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Facing Beijing’s threats, Taiwan president says peace ‘only option’ to resolve political differences

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

Peace between Taiwan and China is the “only option,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday, while strongly asserting the self-governing island’s defenses against Beijing’s threats to invade. Tsai said in a National Day address that the international community views stability in the Taiwan Strait as an “indispensable component of global security and prosperity.”China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has been increasingly sending ships and warplanes across the Taiwan Strait in an effort to intimidate the population of 23 million, who strongly favor the status-quo of de-facto independence. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party will seek to maintain power in elections next year against the Nationalists, who officially support unification between the sides that divided amid civil war in 1949.“Let me reiterate that peace is the only option across the Taiwan Strait,” said Tsai, who will step down after two terms in office. “Maintaining the status quo, as the l...

Hamas’ attack on Israel prompts South Korea to consider pausing military agreement with North Korea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s defense minister said Tuesday he would push to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in order to resume frontline surveillance on rival North Korea, as the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants raised concerns in South Korea about similar assaults by the North.The agreement, reached during a brief period of diplomacy between South Korea’s former liberal President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, created buffer zones along land and sea boundaries and no-fly zones above the border to prevent clashes.Talking with reporters in Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-shik cited the violence in Israel and Gaza to stress the need to strengthen monitoring on the North. Shin was appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday. Shin was particularly critical of the inter-Korean agreement’s no-fly zones, which he said prevents South Korea from fully utilizing its air surveillance assets at a time when North Korean n...

Kazakhstan and EU start streamlining Schengen Visa Process

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

Photo credit: schengenvisainfo.comKazakh Minister of Internal Affairs Yerzhan Sadenov met with the Deputy Director General of the European Commission for Migration and Home Affairs, Johannes Luchner, to discuss the harmonization and simplification of visa requirements for citizens of Kazakhstan during his working visit to Brussels on 4 October, according to Kazinform, Staff Report in International.According to the Kazakh Embassy in Belgium, Sadenov met with the leadership and experts of the European Commission Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs, which is responsible for regulating the visa policy of the Schengen countries for the first time. Minister Sadenov provided detailed information on socio-political reforms that are taking place in Kazakhstan and about the improvement of all aspects of migration policy based on the standards of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).He also reported on the positive migration statistics of Kazakh citi...

Family searches for missing loved one after deadly Israel music festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

A local family, frantic with worry and desperate for answers, fears for the safety of a relative believed to be among those kidnapped by Hamas while attending a music festival in Southern Israel. Families around the world are in a state of panic waiting for news of loved ones missing in the war-torn region.  Thousands rally for Israel in Beverly Hills Keren Cohen, who lived in Israel most of her life before moving to California still has family in Israel and is anxiously waiting for any news about her cousin, Itzik Dahan, who didn’t come home from the deadly music festival Friday night. “Itzik is missing. And I said what? What do you mean?" Cohen said. "He’s missing. He’s been in the festival of music in the southern part of Israel and they don’t know where he is.”Dahan, Cohen’s cousin, is a 47-year-old father of a seven year old son and a successful landscape architect in Israel who loved music and was with friends at the Supernova music festival in Sukkot. “If you...

Single family residence sells for $1.5 million in Milpitas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

248 Silvera Street – Google Street ViewA house located in the 200 block of Silvera Street in Milpitas has new owners. The 1,322-square-foot property, built in 1959, was sold on Sept. 20, 2023. The $1,530,000 purchase price works out to $1,157 per square foot. This single-story house has three bedrooms and two baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. In addition, the house features a two-car garage.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:On Barker Street, Milpitas, in July 2023, a 1,095-square-foot home was sold for $1,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,187. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,160-square-foot home on the 100 block of Smithwood Street in Milpitas sold in December 2022, for $1,229,000, a price per square foot of $1,059. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In May 2023, a 980-square-foot home on Marylinn Drive in Milpitas sold for $975,000, a price per square foot of $995. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom. 

All westbound lanes blocked on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge after fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

(KRON) -- All westbound lanes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge were blocked Monday night after a big rig truck struck a toll booth, according to California Highway Patrol's traffic log. According to the log, the big rig hit the booth just before 10 p.m. Both the truck and the toll booth caught fire, according to the traffic log. This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

Oakland synagogue asks police for help amid Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – With the Israel-Hamas conflict raging on in the Middle East, some synagogues in the Bay Area are taking extra precautions. Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland says they are stepping up security and asking police for help.The Temple hasn’t received any direct threats yet, but leaders there say it’s important to take precautions. What they’re most concerned about at this point is vandalism.Rabbi Mark Bloom has worked at Temple Beth Abraham on Macarthur Boulevard in Oakland, not far from Lake Merritt, for 22 years. He says over that time, he’s learned that problems in Israel can have a smaller, but still potentially dangerous effect at home. Berkeley native missing after Hamas invades Israeli music festival “We know historically when there are problems in the Middle East, tensions rise here as well, so that has contributed to some vandalism in the past,” he said. He says the temple’s members started asking for upgraded safety measures as soon as the first att...

New Highway 50 ramp closures: know before you go

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

(FOX40.COM) -- Commuters who take a Highway 50 route can expect some ramp closures to begin Monday night and last up to two months, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). Highway 50 is undergoing an estimated $471.2 million reconstruction known as the “Fix50 Highway Enhancement Project.” It began in November of 2020 and is reportedly 76% completed as of October 2023. Highway 50 construction: How much longer until it’s finally finished? DOT released a public service announcement about ramps that will be unavailable to commuters while construction continues on the highway:•Extended ramp closures will be in place for two weeks at the westbound 15th Street onramp and for four weeks at the westbound 10th street offramp.•Westbound US-50 far right lane between Howe Ave. and Watt Ave. will be closed for two months during the day to minimize nighttime work and rebuild the right side. Expect additional daytime delays.Additional closures include: Monday, Oct. 9•Westb...

Oakland police commission recommends 7 chief candidates, LeRonne Armstrong included

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Commission recommended seven candidates to be the city's new police chief, it announced Monday. One of them is former chief LeRonne Armstrong. The recommendations are the next step in picking Oakland's top cop after Armstrong was fired by Mayor Sheng Thao in February. According to the police commission, nearly 20 people applied for the position. The list of seven finalists picked by an ad-hoc committee will now be shared with Mayor Thao, city administration, and the rest of the commission. Berkeley native missing after Hamas invades Israeli music festival "After a rigorous and extensive national search, the committee has identified these candidates as highly qualified for the position, and they are recommended to advance to the next stage of the recruitment process," the OPC said. The process of picking the new chief has been controversial, and Thao said earlier that she would step in and call for a state of emergency to expedite it if it continued t...

Israeli military says about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants found in Israel as border is secured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military said about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israeli territory as, as it said it had largely gained control in the country’s south and “restored full control” over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack.Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since last night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed, and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli warplanes pounded downtown Gaza City, home to Hamas’ centers of government, with relentless bombardments into early Tuesday, after Israel’s prime minister vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group that would “reverberate for generations.”The 4-day-old war has already claimed at least 1,600 lives, as Is...