane was pushing back from the gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when its right wingtip struck the left winglet of a parked Airbus A350. The incident occurred in a part of the airport where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews, the FAA said. Following the strike, the aircraft returned to the gate, and passengers deplaned and boarded another aircraft,FlightAware data shows. No one was hurt. Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Part of Delta Air Lines plane wing breaks off during flight: Watch

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August 21, 2025

Part of Delta plane wing breaks off mid-flight: See video

Part of Delta plane wing breaks off mid-flight: See video ADelta Air Linesflight heading from Orlando to Austin experienced amalfunctionthat...

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Brent Hinds, former Mastodon singer-guitarist, dies at 51 in motorcycle crash

Brent Hinds, former Mastodon singer-guitarist, dies at 51 in motorcycle crash

Brent Hinds, the former singer-guitarist for the Grammy-winning heavy metal band Mastodon, has died in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta, the band and authorities said. He was 51. Hinds was killed while riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle late Wednesday night when the driver of a BMW SUV failed to yield while making a turn, according to Atlanta police. Hinds was described as "unresponsive" at the scene. An autopsy concluded Hinds, whose legal first name is William, died of "multiple blunt force injuries." "We are heartbroken, shocked and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we've shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many,"the band said on social media. Mastodon had three albums rise into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart and two that topped the Rock Album chart — "Emperor of Sand" in 2017 and "Once More 'round the Sun" in 2014. Hinds co-founded Mastodon in 2000 with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. Mastodon's third studio album, 2006's "Blood Mountain," was their first to reach the Top 40, peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard 200. Hinds left the band in March 2025. No reason for the departure was given. The band said they had "mutually decided to part ways," but comments made by Hinds on Instagram indicated a rocky relationship with the members of his former band. "We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors," the band said at the time. Mastodon — which forged ferocious metal, progressive wizardry and sludge rock tendencies — earned six Grammy Award nominations, winning one in 2017 for best metal performance for "Sultan's Curse" from the album "Emperor of Sand." Rolling Stone magazinelisted Mastodon's 2011 album"The Hunter" among its best off the year, saying the band had "streamlined their molten thrash into a taut thwump that doesn't pull back one bit on their natural complexity of innate weirdness." Hinds was due to tour Europe later this year with Fiend Without a Face, a band that was once a side project during his years with Mastodon.

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August 21, 2025

Brent Hinds, former Mastodon singer-guitarist, dies at 51 in motorcycle crash

Brent Hinds, former Mastodon singer-guitarist, dies at 51 in motorcycle crash Brent Hinds, the former singer-guitarist for the Grammy-winnin...

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'The Pitt' Season 2 teaser promises more emergencies in new heart-pumping shift

'The Pitt' Season 2 teaser promises more emergencies in new heart-pumping shift

Feel that pit in your stomach? It may be the stress of"The Pitt" Season 2's impending return. Theadrenaline-pumping medical show, which charmed fans with its"ER" reminiscent style, is back for more after its inaugural season. A new teaser, out Aug. 21, shows lead doctorMichael "Robby" Robinavitch (Noah Wyle)clocking in for a new shift at the fictional Pittsburgh hospital that serves as backdrop for "The Pitt." Without giving away much plot, the trailer offers a series of quickly strung together scenes, showing the staff dealing with various medical emergencies as pressure mounts. Noah Wyle: I play a doctor on'The Pitt.' Real health care workers need our help. Season 2 ofthe series,which streams on HBO Max, will drop in January. Lauded as a realistic portrait of the challenging circumstances American medical workers face post-pandemic,"The Pitt"is a strong Emmy contender this year. Rather than chronicle months in its characters' lives, the show's entire first season took place over the course of one day. 84074317007 Our obsession with 'The Pitt'and other medical shows, explained Wyle, who also starred in "ER,"previously told USA TODAYthat putting the stethoscope back around his neck for "The Pitt" felt nostalgic. "I didn't know that a prop could ever be endowed with as much muscle memory and history as a stethoscope for me," he said. "But it's true. It's just weird." Contributing: Bryan Alexander This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'The Pitt' Season 2 teaser brings adrenaline and heartache

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August 21, 2025

'The Pitt' Season 2 teaser promises more emergencies in new heart-pumping shift

'The Pitt' Season 2 teaser promises more emergencies in new heart-pumping shift Feel that pit in your stomach? It may be the stress ...

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The Beatles to release new outtakes collection and restored documentary series

The Beatles to release new outtakes collection and restored documentary series

LONDON — Fifty-five years after rock 'n' roll's most important and influential band split up, The Beatles are to release a new collection of unheard outtakes, as well as a remastered and expanded classic documentary series as part of a reboot of a 1990s "Anthology" project. Paul McCartney, 83, one of the two surviving members of the band alongside Ringo Starr, 85, teased the announcement in an Instagram post on Tuesday, and the band's official websiteconfirmed on Thursday. The "Anthology" series was a mid-'90s multimedia project that reunited McCartney, Starr and George Harrison and included three double CD albums, a TV documentary and two new songs, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love." The TV series chronicled the band's meteoric rise from the clubs of Liverpool, England, and Hamburg, Germany, to global fame — and the acrimonious split in 1970. It has been restored by teams led by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and will stream on Disney+ from Nov. 21. There will be a new episode, titled "Episode Nine," that shows behind-the-scenes footage from the "Anthology" reunion in 1994-95. The three "Anthology" albums are also to be remastered and re-released alongside a new fourth volume featuring unheard tracks from the '94-95 sessions. Beatles aficionados eagerly consumed the three "Anthology" albums' studio outtakes and alternate versions in the 1990s, which captured the exuberant humor of the band in its early days and the creative mastery they showed later on. The band's music inspired countless younger acts who were making their strides to stardom at the time, including Oasis. "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were the first new songs from the band in more than 30 years, and both were made possible thanks to a shaky, low-quality demo tape recorded by John Lennon in his New York apartment in 1977. After Lennon died in 1980, the tape was eventually passed to McCartney by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, and some creative studio trickery from co-producer Jeff Lynne allowed the other Beatles to play along with the faint, ghostly vocals and piano, recorded on a simple four-track tape recorder. The same tape formed the basis of the Grammy-winning "Now and Then," the final track to feature all the Fab Four, released in 2023. The 2020s have been a rich time for celebration of The Beatles' legacy. Peter Jackson's "Get Back" documentary showed the making of their final album; the "Beatles '64" documentary, produced by Martin Scorsese, chronicled the effects of Beatlemania after their whirlwind first visit to the U.S., and McCartney continues to tour and play Beatles classics across the world. His U.S. tour kicks off in Palm Springs, California, on Sept. 27. However, one question still unanswered for Beatles obsessives is whether the elusive "Carnival of Light" will ever be released. Made at the start of the "Sgt. Pepper" sessions in 1967, the 14-minute avant-garde oddity was made for an event in London. It was driven principally by McCartney but featured all the Beatles, who later reportedly vetoed its inclusion on "Anthology 2" in 1996.

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August 21, 2025

The Beatles to release new outtakes collection and restored documentary series

The Beatles to release new outtakes collection and restored documentary series LONDON — Fifty-five years after rock 'n' roll's m...

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