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A Maryland circuit court judge was fatally shot in the driveway of his home, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — A Maryland circuit court judge was fatally shot in the driveway of his home Thursday night, police said.Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, was found with apparent gunshot wounds around 8 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.Wilkinson was taken from the home in Hagerstown to Meritus Medical Center, where he died of his injuries, the sheriff’s office said.The sheriff’s office is investigating the fatal shooting.Associated Press, The Associated Press

Towards an EU ban on products made with forced labour 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

This week, the Internal Market and International Trade committees adopted their position on keeping products made using forced labour out of the EU market, IMCO, INTA.The draft regulation would put in place a framework to investigate the use of forced labour in companies’ supply chains. If it is proven that a company has used forced labour, all import and export of the related goods would be halted at the EU’s borders and companies would also have to withdraw goods that have already reached the EU market. These would then be donated, recycled or destroyed.Reversal of burden of proof in high-risk casesMEPs amended the Commission proposal to task the Commission with creating a list of geographical areas and economic sectors at high risk of using forced labour. For goods produced in these high-risk areas, the authorities would no longer need to prove that people have been forced to work, as the burden of proof would fall on companies.Remediation and wider definitionsThe committees also...

Iran: Council maintains restrictive measures under the non-proliferation sanctions regime after the JCPoA Transition Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

The Council decided to take the necessary steps to maintain the restrictive measures under the EU non-proliferation regime on Iran.The Council evaluated that there are valid reasons to refrain from lifting these restrictions on Transition Day (18 October 2023), as originally foreseen under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The Council’s decision is in line with the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the JCPoA, in view of Iran not fulfilling its commitments under the JCPoA, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency since 2019.The Council adopted legal acts to maintain the designations, that had initially been imposed by the United Nations for individuals and entities involved in nuclear or ballistic missiles activities or affiliated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Council also agreed to maintain sectoral and individual measures, existing under the EU’s sanctions regime, notably those related to Iran nuclear prolife...

Security footage shows vehicle crash into tobacco store in Brea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

Stunning surveillance video showed the moment a vehicle crashed into the front of a tobacco store in Brea Thursday evening.The crash happened around 4:40 p.m. at Tobacco Buzz on West Imperial Highway.Video shows a BMW crash into the store, hitting two people and knocking down store shelves.The two people, a maintenance worker and a customer, were injured in the crash.The store owner said the building sustained major damage and it was red-tagged by the city code enforcement.The driver of the vehicle, identified by witnesses as a middle-aged woman, was taken away from the scene. Police have not said if she suffered any injuries or if she is expected to face criminal charges.

How Blanca Alvarado paved the way for future legislators

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- At 92 years old, Blanca Alvarado still makes time for her community.  Affectionately nicknamed "La Madrina of East San Jose" – or "The Godmother" – Alvarado has continuously been recognized for her 60 years of activism.KRON4 met with her inside of a tuition-free charter school in Alum Rock named in her honor: “Alpha: Blanca Alvarado.” Latina filmmaker shines light on educational challenges for Latinos Raised by a coal miner in Colorado, Alvarado's family came to San Jose when she was a teen for what was supposed to be a temporary stay while her father worked in the fields. When he got a permanent job as a foreman, Alvarado planted roots and went to work.  She explains she was drawn to public service early on in high school."We wanted to raise money for the poor. We wanted to have food drives, clothing drives," she says.Later in life, Alvarado married but divorced. As a single mom to five children, she always kept a day job to support her family but remai...

Flying tails: Newborn puppies rescued in Fresno

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 GMT

(KRON) -- KRON4 has a story of survival on Thursday involving a young dog and her four puppies.The dogs were part of several that were found on the streets of Fresno. In this edition of "Flying Tails," I flew down to pick them up and give them a new start on life here in the Bay Area.Watch this edition of Flying Tails in the video player above.

Encampment fires destroy cars in San Francisco's Mission District

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:59 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 19:25:59 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 19:25:59 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 19:25:59 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...