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Encampment fires destroy cars in San Francisco's Mission District

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – About a dozen cars were destroyed by fires that officials say were started near homeless encampments in San Francisco’s Mission District.A total of three fires torched 11 vehicles and one scooter near Stevenson Street, and they all happened in less than a week. One business owner in the Mission says these encampment fires are a big problem, and her pleas for help are being ignored.Business owner Desiree Barrera says she’s been complaining to the city about encampment fires for months. Her fears were realized when her black BMW was destroyed last Friday. SFPD makes several arrests in Embarcadero shooting Adding insult to injury, people were seen rummaging through Barrera’s badly burned car.“It’s frustrating and scary,” she said. “The individuals who are causing the fires are still outside. They haven’t been asked to leave and they’re still there with all of their equipment.”On Monday, just days after Barrera’s car was charred, another fire torched several mo...

Meloni splits with longtime boyfriend after lewd TV remarks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Friday she is separating from her partner, Italian journalist Andrea Giambruno, after a satirical TV show broadcast him making lewd remarks. “My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here,” Meloni wrote on social media.In the broadcast comments, Giambruno is heard asking whether he can “touch his package” while speaking, asking someone whether they are single and inviting a woman to take part in a threesome.“I thank him for the splendid years we spent together, for the difficulties we went through, and for giving me the most important thing in my life, which is our daughter Ginevra,” she added.“Our paths have diverged for some time, and the time has come to acknowledge it,” Meloni said.The split comes after Giambruno caused a series of recent political embarrassments for Meloni, including making controversial remarks that young women could avoid rape by not getting drunk and comparing mi...

Philippine military ordered to stop using artificial intelligence apps due to security risks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine defense chief has ordered all defense personnel and the 163,000-member military to refrain from using digital applications that harness artificial intelligence to generate personal portraits, saying they could pose security risks.Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. issued the order in an Oct. 14 memorandum, as Philippine forces have been working to weaken decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies and defend territorial interests in the disputed South China Sea.The Department of National Defense on Friday confirmed the authenticity of the memo, which has been circulating online in recent days, but did not provide other details, including what prompted Teodoro to issue the prohibition.Teodoro specifically warned against the use of a digital app that requires users to submit at least 10 pictures of themselves and then harnesses AI to create “a digital person that mimics how a real individual speaks and moves.” Such apps pose “significant...

Stock market today: Asian shares slip further as higher US 10-year Treasury yield pressures Wall St

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares retreated Friday as the prospect of a 5% yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury for the first time since 2007 added to pressure on Wall Street.U.S. futures were lower while oil prices gained after the Department of Energy announced two separate offers of crude purchase intentions for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR on Thursday. The last time the Biden administration announced such a purchase was in July.Escalating conflict in the Middle East is fueling supply concerns, “which is definitely bad news for inflation,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based IEA, told The Associated Press. Developing countries that import oil and other fuels would be the most affected by higher prices, he said. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.3% to 31,338.51 after the government reported that consumer inflation was higher than expected in September. The core inflation rate, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, rose 2.8% from a year earlier in September.I...

Daily horoscope for October 20, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Capricorn.Happy Birthday for Friday, Oct. 20, 2023:You have many sides to your personality. You are generous, warmhearted and forgiving. You’re also creative and unpredictable. This year is a time of new beginnings, adventures and major changes in your life. Keep your eyes open for new opportunities. Be courageous and ready to open any door!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Flirtations and fun times with bosses, authority figures or work colleagues might happen today. Nevertheless, serious power struggles with a partner or close friend also might take place. This means it’s a juggling act depending on who you talk to. Easy does it. The minute a discussion starts to go south, run away! Tonight: Patience.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★You might be attracted to someone different today, perhaps from another culture or a different background. You’ll also be interested in opportunities ...

Critical technologies: How the EU plans to support key industries 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

The EU is creating a Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) to support key technologies and strengthen European sovereignty, Economy.Why does the EU need to invest in technologies? One of the EU’s main strategic goals is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy by supporting its change in line with the green and digital transformations. However, in recent years the EU industry is being challenged by high inflation, labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, rising interest rates, and spikes in energy prices.In addition, global competition is growing, especially in technologies that are the essential for the ongoing economic transformation, such as artificial intelligence, 5G, semiconductors, green technologies and biotechnologies.This is why the EU should take a more structural approach to the significant investment needs of its industries.What is the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform?In June 2023, the European Commission presented the mid-term ...

A decade of BRI: From vision to reality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

Ten years ago, in the autumn of 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road — the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for short. A decade of BRI: From vision to realityOver the past decade, BRI cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to participating countries, bringing remarkable and profound changes to the world. It has evolved from a vision into reality, from a general framework into concrete projects. Just before the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation commences, this video reminds us of the monumental events and infrastructure projects the BRI has brought to the world over the past decade.(Produced by Wang Tian, Ni Tao, Liang Peiyu, Zhang Jian, Hu Xiao and Shi Dijia. Interns Song Yanyan, Wang Yiting, Liang Jiayuan and Lu Baixuan contributed to this video.)

Dear Abby: My neighbor doesn’t know what my camera captures every morning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

DEAR ABBY: Our next-door neighbor retrieves his newspaper nude every morning about 4:30.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I’m hurt he didn’t make time for me amid his family crisis Advice | Dear Abby: She stages these embarrassing displays, and I can’t deal with it anymore Advice | Dear Abby: He’s just a little boy, but he’s already on the wrong path. What can I do? Advice | Dear Abby: I have a wedding dress and a man I love, but I’m ready to scrap everything Advice | Dear Abby: The family letter is meant to be upbeat but I can’t bring myself to read it We realized it after installing a Ring doorbell. Our video captures a very graphic image daily. Should we tell him?— X-RATED IN THE U.S.A.DEAR X-RATED: If your neighbor doesn’t realize he’s on camera, he deserves to know he’s overexposed. In this day and age, with the popularity of Ring, ...

Ben Stokes set to return for England’s big game against South Africa at the Cricket World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Two weeks into the Cricket World Cup, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will finally see some real action.This is a most venerable city — and venue — for Indian cricket. The sport first found its roots in this city’s maidans (local parks) a century ago, and the crowning moment arrived in 2011 when India beat Sri Lanka to lift its second World Cup.This tournament arrives Saturday at a crucial juncture — defending champion England needs to win its next game against South Africa to improve its chances of advancing to the semifinals.Both teams are in a similar state of mind — shell-shocked at their recent losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands, respectively.Afghanistan beat England in New Delhi by 69 runs to record only its second World Cup win. Two days later, the Netherlands beat South Africa in Dharamsala by 38 runs.England is worse off at this stage. It lost to New Zealand in the opening game by nine wickets, and is fifth in the standings with two points from three g...

ANÁLISIS | Tienen la tarea de ver “las peores imágenes imaginables” de la guerra entre Israel y Hamas. Están pagando un alto precio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:53:40 GMT

(CNN) — Bebés quemados. Niños con ropas ensangrentadas. La gente grita de agonía.Los periodistas que informan sobre la guerra entre Israel y Hamas desde fuera de la región inmediata también se enfrentan cada día a imágenes gráficas de las que no pueden apartar la mirada mientras trabajan para verificar informes en línea sobre el conflicto en expansión y comunicar los hechos al público.Si bien los desafíos son eclipsados por la miríada de horrendos problemas que afligen a quienes residen en el Medio Oriente, sin duda están dejando marcados a muchos reporteros que trabajan en el campo de batalla digital, con escenas terribles grabadas para siempre en sus memorias.La tarea está cobrando un precio especial a los periodistas cuyas funciones específicas son sacar a la luz videos e imágenes de la guerra y el posterior desastre humanitario y autenticar las imágenes para su uso en la cobertura informativa.“Los desafíos que enfrentan nuestros periodistas palidecen en comparación con los...