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North Korea conducts artillery drills along disputed sea border. South Korea plans similar drills

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired artillery rounds Friday near its disputed sea boundary with South Korea in violation of a fragile 2018 military agreement, officials said, prompting the South to plan similar drills.North Korea’s front-line maritime firing exercise was the first of its kind in about a year. Experts say North Korea will likely intensify a run of weapons tests in the coming months, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula ahead of the South’s parliamentary elections in April and the United States presidential election in November. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired 200 rounds in the waters north of their disputed western sea boundary. It said South Korea suffered no damages. Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon told a televised briefing that the North’s artillery firing was “an act of provocation that threatens peace and heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula.” Lee said South Korea strongly urges N...

Farmers prevent Germany’s vice chancellor leaving a ferry in a protest that draws condemnation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A group of farmers prevented Germany’s vice chancellor from disembarking a ferry, hours after the government partially climbed down on cost-saving plans that had infuriated the agricultural sector. The protest drew condemnation from both government and opposition figures.Police said the farmers blocked a jetty in Schluettsiel on the North Sea coast Thursday evening and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck had to return to the small island of Hooge, German news agency dpa reported. They said Friday that Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Green party who is also economy and climate minister, reached the mainland on another ferry during the night.More than 100 people took part in the blockade and pepper spray was used by the roughly 30 officers who were deployed, police said.Chancellor OIaf Scholz’s unpopular government angered farmers last month by announcing plans to cut agricultural subsidies as part of a package to fill a 17 billion-euro ($18.6 billion) hol...

Japanese air safety experts search for voice data from plane debris after runway collision

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

A team of transport safety officials searched for a voice recorder from the severely burned fuselage of a Japan Airlines plane Friday, seeking crucial information on what caused a collision with a small coast guard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.Meanwhile, JAL also started using heavy machinery to remove some of the debris for storage in a hangar to allow the runway to reopen. Six experts from the Japan Transport Safety Board, walked through the mangled debris of the Airbus A350-900 that was lying on the runway searching for the voice data recorder.JTSB experts have so far secured both the flight and voice data recorders from the coast guard’s Bombardier Dash-8 and a flight data recorder from the JAL plane to find out what happened in the last few minutes before Tuesday’s fatal collision.All 379 occupants of JAL Flight 516 safely evacuated within 18 minutes of landing as the aircraft was engulfed in flames. The pilot of the coast guard plane also escaped, ...

Iran mourns those slain in Islamic State-claimed suicide blasts as death toll rises to 89

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

KERMAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Friday mourned those slain in an Islamic State group-claimed suicide bombing targeting a commemoration for a general slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, as the death toll in the attack rose to at least 89. Despite the militants claiming responsibility for the attack, the wider tensions shaking the Middle East during Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip became intertwined with the funeral in the usually peaceful city of Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. The top commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard linked the attack to the U.S. The gathered crowd shouted: “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”“If you are a man, fight with us. Why do you kill oppressed and defenseless women and children?” Gen. Hossein Salami said. Iranian state television also sought to link America to the attack. At one point, it re-broadcast comments from 2016 from then-presidential candidate Donald T...

India’s foreign minister signs a deal to increase imports of electricity from Nepal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — India’s foreign minister concluded a two-day trip to Nepal on Friday, during which he signed an agreement to increase the amount of electricity India imports from its neighbor. “I assure you we are committed to extending our steadfast support and work with same earnestness to further realize the potential of the relationship for the full benefit of the people of the two countries,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in Kathmandu Friday, just before flying home.India, which surrounds Nepal on three sides, has major influence on the country’s economy and politics.Jaishankar arrived in Nepal Thursday where he met Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and President Ram Chandra Poudel and took part in a joint meeting where bilateral relations were discussed.The two countries signed an long-term power trade agreement Thursday where India agreed to “to strive to increase the … export of power from Nepal to India to 10,000 meg...

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is freed on parole after serving 9 years in girlfriend’s death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole after serving nearly nine years in prison for killing his girlfriend and is now at home, South Africa’s Department of Corrections said Friday.The department gave no more details of Pistorius’ release. The announcement came at around 8:30 a.m., indicating corrections officials had released the world-famous double-amputee Olympic runner from the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in the South African capital, Pretoria, in the early hours.Pistorius has served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He was approved for parole in November.Serious offenders in South Africa are eligible for parole after serving at least half their sentence. The Department of Corrections said in a two-sentence statement announcing Pistorius’ release that it was “able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a par...

Four-bedroom home sells for $2.3 million in San Jose

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

2409 Quantico Court – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 2400 block of Quantico Court in San Jose was sold on Dec. 8, 2023. The $2,250,000 purchase price works out to $1,209 per square foot. The house, built in 1962, has an interior space of 1,861 square feet. This two-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. In addition, the home is equipped with a one-car garage. The property’s backyard is further enhanced by both a spa and a pool.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:In August 2022, a 2,102-square-foot home on Norstad Street in San Jose sold for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $785. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Rickenbacker Street, San Jose, in April 2023, a 1,741-square-foot home was sold for $1,830,000, a price per square foot of $1,051. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,416-square-foot home on the 900 block of Arnold Way in San ...

Nicholls State takes on Houston Christian following Ireland’s 24-point game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

Nicholls State Colonels (5-8) at Houston Christian Huskies (2-9)Houston; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Nicholls State plays the Houston Christian Huskies after Byron Ireland scored 24 points in Nicholls State’s 74-65 victory against the Mobile Rams.The Huskies are 2-2 on their home court. Houston Christian has a 0-5 record against teams above .500.The Colonels are 2-6 on the road. Nicholls State is seventh in the Southland with 23.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Jamal West averaging 6.5.Houston Christian scores 69.6 points per game, 6.1 fewer points than the 75.7 Nicholls State gives up. Nicholls State averages 8.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 more makes per game than Houston Christian allows.The Huskies and Colonels square off Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Marcus Greene is averaging 14.5 points and 3.2 assists for the Huskies.Jalen White averages 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Colonels, scoring 10.9 po...

Whitney-Sidney leads Lehigh against Loyola (MD) after 26-point game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-9, 0-1 Patriot League) at Loyola (MD) Greyhounds (2-12, 0-1 Patriot League)Baltimore; Saturday, 5 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Lehigh takes on the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds after Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 26 points in Lehigh’s 75-66 loss to the American Eagles.The Greyhounds have gone 1-3 in home games. Loyola (MD) has a 1-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.The Mountain Hawks are 0-1 in conference matchups. Lehigh ranks third in the Patriot League with 36.8 rebounds per game led by Dominic Parolin averaging 5.6.Loyola (MD) averages 65.6 points per game, 8.1 fewer points than the 73.7 Lehigh allows. Lehigh averages 73.3 points per game, 1.7 fewer than the 75.0 Loyola (MD) allows to opponents.The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.TOP PERFORMERS: Deon Perry averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Greyhounds, scoring 13.9 points while shooting 34.0% from beyond the arc. D’Angelo Sti...

Manjon leads Vanderbilt against Alabama after 23-point game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:57:03 GMT

Alabama Crimson Tide (8-5) at Vanderbilt Commodores (5-8)Nashville, Tennessee; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Vanderbilt hosts the Alabama Crimson Tide after Ezra Manjon scored 23 points in Vanderbilt’s 69-53 victory over the Dartmouth Big Green.The Commodores are 5-4 on their home court. Vanderbilt ranks ninth in the SEC at limiting opponent scoring, giving up 71.0 points while holding opponents to 43.7% shooting.The Crimson Tide are 0-1 on the road. Alabama scores 92.8 points while outscoring opponents by 17.0 points per game.Vanderbilt scores 68.5 points per game, 7.3 fewer points than the 75.8 Alabama gives up. Alabama averages 21.8 more points per game (92.8) than Vanderbilt gives up (71.0).The Commodores and Crimson Tide square off Saturday for the first time in SEC play this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Carter Lang is averaging 2.8 points for the Commodores.Aaron Estrada is averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals for the Crimson Tide.LAST 10 GAMES: Commodores: ...