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China, Philippines assess ties amid escalating sea disputes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Senior Chinese and Filipino diplomats were meeting in Manila on Thursday to review their relations amid thorny issues, including Beijing’s alarm over a Philippine decision to allow the U.S. military to expand its presence to a northern region facing the Taiwan Strait and escalating spats in the disputed South China Sea.Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro were leading the talks aimed at assessing overall relations on Thursday. The discussions would focus on the long-seething territorial spats in the disputed waterway on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said.The back-to-back meetings are the first under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping in a state visit to Beijing in January where both agreed to expand ties, pursue talks on potential joint oil and gas explorations and manage territorial disputes amicably.But...

Ex-New Zealand soldier who helped veterans dies in Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A former New Zealand soldier who co-founded a charity to help struggling veterans has been killed in Ukraine, authorities said Thursday.Ukrainian authorities confirmed the death of Kane Te Tai and the New Zealand embassy in Poland was trying to find out more details, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.Te Tai in 2017 helped register the No Duff Charitable Trust to support veterans in crisis. The trust said in a statement that it was with “immense sadness” it was sharing the news that Te Tai — who went by the code name Turtle in Ukraine — had been killed in action.“Without him, No Duff wouldn’t exist,” the trust said. “Kane had a huge heart and loved helping people. His loss leaves a huge hole in many lives from here to Eastern Europe.”The trust said it was in close contact with Te Tai’s family to ensure his body was returned to New Zealand.The New Yorker magazine interviewed Te Tai late last year ne...

Crews rescue farm animals stuck in thick mud in San Bernardino County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department on Wednesday worked to rescue more than a dozen farm animals trapped in deep mud after several days of heavy rains.  The rescue started shortly after 5 p.m. at a farm in Muscoy where the animals, including horses, cows and bulls, were stuck.  First responders were able to rescue several of the animals, but had to set up a “skid steer to clear a path to access the additional 11 animals,” officials said.  Video of the rescue showed fire personnel using the skid steer clear more mud from the area while crews dragged a cow to safety.  Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SBCFD)Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SBCFD)Crews with the San Bernardino County Fire Department work to rescue animals trapped in mud at a farm in Muscoy Mar. 22, 2023 (SB...

Man armed with machete takes hostage in West San Jose

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

SAN JOSE – A man armed with a machete was barricaded with at least one hostage Wednesday night in West San Jose, police said.The incident was reported around 8:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Boynton Avenue, according to the San Jose Police Department.“Special operations personnel are on scene,” police said in a social media post.Additional details about the incident were not immediately available Wednesday night.Units are currently working a hostage barricade involving an adult male armed with a machete in the 900 Block of Boynton Ave. Special operations personnel are on scene. We will provide updates as the become available. TOC: 8:31 pm— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) March 23, 2023Check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Pedestrian injured in San Jose hit-and-run Crime and Public Safety | Suspect arrested following alleged family assault in South San Jose Crime and Public Safety | East San Jose sh...

Repairs to I-580 prompt lane closures near Livermore

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) – Two lanes of eastbound Interstate-580 near Flynn Road in Livermore are still closed due to storm damage. And starting Thursday morning, a total of three lanes will be shut down.Those two are still closed because the ground hasn’t been dry enough just yet to start working on it. Caltrans says they’re going to start repairs Thursday, but that will lead to more closures temporarily. Traffic on I-580 near the damage has been heavy since Tuesday morning. While drivers can just see the lanes blocked off, on the other side a retaining wall was damaged due to the recent storms.  Storm kills 5 in San Francisco Bay Area You can see pieces of the wall sliding down the hill. All of that dirt is still too wet for Caltrans crews to complete the repairs, but they’re getting ready to fix it once it’s dry.“We were evaluating the problem, getting some equipment into position because we have to do some paving and some grinding on part of that before we can restripe to...

Drag queen performs at San Jose city council meeting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – San Jose is making history. A drag queen performed at the San Jose city council meeting Tuesday evening. It’s the first time this has happened in the city’s history.George Dowens, who goes by his drag name Woo Woo Monroe, sang his heart out Tuesday afternoon in front of the San Jose city council.“It was received very well. I got a standing ovation by the audience and board members,” Monroe said of the performance. KRON ON is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Monroe was invited to sing by councilmember Omar Torres. Torres, the first Latino gay city council member in San Jose, partnered with “Project More”, a Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofit to make the performance happen. He says performing drag should be embraced by the community...

Why do so many eucalyptus trees fall during storms?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

(KRON) – Eucalyptus trees burn during fire season, and when it’s the rainy season they’re falling all over the place. KRON4 talked with an expert about why these trees seem to be falling the most.The trees are not native to California. They were introduced to the state in the 1800s, but in 2023 these big trees are causing big problems for some across the Bay Area.An urban forestry expert said eucalyptus trees are often very tall and very old, and they are not well-maintained. Combine that with the series of powerful storms we’ve had this year and destruction has followed. Storm kills 5 in San Francisco Bay Area An emergency rescue involving a fallen eucalyptus tree took place in the East Bay on Tuesday. Firefighters raced to save two people trapped in a crushed pick-up truck in Newark.In Walnut Creek, a late-night scene showed a eucalyptus on top of a car. A 79-year-old passenger died at the scene. The driver was injured.In Union City last week several eucalyptus trees toppled ove...

New dawn for France as Mbappé leads team against Netherlands

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

PARIS (AP) — New captain, new goalkeeper, new defense, new governance — and major players retired.It seems like a new dawn for World Cup runner-up France as it begins European Championship qualifying without Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, and with Kylian Mbappé leading the team out at Stade de France against the Netherlands on Friday. Les Bleus then play Ireland in another Group B match at Dublin on Monday.“The end of several players’ international careers means that the squad is younger,” said coach Didier Deschamps, who picked brothers Khéphren and Marcus Thuram in his first squad since last year’s World Cup. “Obviously we have less experience.”The Thuram brothers are the sons of famed France defender Lilian Thuram, who played with Deschamps when France won the 1998 World Cup and its second European title in 2000. Their selection gives insight into how Deschamps plans to rebuild.“We want to have answers for the future while remaining competitive,” he said. ...

BU, Harvard and Merrimack in hunt for national hockey championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

For puckheads, the real NCAA Tournament begins Thursday.That’s when the 16-team men’s hockey tournament opens play. This year’s tournament features high-flying freshmen, perennial national powers and a couple of Cinderella stories. There’s no shortage of talent. Or storylines. Look for many of the players to sign NHL contracts at the conclusion of their tournament runs.Here’s five things to look for:1. Which Massachusetts teams qualified?Two of the four Beanpot schools — Boston University and Harvard — are in the hunt. The Terriers and Crimson are joined by upstart Merrimack, making only its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the tournament’s modern era.The rosters of BU (27-10) and Harvard (24-7-2) are loaded with National Hockey League draft picks. BU is returning to the national tournament under first-year head coach Jay Pandolfo, a Burlington native and former Terrier captain. Ted Donato has led Harvard to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth ...

S. Korean unification minister in Japan to discuss N. Korea

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — South Korea’s unification minister and senior Japanese government officials reaffirmed their close cooperation in response to North Korea’s escalating missile threats at a rare meeting on Thursday, a sign of a further thaw in relations that comes only a week after their leaders agreed to work past their troubled history and mend ties so they can better respond together to growing regional threats.Kwon Youngse is in Tokyo for talks with Japanese ministers and top governing party officials, becoming the first unification minister to do so in 18 years. His trip comes on the heels of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week, when they agreed to resume regular visits and launch high-level talks on security, trade and other issues.Kwon and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi agreed that North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile firings, which have come at an unprecedented pace, are a “serious a...