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Protests rock Israel as Netanyahu pushes judicial reform

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

By Josef Federman | Associated PressJERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked highways and train stations and massed in central Tel Aviv during a day of countrywide demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul plan.The protests, now in their seventh month, have taken on a sense of urgency in recent days as Netanyahu and his allies in parliament march ahead with the program. The first bill in the package – a measure that seeks to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers – could become law as soon as next week.The unrest also cast a shadow over a visit to the White House by Israel’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, who was invited to Washington to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary.Herzog, a political centrist, has been involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to broker a compromise on the judicial overhaul, which has strained relations between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden.In a meeting wit...

Ahead of vote on salary raise, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao asks for lowest amount

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

OAKLAND — Hours before the City Council was expected to give Mayor Sheng Thao the highest possible salary raise she could receive under the city’s rules, the mayor publicly urged the council members to reverse course.In a statement Tuesday morning, Thao asked instead for the lowest possible amount required by law: a bump of about $13,000 that would bring her annual salary to roughly $216,000.“As a leader, I know this is in the best interest of the city’s fiscal health, and it is also the right thing to do,” Thao said in the statement.If the council approves any higher amount, Thao said she would “reject it and refund” the excess money to “deliver services to our neighborhoods.”Thao’s request came amid growing public pressure and scrutiny following a decision by a committee of city councilmembers last week to approve what would be a 78% salary hike — raising her compensation to just under $278,000 annually.The local chapter ...

Sale closed in Fremont: $1.8 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

2460 Night Shade Lane – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 2400 block of Night Shade Lane in Fremont was sold on June 5, 2023. The $1,810,000 purchase price works out to $804 per square foot. The house, built in 1967, has an interior space of 2,252 square feet. This two-story house provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and three baths. The home’s exterior showcases roofing materials crafted from wood shake roofing / shingles. Additionally, the house comes with a garage. The property occupies a sizable 8,382-square-foot lot which provides abundant outdoor space, including a pool.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:In February 2023, a 1,960-square-foot home on Lupine Place in Fremont sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $867. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Camellia Drive, Fremont, in June 2022, a 1,350-square-foot home was sold for $1,660,000, a price per square foot of $1,230. The home has 4 ...

‘Grateful’ Australian man, dog, rescued after 3 months at sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

By Maria Verza | Associated PressMANZANILLO, Mexico — An Australian sailor who was rescued by a Mexican tuna boat after being adrift at sea with his dog for three months said Tuesday that he is “grateful” to be alive after setting foot on dry land for the first time since their ordeal began.Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, disembarked in the Mexican city of Manzanillo after being examined on board the boat that rescued him, the Maria Delia.“I’m feeling alright. I’m feeling a lot better than I was, I tell ya,” Shaddock, smiling, bearded and thin, told reporters on the dock in the port city about 210 miles (337 kilometers) west of Mexico City.“To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I’m just so grateful. I’m alive and I didn’t really think I’d make it,” Shaddock said, adding that he and his “amazing” dog Bella are both doing well.Shaddock described himself as a quiet person who loves being ...

Sunset District high-rise 'isn't a thing,' according to Weiner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A proposed high-rise development in San Francisco's Outer Sunset District is not "in the world of reality," according to California State Sen. Scott Weiner. The proposed 600-foot tower which would be located on Sloat Boulevard just a few blocks from Ocean Beach has drawn opposition from the community.A petition opposing the tower has garnered more than 3,000 signatures. Renderings for the project show a modern, residential tower that would look more at home in SoMa or downtown. The towering structure would be in stark contrast to the neighborhood's existing two- or three-story buildings. Grocery chain adds new anti-theft measures at some Bay Area stores While community outcry against the development has been widespread, Weiner said the project isn't serious."That tower isn't a thing," the state senator said on Twitter. "We need to focus on the projects that are in the world of reality."Weiner's tweet was part of a thread on obstacles to building new housing...

Driver arrested for doing donuts in Hayward, gun, drugs seized

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

(KRON) -- A driver who police say was doing donuts was recently arrested and a gun and narcotics were seized, according to the Hayward Police Department. The driver, who was behind the wheel of a Corvette C7 Stringray, was spotted doing donuts near downtown Hayward.Hayward PD officers pulled him over for reckless driving and the car was impounded for 30 days, police said. The driver was also found to be in possession of a suspended license. Sunset District high-rise ‘isn’t a thing,’ according to Weiner A search of the impounded car revealed a loaded handgun with an extended magazine that was not registered to the driver. Suspected narcotics and narcotics sales contraband were also found in the car.Police did not immediately reveal what he was specifically charged with.KRON On is streaming live news now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embe...

Thai election winner set to make last stand in contentious bid to become prime minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party, which won a surprise first-place finish in May’s general election, is expected to have a last chance Wednesday to get the country’s parliament to confirm him as the next prime minister after he was rebuffed in a first round of voting.Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat fell short last week when he failed to get enough support from the non-elected Senate, whose members made clear they would not vote for him because of his party’s platform. The party campaigned with a promise to try to amend a law that makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten Thailand’s royal family. Critics say the law, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, is abused as a political weapon.The Senate’s members were appointed by a military government rather than elected and are considered, along with the army and the courts, as serving as the conservative royalist establishment’s bulwark against change.Move Forward, whose age...

US says Ukraine has significant combat power not yet committed to the war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian forces have a “significant amount of combat power” that hasn’t yet been committed to the war, the top U.S. military officer said Tuesday, saying Kyiv is conserving some of its tactical effort while troops slowly work their way through deadly Russian minefields.Speaking to reporters after defense leaders from around the world met to discuss Ukraine’s military needs, Army Gen. Mark Milley was asked about the slow pace of Ukraine’s offensive to take back territory seized by Russia. He said Ukraine will decide when to use the combat power and complex training the U.S. and allies have provide. He flatly dismissed suggestions the offensive is failing.“It is far from a failure, in my view. I think that it’s way too early to make that kind of call,” said Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Right now they are preserving their combat power. And they are slowly and deliberately and steadily working their way through all these mine...

Facebook parent Meta makes public its ChatGPT rival Llama

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Facebook parent company Meta Platforms has built an artificial intelligence system that rivals the likes of ChatGPT and Google’s Bard but it’s taking a different approach: releasing it for free.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company is partnering with Microsoft to introduce the next generation of its AI large language model and making the technology, known as Llama 2, free for research and commercial use.Much like tech peers Google and Microsoft, the social media company has long had a big research team of computer scientists devoted to advancing AI technology. But it’s been overshadowed as the release of ChatGPT sparked a rush to profit off of “generative AI” tools that can create new prose, images and other media.Meta has also tried to distinguish itself by being more open than some of its Big Tech rivals about offering a peek at the data and code it uses to build AI systems. It has argued that such openness makes it easi...

In backlash over their expulsions, 2 Tennessee Democratic lawmakers raised $2M combined

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:51 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee state Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones have raised more than $2 million combined through about 70,400 campaign donations after Republican lawmakers abruptly expelled the Democrats this spring for their gun control protest on the House floor.The vast majority of those small donations came over just a few days when the two had been kicked out, but not yet reinstated. If Republicans kept the two young Black House members in office, they would not have been allowed to fundraise as sitting lawmakers while a legislative session was ongoing.Instead, each of the two lawmakers saw a flood of campaign cash beyond the norm for even Republican legislative leaders to raise, let alone two freshman Democrats who are in the superminority.Campaign finance reports that were due by the end of Monday show how much Democrats capitalized on the national attention. Jones and Pearson were expelled over a breach of decorum rules for their protest calling for the GOP to...