Clash of titans ends Qatar World Cup * France raps Israel for deporting lawyer over alleged terror * Can AI make art? * The Masked Scammer’s ex-wife * Ancient cotton find

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Sunday, December 18, 2022 Presented by [IsraTransfer]( [Controversial World Cup of firsts ends with final clash of soccer titans in Qatar]( By Andy Scott Argentina-France championship match to cap tourney overshadowed by graft allegations and criticism of host Qatar, but which saw historic success for Arab world and Africa [Morocco’s World Cup finish is bittersweet for Arab fans]( By ABBY SEWELL [Croatia bests Morocco 2-1 to take 3rd place at Qatar World Cup]( By james robson [With World Cup, Qatar sees opportunity to offer visitors an introduction to Islam]( By LUIS ANDRES HENAO [France slams Israel for deporting Palestinian over alleged terror: ‘Against the law’]( By TOI staff and Agencies French Foreign Ministry says Israel can’t expel an individual from ‘occupied’ East Jerusalem, says Paris has ‘fully mobilized’ to ensure Salah Hamouri can reside in the city [Israel deports Palestinian lawyer allegedly involved in terror activities to France]( By TOI staff and Jeremy Sharon [Celebrities, rights groups urge Iran to free top actor who backed protests]( By Stuart Williams Taraneh Alidoosti arrested after posting on social media in support of demonstrations; pop singer Amir Maghare also detained [Star of Iranian Oscar-winning film arrested for backing anti-regime protests]( By AFP [Iran said to arrest lawyer of detained journalists who covered protests]( By AFP From our sponsor Doron Seitz [A silver lining in the Fed’s fight against inflation]( A strong dollar buys more shekels, creating investment opportunities in Israel, explains IsraTransfer CEO Doron Seitz. Live updates [LIVE: Palestinian man gets life sentence and 32 years for role in deadly 2016 shooting]( By Amy Spiro Bilal Abu Zeid convicted of supplying weapon, driving terrorists to attack at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem that killed Border Police officer Hadar Cohen [Paint by algorithm: Can AI make art, or is it all just derivative?]( By Shoshanna Solomon Drawing on advances in machine learning, engineers are pushing the boundaries of creativity, creating a new medium and raising questions about what art can be [Iranian atomic official says uranium enrichment capacity hits record highs]( By Agencies UN nuclear watchdog representatives to visit Iran Sunday to try to resolve deadlock after traces of radioactive material found at undeclared sites [Very Hallmark Hanukkah & hard proof of pre-Maccabee pogroms]( [listen to the podcast]( Top Ops James R. Russell [Imagine there’s no Hanukkah]( If the Maccabees had lost to the pagans, the glorious developments in history that we barely realize are rooted in monotheism would never have come to be Eugene Kontorovich [The 3 myths behind opposing the Grandparent Clause reform]( Letting in anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent no longer makes sense – and to say Israel may not amend this law is to say it cannot control its borders Archaeology [7,000-year-old fibers in Jordan Valley oldest known evidence of cotton in Near East]( By Melanie Lidman Team from University of Haifa, US and Germany studies sediments under a microscope to identify remains of cotton fibers, pointing to Tel Tsaf’s important role as a global trade hub [Travel firms begin evacuating Israelis stranded in Peru amid deadly unrest]( By Michael Horovitz and AFP Companies launch operation to escort dozens trapped near Machu Picchu to city of Cusco, as protesters demand release of ousted president [Attacker yelled ‘Kanye 2024’ after alleged antisemitic assault in NY, police say]( By TOI staff 63-year-old man hit from behind while walking in Central Park; police search for suspect, a man in his 40s [Mistrial in US gun case against antisemite who wanted to use violence against ADL]( By AP [Report: Ben Gvir threatens he could replace police chief ‘within days’ if he chooses]( By TOI staff Citing private conversations, Channel 12 says incoming national security minister angry at Kobi Shabtai for speaking against his proposed bill to expand his powers [NY Times editorial: Netanyahu government a ‘significant threat to future of Israel’]( By TOI staff [Protest sounds alarm against emerging coalition: ‘Conversion therapy’ on democracy]( By TOI staff [Israeli forces nab suspects in northern West Bank shooting attack]( By Emanuel Fabian IDF, Shin Bet say Nasser al-Naqeeb opened fire at Israeli motorist near Nablus on Friday, with the aid of his son; Lion’s Den terror group claims responsibility without evidence [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec. 18: Very Hallmark Hanukkah & hard proof of pre-Maccabee pogroms]( By TOI staff [Netflix documentary about flim-flammer Gilbert Chikli gives Israeli ex the last word]( By Jessica Steinberg ‘The Masked Scammer’ brings Shirly Chikli — an aspiring DJ and single mom of four — to the screen to tell her side of a story that saw her former husband con the rich and famous In a flap [Mayor uses municipal crane to rescue his fugitive parrot]( By TOI staff Kiryat Shmona’s Avichai Stern is hoisted to the treetop to retrieve escapee Arthur; opposition members question use of city resource on Shabbat; mayor says he’ll pay [With just 8.8% turnout, Tunisians shun vote for powerless new parliament]( By Kaouther Larbi Election follows power grab by President Kais Saied; preliminary results expected Monday [Few Tunisians take part in vote for neutered parliament after president’s power grab]( By Kaouther Larbi [11 years after ‘disastrous’ revolution, many Tunisians see Arab Spring as a failure]( By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA [CRM]( [Police officer accused of sexually assaulting woman who filed complaint at station]( By TOI staff Alleged victim says cop assaulted her after insisting on taking her home; says when he heard of accusation, he came back to try to persuade her to withdraw it More Headlines [16-year-old lightly injured in stabbing at Netanya school]( By TOI staff [Court halts genetic testing for possible parents of wrongly implanted embryo]( By TOI staff [Polish couple killed by Nazis for hiding Jews declared martyrs by pope]( By AP [Ukraine races to restore power after Russian strikes plunge cities into darkness]( By Dmytro Gorshkov [Musk restores some suspended Twitter accounts of journalists after poll]( By AFP [Two Palestinians killed in West Bank road accident with Israeli driver]( By TOI staff [Erdogan claims he had no role in conviction of Istanbul opposition mayor]( By AFP [Motorcyclist killed, 3 lightly hurt after bike collides with car in Haifa]( By Michael Horovitz [Libyan militia held suspected Lockerbie bombmaker before he was handed over to US]( By Samy Magdy [We've been expecting you / Robbie Williams said set to entertain Israel in summer 2023]( By TOI staff [The daily edition]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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