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US decides to rejoin UNESCO and pay back dues, to counter Chinese influence

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

PARIS (AP) — U.N. cultural and scientific agency UNESCO announced Monday that the United States plans to rejoin — and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member.U.S. officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter last week to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay formalizing the plan to rejoin.Applause rang out in the solemn UNESCO auditorium as Azoulay announced the plan to ambassadors at a special meeting Monday, and delegate after delegate stood up to welcome the news — and the new influx of money. The return of the U.S., once the agency’s biggest funder, is expected to face a vote by its 193 member states next m...

Fukushima nuclear plant begins tests of wastewater release plan; fishing officials remain opposed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.The tests at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant use fresh water instead of the treated water, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said. Plant workers examined pumps and emergency shutdown equipment at the newly constructed seaside facility, which will dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater. The diluted water then enters an undersea tunnel and is released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the coast. The undersea tunnel and other key facilities are near completion. TEPCO says the voluntary tests are expected to continue for about two weeks ahead of mandatory pre-operation checks to be conducted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, possibly in early July.Japan’s government an...

German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as police dog

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo's face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive.The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, underwent emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things.Rambo, a German Shepherd, who was injured in Ukraine's embattled Kharkiv region and was later adopted by the Budapest Police's dog squad is photographed, in Budapest Hungary. June 6, 2023. Rambo is now training with the Budapest Police in neighboring Hungary, and setting an example that dogs and people, can do great things despite their disabilities. Three-year-old Rambo accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Ukraine's Kharkiv region when a rocket att...

AMBER Alert discontinued for Dallas girl

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) — An Amber Alert for a seven-year-old girl was discontinued overnight. The alert was issued shortly after 7 Sunday p.m. as the Dallas Police Department was searching for the girl. The alert was discontinued at 1:20 a.m. Monday.

Post-Lumberjack Days, there’s a major road closure planned for downtown Stillwater

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

Stillwater businesses and residents are bracing for a major disruption downtown this summer.Starting July 17, the day after Lumberjack Days, Main Street will be closed from Myrtle Street to Olive Street for two months as crews finish work on the $3.6 million Chestnut Street Plaza. Traffic will be detoured around the area.A drone image captured Wednesday, June 7, 2023, showing the progress on the Chestnut Street Plaza in downtown Stillwater. (Courtesy of city of Stillwater)The work, including installation of utilities, a traffic signal, lighting and sidewalk, was supposed to have been done this spring, but the late winter and spring flooding curtailed those plans, said Shawn Sanders, the city’s director of public works.Officials decided to wait and close Main Street – also known as Minnesota 95, the main thoroughfare through downtown – until after the Fourth of July and Lumberjack Days celebrations. Lumberjack Days, the city’s annual summer festival, runs July 14-16.“We decided to wa...

Ask Amy: Family farm raises crops and questions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

Dear Amy: My little sister took over the family farm and has been running it (with my other sister) for two years. It is an incredible amount of work, and it keeps her busy from sunup to sundown.A year and a half ago, she had a son. I offered to watch him.I’m a stay-at-home mom for my own boys, so no problem.We currently live with my parents, whose home sits right on the farm property. My sister offered money, but I said I was happy to watch him without payment.I agreed to this without first discussing it with my husband.But what started out as a few days a week quickly turned into six days, from breakfast to dinnertime.This started to cut into my own family time. My husband refused to help me on his days off because he hadn’t agreed to it.We both became increasingly fatigued and bitter.We went to marriage counseling. Our counselor said it was unfair that I hadn’t discussed it with my husband from the beginning and that I should cut back on the babysitting commitment. I ...

German Chancellor Scholz says he plans to speak to Putin soon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) said on Saturday (10 June) he planned to speak to Russia's President Vladimir Putin by phone soon to urge him to withdraw Russia's troops from Ukraine.Addressing a convention of the German Protestant church in Nuremberg, Scholz said he had spoken to Putin by telephone in the past."I plan to do it again soon. It's not reasonable to force Ukraine to approve and accept the raid that Putin has perpetrated and that parts of Ukraine become Russian just like that," he said, adding he would work to ensure that NATO does not get drawn into the war.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that no talks with Scholz were currently planned in Putin's schedule.Moscow and Kyiv both reported heavy fighting in Ukraine on Friday (9 June), but it remained uncertain whether Ukraine's full-scale long-anticipated counterattack was under way.The counteroffensive aimed at penetrating Russian defences and driving out occupying forces is ultimately ex...

Montenegro holds parliamentary vote to secure reforms and EU path

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

Montenegrins headed to the polls on Sunday (11 June) for a snap election many hope will bring in a new government to implement economic reforms, improve infrastructure and take the NATO member state closer to European Union membership.The parliamentary vote is the first in the small former Yugoslav republic since Milo Djukanovic, former leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), lost the presidential election in April and stepped down after 30 years in power.Polling stations for the 540,000-strong electorate open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).The state election commission said 15 parties and alliances will compete for 81 parliamentary seats in the nation of just over 620,000 people.Over the years, Montenegro has been divided between those who identify as Montenegrins and those who see themselves as Serbs and are opposed to the country's 2006 split from a union with neighbouring Serbia.A poll by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) last mon...

Why Gavin Newsom, state leaders are paying attention to the California school board

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

“Congratulations Mr. Komrosky you have my attention. Stay tuned.”That’s how California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended a tweet calling Temecula school board President Joseph Komrosky “an ignorant person” for calling slain LGBTQ civil rights icon Harvey Milk “a pedophile” in a debate over a social studies curriculum.The governor’s words proved prophetic.California’s attorney general and Department of Education are now scrutinizing the Temecula Valley Unified School District, where a conservative school board majority has delighted supporters and outraged critics by its actions since taking power in December.Temecula Pride’s Carson Murray, left and John Sandvigen hold the Pride flag as they protest with more than 25 others protest at Temecula Valley Unified School District headquarters following the board’s decision to reject a textbook with supplemental materials that mention Harvey Milk in Temecula on Friday, Jun. 9, 2023. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)Justin Dale...

Single family residence in San Jose sells for $1.9 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:36:26 GMT

2174 Northampton Drive – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 2100 block of Northampton Drive in San Jose was sold on May 25, 2023. The $1,872,500 purchase price works out to $1,162 per square foot. The house, built in 1964, has an interior space of 1,612 square feet. The property features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on an 8,424-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In September 2022, a 2,566-square-foot home on Kirklyn Drive in San Jose sold for $2,280,000, a price per square foot of $889. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Westmoreland Drive, San Jose, in December 2022, a 2,794-square-foot home was sold for $1,975,000, a price per square foot of $707. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,810-square-foot home on the 1800 block of Kirkmont Drive in San Jose sold in December 2022, for $1,850,000, a price per square foot of $658. The home...