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Two fires at Berkeley apartment building investigated as possible arsons

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

BERKELEY – Two fires at a Berkeley apartment building in the span of less than a week are being investigated as possible arsons, police said.No one has been arrested in connection with either fire, Berkeley police Officer Jessica Perry said Monday.Both blazes happened at the same three-story apartment building in the 1100 block of Oxford Street.The first fire was reported around 5:35 a.m. on July 19. Perry said a resident used a garden hose and a fire extinguisher to partially put out the fire before firefighters arrived.The blaze scorched the south side of the structure, but no one was injured, Perry said.Residents mentioned seeing a “strip of gasoline fuel on fire” next to the apartment building during the fire, Perry said. Two gasoline cans were also spotted on the sidewalk following the fire.The second fire was reported around 3:55 a.m. on July 25. This time, the fire involved the east side of the structure, Perry said. Firefighters evacuated the residents, put out the fire and ...

Four-bedroom home sells in Piedmont for $2 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

264 Saint James Drive – Google Street ViewA 2,516-square-foot house built in 1958 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 200 block of Saint James Drive in Piedmont was sold on June 23, 2023, for $2,000,000, or $795 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house is equipped with a garage. The property encompasses a generous 0.3-acre of land.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:A 4,590-square-foot home on the first block of Wyngaard Avenue in Piedmont sold in October 2022, for $4,200,000, a price per square foot of $915. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Selborne Drive, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 4,130-square-foot home was sold for $4,082,500, a price per square foot of $988. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 3,758-square-foot home on Selborne Drive in Piedmont sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $758. The home has 4 bedrooms an...

Powerful Typhoon Khanun lashes southwest Japanese islands, grounding flights and closing businesses

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful Typhoon Khanun was approaching Japan’s southwestern island of Okinawa on Tuesday, lashing the region with strong winds and high waves, and forcing transportation to halt and stores to close.The slow-moving Khanun, which means jackfruit in Thai, was heading northwest at speeds of 20 kph (12.4 mph) on Tuesday morning, packing surface winds of up to 162 kph (100 mph). It was at sea southeast of Okinawa’s main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.The city office in the Okinawan prefectural capital of Naha was closed Tuesday due to violent winds, while supermarket chains were also shut or operating under shorter hours.Footage on NHK national television showed fallen trees on the street in Naha. No injuries were reported.Hundreds of flights into and out of the Naha airport, including a more than a dozen international flights connecting Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, were canceled, according to the airport. Public transportation on Okinawa, inc...

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia. But Washington is seeing once again that while it’s easy to get into the Middle East militarily, it’s difficult to ever get fully out — particularly as Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.There is no sign that diplomacy will revive the deal soon, and Iran in recent weeks has resumed harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of the world...

The Crimean Peninsula is both a playground and a battleground, coveted by Ukraine and Russia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Its balmy beaches have been vacation spots for Russian czars and Soviet general secretaries. It has hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and boasts a strategic naval base. And it has been the site of ethnic persecutions, forced deportations and political repression.Now, as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its 18th month, the Crimean Peninsula is again both a playground and a battleground, with drone attacks and bombs seeking to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory and bring it back under Kyiv’s authority, no matter how loudly the Kremlin proclaims its ownership.Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to retake the diamond-shaped peninsula that Russia’s Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in 2014.For both presidents, backing off Crimea is hardly an option.Moscow deployed troops and weapons there, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine when the war began in 2022. Kyiv says the militarization of Crimea thre...

16 workers killed in the collapse of a crane being used to build a bridge in India

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — A huge crane collapsed at a highway construction site in western India, killing at least 16 workers, the country’s National Disaster Response Force said TuesdayTelevision footage showed the collapsed crane on the ground as rescue workers looked for survivors near the site in Thane, a city just outside Mumbai. At least three people who were injured were rushed to a hospital.Press Trust of India reported the crane is used to install precast box girders while building highway and high-speed rail bridges.Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.“My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are injured,” his office said in a post.Source

Editorial: Time to act on Mass & Cass

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

The wasteland known as Mass and Cass can’t be allowed to fester like a perpetual sore in the middle of the city forever.The Long Island bridge reconstruction project remains the best solution, but that is years away. So it is time for bold action.Lawmakers have just passed an idea pushed by Hub state Sen. Nick Collins to study the practicality of bringing back a floating hospital in the Harbor. Addicts could be put on the ship to be treated and businesses could get back to work and not be forced to deal with the unsanitary conditions along the Methadone Mile.The FY24 budget entry states: “Not less than $50,000 shall be expended for a studyto be conducted by the Department of Mental Health, in consultation with the naval construction and marine engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on the feasibility of converting a decommissioned ship or other water-based vessel into a floating hospital for mental health, substance use treatment and recovery s...

Taiwan amends laws on sexual harassment after recent #MeToo wave

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan amended three laws governing sexual harassment in a special session of the legislature, after a wave of #MeToo accusations hit the island in June.The changes approved Monday include higher penalties and longer periods for victims to come forward and report an incident to authorities. The changes are an attempt to address the issues raised by the recent accusations of sexual violence in Taiwan.Taiwan has three laws governing sexual harassment: one for the workplace, one for schools and one that covers spheres outside those two domains.Under the workplace law, employers can now be fined up to 1 million New Taiwan Dollars ($31,680) if they fail to address sexual harassment complaints. Employers are also required to report cases to the local division of their labor department. The education law, amended last Friday, explicitly makes it illegal for educators to have a romantic relationship with students under the age of 18. Further, principals and teachers wh...

Toyota’s profits rise 78% on strong sales as the parts crunch eases

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota’s profit for the first fiscal quarter jumped to 1.3 trillion yen ($9 billion) — a quarterly record for Japan’s top automaker — as sales grew and parts shortages related to the coronavirus pandemic eased.Toyota Motor Corp.’s April-June net profit rose 78% from 736.8 billion yen the previous year, the company reported Tuesday. Quarterly sales edged up 24% to 10.5 trillion yen ($74 billion) as vehicle sales improved on-year across major markets, including Japan and North America.The difficulty obtaining computer chips that crimped auto production in recent years has eased, although it’s unclear when that will get totally fixed, according to Toyota. Quarterly sales totaled 2.3 million vehicles, up from 2 million the previous year. Demand for its hybrid models was especially strong. Toyota has long been a leader in hybrids, which switch back and forth between an electric motor and gas engine to deliver higher mileage.The maker of the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan an...

Rockies use Ryan McMahon’s sacrifice fly to score sliding Brenton Doyle, walk off Padres 4-3 in 10th inning in series opener

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:39:22 GMT

It wasn’t Game 163, but for a Rockies team playing for the future, Monday felt like a flashback and an omen.Colorado beat the Padres 4-3 in 10 innings in Monday’s series opener at Coors Field in a game delayed two hours and twenty minutes by rain that was eventually played in front of a smattering of patient, poncho’d fans.The Rockies got a quality start from southpaw Austin Gomber, wasted it, then rallied to win in the extra frame when Ryan McMahon’s walk-off sacrifice fly brought home Brenton Doyle, who beat Juan Soto’s throw from shallow left field.“It was sort of in slow motion,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of the play. “We saw the ball go up, Brenton tag, the catch, the throw, the convergence. It was a great play for us.”Doyle’s headfirst slide into home was reminiscent of Matt Holliday’s slide to beat the Padres in extra innings of the 2007 National League wild card game, and it dropped the underperforming Pa...