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China touts the benefits of its ‘Belt and Road’ initiative to Italy, which may end the agreement

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister is seeking to sell his Italian counterpart on the benefits of leader Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” initiative of Chinese-built and -funded infrastructure projects, as Rome considers whether to renew the agreement. In a Monday meeting, Wang Yi told Antonio Tajani that bilateral trade had grown from $50 billion to nearly $80 billion and that Italy’s exports to China increased by around 30% over the past five years. While the figures haven’t been corroborated, Italy’s conservative government has cast doubt on the benefits of the arrangement. In 2019, Italy became the only European country to sign on to the initiative under then-premier Giuseppe Conte, and it is not expected to be extended when it comes up for renewal at year’s end. China’s official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as telling Tajani that “China and Italy should adhere to the right way of getting along with each other” with mutual respect and trust in the face of...

Australian lawmakers head to US to lobby against efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder Assange

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A group of Australian lawmakers said Tuesday they would travel to Washington this month to lobby the United States to abandon its efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.The delegation includes former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and five other lawmakers from across the political spectrum. Their trip is timed to draw attention to the issue ahead of a planned visit to the White House in late October by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Independent lawmaker and delegation member Monique Ryan told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. they represented a large group of lawmakers who feel “really, really strongly about the importance of securing Mr. Assange’s freedom.” Ryan said Assange was in poor health which made the matter more pressing.Assange, an Australian citizen, has spent the past four years in Britain’s Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the U.S. He has been charged with espionage for publishing classified m...

LUX Audience Award 2024: Five finalists announced in Venice 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

20,000 Species of Bees, Fallen Leaves, On the Adamant, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood and The Teachers’ Lounge will compete for the 2024 LUX Audience Award.The finalist movies were revealed at the Venice film festival on Friday (1 September).European Parliament Vice President Evelyn Regner (AT, S&D) said: “We love our European film, as it reflects our dreams, fears and hopes. European audiences proved their commitment last year, with 45 000 citizens participating in selecting the winning film. This year, each of the five films chosen offers a unique perspective on the challenges and chances that European society is encountering – empowering women and girls, growing social justice and equality as well as strengthening diversity. Now it’s time for you to choose the next winner together with us: look out for the free screenings in all EU countries, and have your say by rating the films on our platform.”Discover the films20,000 Species of Bees, by Spanish director Estibaliz Urresola Solagu...

Jewelry store owners speak out after wild smash-and-grab robbery attempt

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

A would-be smash-and grab thief got more than he bargained for when he attempted to rob a family-owned jewelry store in El Monte over the weekend.  Surveillance cameras captured the alleged burglar just around 2 p.m. on Sept. 2 as he was walking down Main Street dressed in all black with a face mask and a cardboard box in hand.  Sitting just outside of his family’s store, 70-year-old Arturo was sprayed with bear repellent by the suspect. “I felt my skin was peeling off from my face, my head, my chest,” he told KTLA in Spanish.  The pain didn’t stop the 70-year-old from running inside his family’s jewelry store to fight back, his brother, niece and nephews all coming to his defense, struggling to restrain the intruder as he smashed the display case and attempted to grab whatever precious merchandise he could get his hands on.  Miguel, a co-owner of Meza’s, can be seen on the video hitting the suspect with a stick, forcing the man, who lost his shirt during the s...

Man threatened to kill driver in road rage incident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

A man was arrested on Monday after he threatened to kill another man during a road rage incident in Simi Valley. Around 6 p.m., Simi Valley police officers responded to reports of a driver following another driver after a hit-and-run incident. Officers located the suspect involved, 77-year-old Joe Fisher of Simi Valley, and they conducted a traffic stop. During the traffic stop, Fisher was detained after he exited his vehicle and began charging the officers. Authorities determined that Fisher and another driver were involved in a road rage incident in the parking lot of Albertsons on Madera Road. Police say Fisher backed his car up into the front of the other driver’s car and then drove away. While the victim followed him and contacted authorities, Fisher pulled his car next to the victim’s and threatened to kill him. Fisher was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, and resisting arrest. He was booked at the Ventura County main jail.

Tourist desperate to find French bulldog stolen in San Francisco

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A dog owner is desperate to find his French bulldog after he was forcibly stolen in San Francisco. The man was visiting from Humboldt when a group of strangers forcibly took the dog. Reid Grotewold is heartbroken but hopeful that getting the word out will help bring his beloved Benjamin home. His “Frenchie” is a service animal, and he considers it to be like family. "Benjamin doesn't leave by side. He's a service animal so he flies with me, drives with me and he doesn't leave my side, so that's all he knows,” Grotewold said. What was supposed to be a week of fun has turned into a nearly month-long search for Benjamin. Grotewold says Benjamin was hanging out of a backpack while walking to the bus stop on August 11 when a group of people approached them."They had a backpack, they had their hands in there gesturing that they had a gun in the backpack,” he described. “Trying to take the dog by fear and by force. Someone came from behind me and took my do...

Record-breaking temps may be set again as heat wave swathes DC area

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

“Records are meant to be broken,” a National Weather Service meteorologist said when record highs were set at D.C.-area airports on Labor Day. And records just might be broken again on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.Current traffic conditionsWeather forecastClosings and DelaysSign up for WTOP alerts“We definitely broke some highs” on Monday, National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Witt said.Reagan National Airport clocked 98 degrees while BWI Marshall Airport and Dulles International Airport clocked in at 99. The old record for Reagan National was 96 degrees and was set in 2019; the former record at Dulles was 95 degrees and set in 1985, 7News First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña said.The National Weather Service will still need to further examine Monday’s temperatures to make sure the numbers are legitimate, but Witt said, “Yes, they were broken.”Witt said this warm weather will contin...

Congreso de Guatemala reconoce al partido Movimiento Semilla tras fallo de TSE

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

(CNN Español) — La junta directiva del Congreso de Guatemala acordó este lunes reconocer al partido Movimiento Semilla como bloque a partir del fallo emitido por el Tribunal Supremo Electoral.Los magistrados aplazaron la suspensión de la personalidad jurídica de Movimiento Semilla que había ordenado el Registro de Ciudadanos –una dependencia del TSE– a fin de dar cumplimiento a una orden emitida por el juez Séptimo de Instancia Penal.Tras la decisión de la junta directiva, los diputados actuales de Movimiento Semilla podrán incorporarse a las comisiones de trabajo. Cabe recordar que el partido Movimiento Semilla había adelantado que interpondría recursos en contra de los miembros de la junta directiva del Congreso porque, a su juicio, no habían seguido el procedimiento adecuado.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

San Diegan shares Burning Man Festival experience

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO --  A San Diegan’s first Burning Man Festival experience took an unexpected turn Friday morning.“I was listening to some music and then the wind started picking up. It got really blustery like aggressive dust storms,” Ryan Horner explained.Burning Man made its return to the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada, but this year festivalgoers were met with torrential rain. Horner attempted to move on to the next event that same day, thinking the rain was temporary.“It had an enclosed tent, so we thought we will hang out here and the rain will pass. The rain did not pass,” he said.Heavy rain turned the entire playa into a muddy mess, trapping thousands on the festival grounds through the weekend as Burning Man organizers put a driving ban in place.Horner described bicycles scattered everywhere as a “bicycle graveyard” because he says so many people had to abandon their bikes wherever they were at as they went to seek shelter. His tent like many others was covered in mud and wat...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly lower amid selling of China property shares

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:21:55 GMT

Shares were mostly lower Tuesday in Asia after U.S. markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday. U.S. futures also were lower and oil prices were mixed. Hong Kong fell nearly 2% as Chinese property stocks declined. Investors sold real estate shares to lock in gains fueled by recent government efforts to support the ailing industry.China Vanke lost 1.2%, while Country Garden Holdings gave up 1%. Hong Kong-based Sun Hung Kai Properties shed 1.9%. Chinese services data came in weaker than expected, dulling hopes for a rebound in China’s lackluster growth. A survey showed business activity in China’s services sector increased at the slowest pace in eight months. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 1.8% to 18,507.16 while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.8% to 3,152.88. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.3% to 33,036.76 as the government reported the weakest household spending in more than two years. India’s Sensex also was higher. In Seoul, the Kospi lost 0....