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This new East Bay restaurant is inspired by memories of a childhood in India

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

For decades, Vikas Bajaj has dreamed of opening his own restaurant, one that would evoke the same joy and surprise he experienced as a child when dined with his father at the Maurya hotel in New Delhi.The hotel is popular among visiting dignitaries, and the restaurant, he says, set a standard  he has had trouble finding in the decades since, working and living in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.Taj Mahal, a new Indian restaurant in Livermore, has a full bar with a signature cocktail menu. (Courtesy Chinar Desai) His dream, though, is finally coming true. He and his wife, Priya, recently opened an Indian fine-dining restaurant, Taj Mahal, in Livermore’s Republic Square complex. A grand opening is set for 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 with Bollywood performers and a full buffet ($70 for adults, $45 for children).“I did not want to let life pass by,” he says. “I just gathered the courage to say ‘Hey, we’re going to do it, no matter what comes...

Chipotle says it may need to tick its food prices up to pay California wages

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

By Danielle Wiener-Bronner | CNNNew York — Chipotle, which just announced price hikes, said it will likely charge even more at its California restaurants, blaming a new law that raises minimum wages for fast food (and fast casual) workers in the state.“We haven’t made a decision on exactly what level of pricing we’re going to take,” said John Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial officer, during an analyst call discussing the company’s third quarter results Thursday, adding that “we’ve been studying” the situation.“But to take care of the dollar cost of that and/or the margin part of that … it’s going to be a mid- to high single-digit price increase,” he said. “We are definitely going to pass this on.”A company spokesperson later told CNN that Chipotle hadn’t yet decided whether it will raise prices in California.California Gov. Gavin Newsom in September signed legislation that raises the minimum wage to $20 an hour for fast food workers, and creates a council that can approve further...

How spooked is California’s housing market? 12 factors to watch

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

A witches’ brew of economic forces is stirring unnerving thoughts about what’s next for California’s homebuying market.One particularly ghoulish factor in these spooky times is that most Californians can’t afford to buy a home in the state – whether they are a first-time house hunter or an owner looking for a new place.That’s largely due to a scary reversal of mortgage rates, which have risen to 23-year highs, less than three years since we saw record lows.Yes, prices have not cracked and remain near record highs.Still, these gut-twisting gyrations walloped the pace of statewide home sales, which are eerily slow and run 35% below average this year.Forecasting California’s homebuying future requires a peek into a spine-chilling concoction of market forces that may not mix well.Remember, housing’s history is filled with painful memories of the Great Recession and the very gloomy days of the early 1990s.But any California outlook means pondering a potentially haunted house with a dozen...

Oakland PD launches auto theft pilot program

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

(KRON) – The Oakland Police Department has launched a pilot program. In a pilot program, the Oakland Police Department will begin to utilize viral videos of auto-burglaries in an attempt to catch criminals in real-time.Beginning Friday, Oakland residents who witness someone breaking into a car will be able to direct message photos, videos, and other information to Oakland police directly, using the social media handle @oakland-auto-burg on both Instagram and X, formally known as Twitter. Oakland could have new police chief by end of year, mayor says With the information the police will receive, the surveillance team will be able to catch the criminals and be able to see what areas are being targeted the most, according to Oakland PD.The ideal direct message will have details with photos or videos of the individuals, the vehicles involved, and the crime location.The Oakland Police Department wants to remind people not to get involved and to stay as far away as possible. If you are ...

U.S. Quietly Expands Secret Military Base in Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

Two months before Hamas attacked Israel, the Pentagon awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to build U.S. troop facilities for a secret base it maintains deep within Israel’s Negev desert, just 20 miles from Gaza. Codenamed “Site 512,” the longstanding U.S. base is a radar facility that monitors the skies for missile attacks on Israel. On October 7, however, when thousands of Hamas rockets were launched, Site 512 saw nothing — because it is focused on Iran, more than 700 miles away.The U.S. Army is quietly moving ahead with construction at Site 512, a classified base perched atop Mt. Har Qeren in the Negev, to include what government records describe as a “life support facility”: military speak for barracks-like structures for personnel.Though President Joe Biden and the White House insist that there are no plans to send U.S. troops to Israel amid its war on Hamas, a secret U.S. military presence in Israel already exists. And the government contracts and budget doc...

Israel expects long Gaza ground war to crush Hamas, raising fears of grueling, open-ended conflict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)(AP/Mohammed Dahman) Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)(AP/Mohammed Dahman) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the defense minister said Friday, describing a campaign that will require dismantling a vast network of tunnels used by the territory’s militant rulers.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s ...

Live updates | Israel predicts a difficult ground offensive in Gaza to dismantle Hamas tunnels

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

Israeli forces conducted another ground raid in Gaza in advance of an expected invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory that the country’s defense minister said would come soon. U.S. warplanes, meanwhile, struck targets in eastern Syria after attacks on U.S. forces by Iran-backed fighters, adding to regional tensions fueled by the 3-week-old Gaza war. The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the bloody Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which tracks the toll, released a detailed list, including names and ID numbers on Thursday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 229 people — including foreigners, children and older adults — were taken by Hamas during the incursion and remain in capti...

Jets cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed clear concussion protocol and will play vs Giants

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets starting cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed cleared the concussion protocol and will play against the Giants on Sunday.Coach Robert Saleh announced Friday both Gardner and Reed are “good to go” after practicing fully this week.Gardner missed New York’s 20-14 victory over Philadelphia two weeks ago after being a late addition to the injury report with what was first called an “illness” by the team. But symptoms worsened for last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and it was determined he had a concussion.Reed sat out two games after being injured in the Jets’ 23-20 loss to Kansas City on Oct. 1. The return of both Gardner and Reed is a big boost for the Jets’ defense, which had Bryce Hall, Craig James and Tae Hayes replace them. The backups played well, but Gardner and Reed form one of the league’s top cornerback duos when healthy. “It does allow flexibility on the defense and it allows you to do some thin...

George Santos pleads not guilty to new fraud charges in New York

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., watches on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 25, 2023. Santos is set to be arraigned on a revised indictment accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to his campaign donors. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)(AP/Alex Brandon) FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., watches on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 25, 2023. Santos is set to be arraigned on a revised indictment accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to his campaign donors. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)(AP/Alex Brandon) CEN...

Admiten demanda de inconstitucionalidad contra contrato minero que causa protestas en Panamá

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:20:00 GMT

(CNN Español) — La Corte Suprema de Justicia de Panamá admitió una demanda de inconstitucionalidad contra la Ley 406, de octubre de este año, con la cual se renovó un contrato, con nuevos términos y condiciones, para la minería de cobre entre el Estado panameño y la empresa Minera Panamá, informó este jueves el máximo tribunal del país.Se trata de una compañía que explota ese metal en el país centroamericano y que pertenece a la compañía canadiense First Quantum.La demanda de inconstitucionalidad fue interpuesta el lunes ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia, por el abogado Juan Ramón Sevillano Callejas, y va contra el artículo 1 de la ley, numeral que se refiere a la aprobación o desaprobación en la Asamblea Nacional de Panamá, en los contratos que el Estado sea parte o tenga interés, pero cuya celebración no esté reglamentada previamente, entre otras consideraciones, según la gaceta oficial con la ley.Desde este lunes, en diversos puntos de Panamá, principalmente en la capital, ...