Israeli-Russian graduate student freed after 903 days in Hezbollah captivity | US news

Published

3 days ago

September 9, 2025

Israeli-Russian academic and Princeton student Elizabeth Tsurkov has been released after being kidnapped by Kata’ib Hezbollah and spending more than two years in captivity, Donald Trump said in a post on social media.

“I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months. I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!” the US president wrote in a TruthSocial post on Tuesday.

Tsurkov went missing for months in Iraq in early 2023 and was confirmed alive in July 2023. She holds Israeli and Russian passports and entered Iraq using her Russian passport, according to the Israeli government, to do academic research on behalf of Princeton.

Israel said she was abducted in Baghdad by pro-Iranian militants in March 2023. A video featuring Tsurkov was broadcast on Iraqi television in November of that year.

The circumstances of Tsurkov’s release were not immediately clear. Press reports from May of this year indicated the US and Iraq were in talks on her release with Iraq.

After Trump announced Tsurkov’s release on Tuesday, her sister Emma Tsurkov – who has long been a vocal advocate for her sibling’s freedom – wrote on X:

“My entire family is incredibly happy. We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days. We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be. We also want to thank Josh Harris and his team at the US Embassy in Baghdad for the support they provided to our sister and the team at the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister’s safe return.”

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Florida residents struggling to get COVID vaccines after federal changes – Tampa Bay Times

Published

1 hour ago

September 12, 2025

Teghan Simonton

Florida residents struggling to get COVID vaccines after federal changes Tampa Bay Times
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COVID vaccine chaos: Even pharmacists are confused, but here’s who can get one San Francisco Chronicle

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2 boat accident in Congo kill at least 193 people

Published

3 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Jean-yves Kamale

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Two separate boat accidents this week in northwestern Congo killed at least 193 people dead and left scores missing, authorities and state media reported Friday

The accidents happened on Wednesday and Thursday, about 150 kilometers apart in the Equateur province.

One boat with nearly 500 passengers caught fire and capsized Thursday evening along the Congo River in the province’s Lukolela territory, Congo’s humanitarian affairs ministry said in a report. The report said 209 survivors were rescued following the accident, involving a whaleboat near the village of Malange in Lukolela territory.

A day earlier, a motorized boat capsized in the Basankusu territory of the province, killing at least 86 people, most of them students, state media reported. Several people were missing, but the reports did not give a figure of how many.

It was not immediately clear what caused either accident or whether rescue operations were continuing Friday evening.

State media attributed Wednesday’s accident to “improper loading and night navigation,” citing reports from the scene. Images that appeared to be from the scene showed villagers gathered around bodies as they mourned.

A local civil society group blamed Wednesday’s accident on the government and claimed the toll was higher. Authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.

The capsizing of boats is becoming increasingly frequent in this central African nation as more people are abandoning the few available roads for cheaper, wooden vessels crumbling under the weight of passengers and their goods.

In such trips, life jackets are rare and the vessels are usually overloaded.

Many of the boats also travel at night, complicating rescue efforts during accidents and leaving many bodies often unaccounted for.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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Massachusetts sues Kalshi alleging illegal sports gambling

Published

3 hours ago

September 12, 2025

Contessa Brewer

The Kalshi logo arranged on a laptop in New York, US, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Massachusetts filed a lawsuit in state court Friday against Kalshi, alleging the predictions platform offers sports gambling without a license under the guise of events contracts.

“If Kalsi wants to be in the sports gaming business in Massachusetts, they must obtain a license and follow our laws,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a news release.

The state is also asking the court to prevent Kalshi from offering sports events contracts in Massachusetts while the lawsuit is pending.

Events contracts are regulated as a predictions market by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kalshi has repeatedly argued in federal court that the CFTC’s status as a federal agency supersedes state regulators.

In the brief filed with the Suffolk County Superior Court, Massachusetts argues Kalshi is making more money on sports wagers than legal, licensed sportsbooks.

“Sports event wagers comprised approximately 70% of Kalshi’s trading volume between February 25, 2025, and May 17, 2025, which increased to 75% from March 18, 2025 onwards—Kalshi’s first day offering single-game March Madness markets,” the lawsuit says. “Kalshi made more from sports wagers than licensed sports wagering platforms DraftKings or FanDuel over the course of the same February through May timeframe.”

A screenshot of the Kalshi platform included in a lawsuit by the state of Massachusetts against the predictions platform.

A Kalshi spokesperson told CNBC this week that $439 million worth of wagers had been placed on NFL contracts to date.

The company has been spearheading a national defense of sports prediction trades. This week, the company made oral arguments before the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in an appeal by the state of New Jersey, which was prevented from enforcing a cease and desist against Kalshi.

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