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Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO’s doorstep.The declared deployment of the Russian weapons on the territory of its neighbor and loyal ally marks a new stage in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling over its invasion of Ukraine and another bid to discourage the West from increasing military support to Kyiv.Neither Putin nor his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, said how many were moved — only that Soviet-era facilities in the country were readied to accommodate them, and that Belarusian pilots and missile crews were trained to use them.The U.S. and NATO haven’t confirmed the move. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Moscow’s rhetoric as “dangerous and reckless,” but said earlier this month the alliance hasn’t seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture.While some experts doubt the claims by Putin and Lukashenko, others not...

Elon Musk wants to turn tweets into ‘X’s’. But changing language is not quite so simple

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk may want to send “tweet” back to the birds, but the ubiquitous term for posting on the site he now calls X is here to stay — at least for now. For one, the word is still plastered all over the site formerly known as Twitter. Write a post, you still need to press a blue button that says “tweet” to publish it. To repost it, you still tap “retweet.” But it’s more than that. With “tweets,” Twitter accomplished in just a few years something few companies have done in a lifetime: It became a verb and implanted itself into the lexicon of America and the world. Upending that takes more than a top-down declaration, even if it is from the owner of Twitter-turned-X, who also happens to be one of the world’s richest men. “Language has always come from the people that use it on a day-to-day basis. And it can’t be controlled, it can’t created, it can’t be morphed. You don’t get to decide it,” said Nick Bilton, the author of “Hatching Twitter: A True Stor...

Taiwan shuts down schools and offices as Typhoon Doksuri scrapes the island’s coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Two of Taiwan’s largest cities have shut down schools and offices Thursday as Typhoon Doksuri brought heavy rains and winds to the island’s eastern and southern coast. Doksuri weakened further on Thursday, with sustained winds of 155 kph (96 mph) and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph), according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau. The typhoon’s center will not hit Taiwan’s mainland, but its outlying bands will still bring stronger winds and rains Thursday afternoon.In the south, port city Kaohsiung and the ancient capital Tainan announced that offices and schools will be closed Thursday. Hualien and Taitung counties in the east have also shuttered schools and offices. Kaohsuing also evacuated some 300 residents who lived in a mountainous part of the district, according to the semi-official Central News Agency.The storm temporarily left tens of thousands of households without power in Kaohsiung and Tainan, although most of them have had their pow...

Armed robbery suspects busted in downtown L.A.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

Three men have been arrested and are facing charges of robbery after entering a business in downtown Los Angeles armed with a shotgun and handguns, authorities announced Wednesday.  Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division responded to calls of a robbery in progress in the 300 block of South Wall Street on July 25, at around 5:15 p.m., according to an LAPD news release.  The three suspects, identified by police as 41-year-old Louis Peralta, 25-year-old Jacob Alarcon and 44-year-old Damian Morales, parked their vehicle near the entrance of the business and entered the location with guns drawn.   Suspects in Angeles Crest killing connected to Rancho Palos Verdes homicides, police say Inside, the suspects headed to the cash register and the back room of the establishment. The owner of the business was watching the robbery on closed-circuit television and called 911, police said.  At the scene, police arrived as the three men were fleeing the busine...

Oakland: Suspect, two officers injured after police pursuit ends in crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

OAKLAND – A suspect and two officers were injured in a police pursuit Wednesday in Oakland, police said.The chase kicked off just after 5 p.m. when undercover officers witnessed an armed carjacking near 32nd and West streets, Oakland police Officer Rosalia Lopez said.Lopez said officers briefly pursued the suspects, who were caravanning with other vehicles, before handing the chase off to Argus, the police department’s helicopter.As officers headed to the scene, one of the vehicles collided with a marked patrol vehicle, Lopez said. Multiple people were then taken into custody.Lopez said two officers and an individual linked to the carjacking were taken to a hospital. A fourth person, described by Lopez as a victim, was also hospitalized, but it was not immediately clear if they were injured in the carjacking or the crash. None of their injuries was considered life-threatening.Officers recovered a firearm at the scene, Lopez said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | D...

The top 10 most expensive home sales in Alameda, Piedmont and Oakland, reported the week of July 17

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

A house in Oakland that sold for $3.4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Alameda, Piedmont and Oakland in the past week.In total, 27 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $2.1 million, $864 per square foot.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of July 17 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $2 million, single-family home in the 1600 block of Moreland DriveThe 1,997 square-foot detached house in the 1600 block of Moreland Drive in Alameda has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in June and the total purchase price was $1,955,000, $979 per square foot. The house was built in 1929. The house features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.Moreland Drive9. $2 million, detached house in the 5800 block of BroadwayThe property in the 5800 block of Broadway in Oakland has new owners. The price was $1,975,...

Police use Taser on man suspected of assault, vandalism at Gilroy Premium Outlets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

GILROY – Officers on Wednesday used a Taser to subdue a man suspected of using concrete blocks and a metal chair to break windows at the Gilroy Premium Outlets, police said.The incident happened shortly before 9 a.m. at the shopping center on Leavesley Road, the Gilroy Police Department said in a news release.The suspect, identified as a 38-year-old Gilroy man, also approached a vehicle and used his fist to break the windshield while the driver was still seated inside, police said.Officers found the man in the parking lot, but he did not respond to their de-escalation attempts and showed no intention of cooperating with them, police said.“To prevent any further threat to the public and businesses, a Taser was used to prevent further attacks and to subdue the suspect and he was safely placed under arrest,” police said.The man received medical treatment and was booked into Santa Clara County jail on assault and vandalism charges.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Die...

Commanders camp opens with new owner Josh Harris in attendance and the buzz of a ‘clean slate’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Josh Harris walked off the field after his first practice as owner of the Washington Commanders, gave a thumbs up and said to anyone listening, “We’re undefeated!”That perfectly encapsulated the vibe on the first day of training camp under new management. Even without fans in the newly constructed stands at the team’s practice facility, there was a noticeable spring in players’ and coaches’ steps Wednesday in the aftermath of the long-awaited ownership change, with Harris visibly in attendance at the start of a new era for the franchise.“It’s definitely cool to kind of see just the buzz and a little bit of the glow everybody’s getting,” said punter Tress Way, the longest tenured player now going into his 10th season with Washington. “It feels different. It’s just this kind of clean slate and let’s go. Let’s go play some ball.”Football that counts is ahead, and the season opener Sept. 10 against Arizona will be another milestone in the process of...

How Belgium’s PM lobbied to save his F1 grand prix from being cut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

STAVELOT, Belgium — As American greenbacks and Gulf petrodollars pour into Formula 1, little Belgium is fighting to save its iconic motor race.This Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the dense Walloon forest — scene of numerous legendary F1 moments — could be one of the last as new owners, moneymen and TV executives steer the traditionally European sport in a new direction.Luckily for underdog Belgium, it’s got an ace lobbyist: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. De Croo has personally made Belgium’s case with the head of Formula 1 twice since 2022, bidding to keep the country’s grand prix on the annual calendar in part to drive the flagging Walloon economy. Next year, as the sport grows globally, F1 will go from 22 to 24 races, but the number of events in Europe will stagnate — pitting the Continent’s historic rallies against countries with deeper pockets.On May 31 this year, De Croo sent F1 chief Stefano Domenicali a hand-signed...

Arizona teen missing for nearly four years shows up safe at Montana police station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:23 GMT

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona teenager who vanished without a trace nearly four years ago is safe after walking into a police station in Montana, authorities said Wednesday.Alicia Navarro, 18, of Glendale showed up alone this week in a small town about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the Canadian border and identified herself, according to police in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb. Her disappearance sparked a massive search that included the FBI. Santiago said over the years, police had received thousands of tips.Her mother, Jessica Nunez, raised concerns that Navarro, who was diagnosed as high-functioning on the autism spectrum, may have been lured away by someone she met online.The name of the town wasn’t immediately disclosed but Montana is more than 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) from Arizona.“She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy,” police spokesman Jose Santiago said at a news conference.Investigators were trying to det...