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Hollywood writers set to resume negotiations this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

Highly anticipated talk shows and fall season dramas are still on hold amid the current writers’ strike. However, after four months of marching on the picket lines, writers will go into negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers representatives on Wednesday, in hopes of reaching a fair deal and ending the 20-week labor lockdown. “You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible," the Union wrote in a statement. Many writers say they are compensated fairly for their hard work in helping to create successful shows. Story editor Catherina Schetina believes “The Bear” has been a massive hit on Hulu, but says writers and actors aren’t compensated for the show’s success. “It's not reflected in our residuals so no matter how many people are signing up for Hulu, no matter how many people are tuning in, that doesn't change the amount of money that we o...

Woo wins homecoming as Mariners blank A’s 5-0 to move closer in AL West and tie for final wild card

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN (Associated Press)OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mariners rookie Bryan Woo had six strikeouts over five spotless innings in a successful homecoming, and Seattle pulled even for the third AL wild card by beating the last-place Oakland Athletics 5-0 on Monday night.José Caballero homered for the first time in two months, and J.P. Crawford walked three times and delivered an RBI single to help the Mariners win the opener of their final road trip.Seattle moved into a tie with skidding Texas for the final American League playoff berth. Both teams are 1 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the AL West.Woo (4-4) was born in Oakland and attended high school in nearby Alameda. A sixth-round draft pick in 2021 who made his major league debut June 3, the 23-year-old righty allowed three hits and overcame four walks to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season while pitching in front of a section of family and friends.Woo said making his first big league appearance ba...

Magnitude 4.4 quake hits in Diablo Range, is felt in Bay Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

DIABLO GRANDE – A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit Monday night in the Diablo Range east of San Jose and was felt throughout the Bay Area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The quake was reported at 9:13 p.m. about three miles north of Diablo Grande, a bedroom community nestled in the mountains between San Jose and Patterson, the USGS reported.A “felt report” on the USGS website indicated the earthquake was felt throughout the Bay Area, including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, as well as far north as Portola in Plumas County, as far east as Mammoth Lakes and as far south as Visalia.There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.The quake was preceded by two others Monday in the same general area – a magnitude 4.0 around 5:15 p.m. and a magnitude 3.6 around 8:45 p.m., according to the USGS.The magnitude 4.4 earthquake was followed by a pair of magnitude 3.2 quakes at 9:40 p.m. and 10:25 p.m., respectively, the USGS reported.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | ...

Will the Oakland Police Commission consider LeRonne Armstrong for chief job?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – The Oakland Police Commission is weighing in on whether former Oakland police chief LeRonne Armstrong should be considered to get his job back.The commission has said they will have a list of finalists for the chief position by next month. But its vice chair said Monday that they have not started interviewing candidates. And now they need to figure out if they are going to consider Armstrong. The commission had a closed session Monday that lasted longer than it was supposed to, with no explanation given. But in the open session, the commission did give an update on the search for a new police chief. Ex-Oakland police chief Armstrong says he is ‘vindicated,’ deserves job back It said that after many forums with the community, a final job description for the chief position was announced on September 5.The goal is to recommend the top three candidates to the mayor on the week of Oct. 16, then have a new chief selected the following week. Vice-chair David...

Poland’s ruling party publishes top secret war plan as a campaign stunt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

WARSAW — Poland’s ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party has set off a security storm by publishing parts of a top secret defense plan as part of a campaign spot aimed at discrediting the opposition ahead of the October 15 general election.“Attention! The Tusk government was ready to give up half of the country in the event of a war,” Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said in a video published by PiS on social media on September 17 — the 84th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s attack on Poland in 1939.The minister was referring to a 2011 strategic defense plan prepared by the former government of then Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The former European Council President is now head of the Civic Coalition alliance that’s trying to prevent PiS from winning an unprecedented third straight term in power.“The plan assumed … that Poland could only defend itself for two weeks and the enemy will reach the right bank of the Vistula after seven days,” Błaszczak ...

‘Was that man drunk?’ Ukrainian grain fight triggers EU fury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

When Ukraine’s trade representative, Taras Kachka, revealed to POLITICO that Kyiv was going to sue EU governments in a dispute over grain, it proved too much for one of the bloc’s diplomats to take. “Was that man drunk?” the exasperated envoy demanded, all thoughts of diplomacy vaporizing in the heat of his frustration. Ukraine made good on Kachka’s promise on Monday, formally filing lawsuits against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia at the World Trade Organization after the trio decided to defy Brussels and ban Ukrainian grain imports. The dispute has fractured European unity, leaving other EU diplomats privately furious with Poland, especially, for going rogue. And the clash is sorely testing relations between Kyiv and Brussels at a sensitive moment in Ukraine’s 18 month-old war against Russia’s invaders. The worst bit? It’s all just a taste of the fights to come. For his part, Kachka barely flinched at the “drunk” jibe. EU diplomats, he told POLITICO, were app...

2 local 'Bachelorette' contestants among 5 saved after boat sinks on fishing trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO - Five men, including two local contestants from the reality television show "The Bachelorette," are lucky to be alive after their fishing trip ended with their boat under water. That ship sank 15 to 20 miles off the coast of San Diego and luckily for the people on board, two people found them and were able to bring them back to shore. “It’s like being trapped and helpless because there’s no service, we weren’t able to send a distress signal at all, and the only thing you have out there is hope, hope that somebody finds you, hope that a helicopter flies over," said Aaron Schwartzman who owned the boat. He and his friends took to sea for a good day out in the sun, hoping to catch some fish, but soon found themselves stranded in water for three-and-a-half hours, about 15 miles away from the coast. “I finally bought the boat of my dreams, or so I thought, for it to sink on me," Schwartzman said. He and his friend Brayden Bowers met while filming the latest season of the "Bach...

The Versailles Palace celebrates its 400th anniversary and hosts King Charles III for state dinner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France is rolling out the red carpet for King Charles III’s state visit at one of its most magnificent and emblematic monuments: the Palace of Versailles, which celebrates its 400th anniversary.Charles and Queen Camilla’s three-day trip to Paris and Bordeaux, starting Wednesday, includes a grand dinner at Versailles in the presence of over 150 guests in the Hall of Mirrors. It comes as the Palace of Versailles just opened to the public the gallery that retraces its history, from its creation as a modest hunting lodge in 1623 to last century’s key diplomatic events — including the visits of Charles’ predecessors. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Wednesday’s dinner echoes the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, when she was greeted at the Palace by President Georges Pompidou. King Charles liked the idea of following in his mother’s footsteps, according to Macron’s office. Elizabeth II also visited the palace in 1958 and 1...

Once a global ideal, Germany’s economy struggles with an energy shock that’s exposing longtime flaws

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

ESSEN, Germany (AP) — For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports. Jobs were plentiful, the government’s financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany. No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.It follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow’s cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe.The sudden underperformance by Europe’s largest economy has set off a wave of criticism, handwringing and debate about the way forward.Germany risks “...

Making a mark: London’s historic blue plaques seek more diversity as 1,000th marker is unveiled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A resounding thump breaks the silence as Julia Land drops a lump of grey-brown clay onto the slab roller before Ned Heywood cranks it through the machine once, twice, three times, creating a rectangle about an inch thick.Laying a pattern on top of the slab, Heywood slices through the clay to create a disc the size of an extra-large pizza that will become one of the blue plaques that dot the walls of buildings throughout London, marking the places where scientists, artists, politicians and activists have made history.As English Heritage prepares to unveil its 1,000th blue plaque on Tuesday, the charity is working to broaden the program to include more women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and community groups so that it better reflects the diversity of the capital. The latest installation marks the offices where the Women’s Freedom League “campaigned for women’s equality” in the early 20th century, satisfying at least two of those goals.“The names are no ...