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Yellen’s visit to Beijing aims to heal rifts over a daunting array of China-US antagonisms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is visiting Beijing as part of efforts to revive U.S.-Chinese relations that are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over technology, security and other irritants.Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in November and agreed to improve relations between the world’s biggest economies and major trading partners. But neither government has shown willingness to make major policy changes.“We hope the United States takes concrete actions to create a favorable environment for the healthy development of economic and trade relations,” the Chinese finance ministry said in a statement Friday.It expressed hope for “the realization of mutual benefit and win-win results” but did not suggest possible Chinese concessions.Yellen’s visit follows one by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Xi last month in Beijing in an encounter that lasted just 30 minutes.Here’s a look at some areas of contention.___POLITICAL RELATIONSU.S....

For the third time this week, Earth sets an unofficial heat record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record.The planetary average hit 63 degrees Fahrenheit, 17.23 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 62.9 and 17.18-degree marks set Tuesday and equaled Wednesday, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That average includes places that are sweltering under dangerous heat — like Jingxing, China, which checked in almost 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) — and the merely unusually warm, like Antarctica, where temperatures across much of the continent were as much as 8 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius) above normal this week.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday issued a note of caution about the Maine tool’s findings, saying it could not confirm data that results in part fr...

A new round of showers/t-storms Friday night. Above Normal precipitation Trend Continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

Friday's Sun-filled Open To Mask The Approach Of Afternoon Clouds And A New Round Of Showers and T-storms Friday Night & Early Saturday.Weekend Weather To Improve Beyond Saturday Morning While Temps Head For 90 Monday and Tuesday Before Two More Wet Systems Move In.The "Above Normal Precip" Regime To Remain Intact Overall In Coming Weeks—Hints Of Heat Showing Up The The Following WeekThe respite from the rains in recent days—for some portion of the Chicago area, from flooding downpours—-is to continue as Friday dawns. But already, the next rain-making system is taking shape in the Rockies and Plains. Its clouds will be spreading across area skies Friday with an overcast assembling during the afternoon and a scattering of showers already putting in an appearance over a portion of the Chicago area as evening comes on.As cooler air rides upper winds into the Midwest and the Chicago area later Friday and Friday night, the air mass will be carrying significant moisture just waiting t...

Give Ukraine quick path to NATO after war, Lithuania leader tells allies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

Lithuania's president urged NATO leaders to be bolder in addressing Ukraine's push for membership at a summit in his country next week, saying this would boost Kyiv's battlefield performance while Moscow would see any caution as weakness.President Gitanas Nauseda advised NATO allies to disregard fears that bringing Ukraine into the US-led military alliance would provoke Russia, which invaded Ukraine on 22 February, 2022."We should not hesitate to take bolder decisions because otherwise the Putin regime will decide that the Western allies are too weak, (that they should be) pushed to the corner and they will surrender", Nauseda said on Monday."Our stronger wording on Ukraine's (membership) perspective would for sure increase the fighting spirit of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. And this is very important", he added.Ukraine has been pressing NATO to declare at the July 11 and 12 summit that Kyiv would join the alliance soon after the end of the war, and to set out a roadmap to...

Single family residence in San Ramon sells for $1.7 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

7387 Hillsboro Avenue – Google Street ViewA 2,035-square-foot house built in 1970 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 7300 block of Hillsboro Avenue in San Ramon was sold on June 14, 2023, for $1,710,000, or $840 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an attached garage, as well as a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 10,000-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In June 2023, a 2,285-square-foot home on Sedgefield Avenue in San Ramon sold for $1,850,000, a price per square foot of $810. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,497-square-foot home on the 7400 block of Sedgefield Avenue in San Ramon sold in September 2022, for $1,770,000, a price per square foot of $709. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Butte Avenue, San Ramon, in May 2023, a 1,288-square-foot home was sold for $1,389,000, a price per square foot of $1,078. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms...

Acusan de homicidio a la pareja que dejó a su bebé en el coche tras una fiesta del 4 de Julio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

(CNN) — Una pareja de Florida fue acusada de homicidio con agravantes por la muerte de una niña de 18 meses abandonada en un coche caluroso durante la noche tras una fiesta del 4 de Julio, según informó la policía.Joel y Jazmine Rondon, ambos de 33 años y residentes en Lakeland, acudieron a una celebración del 4 de Julio con sus tres hijos pequeños y no regresaron a casa hasta aproximadamente las 3:00 a.m. del día siguiente, según un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Polk.La familia abandonó la fiesta alrededor de las 2:00 p.m. del miércoles, dijo el sheriff del condado de Polk, Grady Judd, en una conferencia de prensa el jueves.Según Judd, Jazmine llevó a los niños mayores —de ocho y seis años— a la casa y le dijo a Joeal que llevara a la bebé. Joel dijo que las puertas del coche estaban abiertas mientras cargó algunas bandejas de comida a la casa, y luego se dio cuenta de que la puerta trasera del coche estaba cerrada cuando terminó. Dijo que pens...

Seattle visits New York after Stewart’s 43-point game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

Seattle Storm (4-13, 4-6 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (12-4, 7-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Saturday, 2 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York takes on the Seattle Storm after Breanna Stewart scored 43 points in the New York Liberty’s 99-95 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.The Liberty are 6-2 on their home court. New York leads the Eastern Conference with 87.8 points and is shooting 46.0%.The Storm have gone 2-4 away from home. Seattle is fourth in the Western Conference with 33.6 rebounds per game led by Ezi Magbegor averaging 8.4.The teams play for the third time this season. The Liberty won the last matchup 81-66 on July 2, with Stewart scoring 20 points in the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks for the Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 13.5 points over the last 10 games for New York.Jewell Loyd is averaging 25.6 points and 3.3 assists for the Storm. Magbegor is averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 ...

Henry Hasselbeck: It’s football

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

WESTWOOD – Henry Hasselbeck has been considered one of the state’s top college recruits for two sports – lacrosse and football.Last month, the Xaverian standout found himself faced with a difficult decision.The junior placed a call to Maryland lacrosse coach John Tillman to inform him that he was decommitting from the Terrapins’ lacrosse program. It was a painful conversation, but Hasselbeck felt he was making the correct choice as he chased his longtime goal of playing football at the highest of levels.“I’m incredibly close with them,” Hasselbeck said. “I think the call was almost an hour with Coach Tillman. He’s incredible. He was supportive telling me to go do your dream, and we are going to be your biggest fans. I’m still texting with them today, they’re the very best, and I could not have asked for a better way to part ways.”It came down to a selection of three schools for football for Hasselbeck. Michigan State, Alabama-Birmingham, and of course, his father’s alma ...

China says up to US to create ‘necessary conditions’ for anti-drugs cooperation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday insisted it is up to the U.S. to “create necessary conditions” for anti-drugs cooperation, following complaints from Washington that Beijing has ignored its calls for a crackdown on precursor chemicals for the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl. China takes an “active part in international anti-narcotic cooperation and firmly opposes smears and unilateral sanctions on other countries under the pretext of the fight against drugs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. “We urge the U.S. to correct wrongdoings with concrete actions and create necessary conditions for the two countries’ anti-narcotic cooperation,” Wang said. U.S. diplomats and anti-drug officials have repeatedly complained that China has ignored calls for closer cooperation on combating the production and sale of fentanyl precursor chemicals. Wang gave no details on the source of Chinese discontent or what conditions it was looking for. However, Washin...

Israeli forces kill 2 wanted Palestinians in shootout in the occupied West Bank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:02:48 GMT

NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces killed two wanted Palestinians in a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants.The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. As a result of the raid, 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.The raid bore the hallmarks of the second Palestinian uprising, a period of violence in the early 2000s that killed thousands.The Israeli domestic security agency Shin Bet said Friday the two men, who it said were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle, were killed in a gun battle with Israeli forces in the heart of the city of Nablus, the West Bank’s commercial capital.The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men were killed by Israeli f...