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China’s commerce minister meets Tesla’s Musk, promises support to foreign companies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s commerce minister met Tesla Ltd. CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday and promised to support the development of foreign companies, the ministry said. Musk earlier met with China’s ministers of industry and foreign affairs. He joined a series of CEOs from global companies, including Apple Inc., who have met with Cabinet officials or Premier Li Qiang, the top economic official, this year following the end of anti-virus controls that blocked most travel into China.The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive investor interest in China’s slowing economy and reassure companies that have been rattled by anti-monopoly and data-security crackdowns, raids on consulting firms, tension with Washington and pressure to align their plans with official development goals.The commerce minister, Wang Wentao, said Beijing will “support long-term, stable development of foreign-invested enterprises in China,” according to a ministry statement.Musk “praised the potential...

Palestinian officials say Israeli strike on eastern Lebanon kills 5 militants, Israel denies role

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An Israeli airstrike targeting positions of a Syria-backed Palestinian group in eastern Lebanon early Wednesday killed five Palestinian militants and wounded 10 others, two Palestinian officials said. An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity denied the country had any role in the incident. Israel does not typically respond to foreign reports.Anwar Raja of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, told The Associated Press in Damascus that the Israeli strike hit positions in the Lebanese eastern town of Qusaya near the border with Syria. He said two of the wounded are in critical condition.Another PFLP-GC official, the Lebanon-based Abu Wael Issam, told the AP that his group will retaliate “at the suitable time.” He added that the strike will not deter his group from “escalating the fight against the Israeli enemy.”The Lebanese army and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group also had no immediate comment on the airstrike...

Delta Air Lines hit with lawsuit over claims of carbon neutrality

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

A consumer class action lawsuit filed Tuesday claims Delta Air Lines inaccurately billed itself as the world’s “first carbon-neutral airline” and should pay damages. The complaint in federal court in California alleges the airline relied on carbon offsets that were largely bogus.Companies around the world buy carbon credits to cancel out their carbon releases with projects that promise to absorb carbon dioxide out of the air, or prevent pollution that would’ve happened. But they’ve been under the spotlight in recent months with claims their benefits are exaggerated. The company is a big customer, purchasing credits from projects including wind and solar projects in India and an Indonesian swamp forest, the lawsuit says.Delta spokesperson Grant Myatt described the lawsuit as “without legal merit.”“Since March 31, 2022, (Delta) has fully transitioned its focus away from carbon offsets toward decarbonization of our operations, focusing our efforts on investing in sust...

German court hands woman lengthy prison sentence for attacks on neo-Nazis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A court in eastern Germany has sentenced a 28-year-old woman to five years and three months in prison for taking part in a series of attacks on neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists over a period of two years.German news agency dpa reported Wednesday that the Dresden regional court convicted Lina E., whose surname wasn’t released due to privacy rules, of membership in a criminal organization and serious bodily harm.Prosecutors accused the student of “militant extreme-left ideology” and conceiving the idea of attacks on far-right individuals in Leipzig and nearby towns. Three men, Lennart A., Jannis R. and Jonathan M., are alleged to have joined up with her by the end of 2019. The men were sentenced to between 27 months and 39 months in prison.Lina E. has been in custody since her Nov. 5, 2020, arrest. The others have remained free.Among the attacks Lina E. was accused of helping orchestrate was a 2020 incident in which about 15 or 20 assailants beat a group o...

2 teams, 2 chances at titles: Heat, Panthers ready for their finals tests

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

DENVER (AP) — They were No. 8 seeds. They barely got into the playoffs after up-and-down regular seasons. They had to face the No. 1 overall seeds in Round 1 of the postseason. They had to win Game 7s in Boston just to keep their seasons alive. They are Eastern Conference champions. They are each four wins from a championship.This is the story of the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers.And it could have an ending like none other.There’s never been a season where one city — or one metro area, in this case — has gotten to celebrate both winning both the NBA title and the NHL’s Stanley Cup. There have been nine previous tries; in two cases there’s been an NHL title and no NBA crown, in three cases there’s been an NBA title and no NHL crown, and in the four other cases both teams have lost.South Florida has a chance to change that. Larry, meet Stanley. Stanley, meet Larry.“That would be insane. … If that would ever happen, that would truly be unbelievable,” said Florida star Matthew Tka...

Federal lawsuit targets how kids are removed from homes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — When child welfare workers and police knocked on Sarah Perkins’ and Joshua Sabey’s front door well past midnight one weekend last summer, the parents were shocked to learn the state of Massachusetts had come to take their two young sons.It’s the kind of harrowing scene that plays out daily across the country as social workers motivated by a desire to protect children run up against confused and concerned parents.What followed was emotional anguish, a bureaucratic battle, vindication for the parents and a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a legal advocacy group. The couple hopes for a favorable ruling that will increase oversight of child removals nationwide.The children were taken in Massachusetts because of a child abuse report stemming from a hospital visit. On July 13, 2022, Perkins whisked their 3-month-old son Cal to an emergency room. He had a 103-degree fever.An X-ray checking for pneumonia found a rib fracture the couple hadn't noticed. After s...

Hot and dry leading up to weekend rain chances

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A hot and dry end to May, but the pattern turns for the first weekend of June.High pressure will keep temperatures hot and skies clear for all of Central Texas today and Thursday. Afternoon highs will warm well into the 80s and low 90s with humidity adding a few degrees to the heat index values.Hot, dry and humid on Wednesday BLOG: Summer forecast released: When do 100º days begin Rain chances return this weekend with Sunday and Monday looking to be the best bet for meaningful rain. Some storms may contain heavy rain for those who see them with 0.75" to 1" of rain possible.Potential rain totals between today and early next week INVESTIGATION: LCRA didn't plan for climate change until KXAN investigation FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-to-date with the First Warning Weather teamFollow the KXAN First Warning Weather team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.You...

TX Attorney General warns of companies misleading consumers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Attorney General's office warned consumers Tuesday to beware of companies that it said may be appearing as they are government agencies. According to the press release from the AG's office, it has received complaints against Texas UCC Statement Services. The AG's office said that company has recently been mailing consumers a solicitation that asks consumers to pay $90 to obtain a form that they are unlikely to need and is available from the Texas Secretary of State for a much smaller fee.According to the AG's office, "the company’s mailer is designed to mislead Texans to believe that it was sent by a government agency and that the $90 is already due. The solicitation discloses that Texas UCC Statement Services is not a government agency, but that disclosure is not clear and conspicuous and the net impression is misleading."The Attorney General's office said Tuesday it has recently seen several companies using "similar deceptive solicitation tactics." The of...

Volunteers worry for refugee families following RST closure

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In a matter of weeks, the state's largest refugee resettlement agency, Refugee Services of Texas (RST), went from suspending its operations to fully closing its offices statewide following a budget shortfall. “It is with heavy hearts that we have come to this decision,” said David McKeever, CEO of RST, in a statement released by the agency last week. PREVIOUS: State’s largest refugee resettlement agency lays off 45% of staff, closes offices Now the attention turns to the families that are currently living in Texas who were receiving services from RST, and the families that will be arriving to the state in the future. Volunteers worry that families will be greatly impacted during this transitionary phase. Austin has zero resettlement agencies RST had seven offices around Texas including a location right here in Austin, and the city relied solely on the now-shuttered agency. Russ Apfel, a co-founder of the local non-profit Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees, sai...

Recipe: The scrumptious scent of charred chicken

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:25:54 GMT

In her book “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal,” Mary Roach explores how we taste and explains how we can perceive five main flavors, but infinite smells. “Eighty to 90 percent of the sensory experience of eating is olfaction,” she writes.That’s why grilled chicken legs taste especially good in summer, when their smokiness mingles with the fragrance of sunscreen and ocean air, grass and beer. It’s an aroma that takes me back to church picnics and others to block parties, the sort of gatherings where you’re with your community — not necessarily friends or compatriots, or even people you like, but the humans who make life fuller and a little less lonely.That immediately recognizable charred chicken scent transports anyone who smells it to good times — and is worth re-creating. The best way is to start with skin-on pieces, ideally legs or drumsticks. As the chicken heats up, the fat in and under the skin renders, sizzles and releases the meaty haze that pulls at an urgent, prima...