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China lifts ban on Australian timber imports in another sign of improving bilateral relations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China opened its doors on Thursday to Australian timber imports for the first time in more than two years, in another sign that the tattered bilateral relationship is being repaired.Timber was on a list of Australian exports subjected to official and unofficial Chinese trade barriers imposed in 2020 after Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.The list that included coal, wine, barley, beef, seafood, cotton and copper was estimated to cost Australian exporters $14 billion a year.But relations have improved since the center-left Labor Party came to power a year ago, ending nine years of conservative rule in Australia. Australian coal, cotton and copper exports to China have recently resumed.Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said the timber ban had been lifted from Thursday because Australian exporters had satisfied China’s quarantine concerns. The Australian government was officially informed on Wednesd...

Leaders begin arriving in Japan for meeting of G-7 nations, with war in Ukraine high on the agenda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Hiroshima on Thursday as he prepared to welcome world leaders to a Group of Seven meeting in the western Japanese city that was the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. The Japanese leader planned to hold separate meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak later in the day, before the wider summit kicks off Friday.The G-7 leaders are expected to touch on a range of issues during their three-day meeting, with Russia’s war in Ukraine likely to be high on the agenda.As attendees made their way to Hiroshima, Moscow unleashed yet another aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital. Loud explosions thundered through Kyiv during the early hours, marking the ninth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted the city after weeks of relative quiet. “The crisis in Ukraine: I’m sure that’s what the conversation is going to start with,” said Matthew P. Goodman, sen...

World Jewish Congress asserts right To submit vital information to International Court of Justice, safeguarding against anti-Israel bias

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

In a letter delivered yesterday (15 May) to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the World Jewish Congress (WJC) asserted the right under the court’s statute to provide critical information to help it decide fairly in an Advisory Opinion regarding Israel.As the global voice of the Jewish people, the WJC has a unique perspective that can aid the court in making its determination, and the absence of this information could contribute to the court issuing an opinion that could be detrimental to the security of the State of Israel and Jewish communities around the world.In the letter, Menachem Rosensaft, the WJC’s general counsel and associate executive vice president, states: “Anti-semitism is once again increasing in many countries around the world, largely driven by relentless propaganda defaming Israel.” He later added: “The court should have the benefit of more complete, accurate and representative information before issuing an opinion that could seriously impact these alarming...

Four-bedroom home sells in Pleasanton for $3 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

3003 Briggs Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 3000 block of Briggs Court in Pleasanton was sold on March 30, 2023 for $2,988,000, or $769 per square foot. The house, built in 1997, has an interior space of 3,886 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, four baths, a garage, and four parking spaces. The unit sits on a 0.4-acre lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In July 2022, a 3,886-square-foot home on Milleford Court in Pleasanton sold for $3,400,000, a price per square foot of $875. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,192-square-foot home on the 7500 block of Trotter Way in Pleasanton sold in July 2022, for $2,025,000, a price per square foot of $924. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Meadowlark Drive, Pleasanton, in March 2023, a 2,262-square-foot home was sold for $1,842,000, a price per square foot of $814. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Biden llega a Japón para una cumbre del G7 ensombrecida por la amenaza de impago de EE.UU.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

(CNN) — El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, arribó a Japón para asistir a una cumbre del G7 ensombrecida por la amenaza de suspensión de pagos de Estados Unidos.El Air Force One aterrizó en la Estación Aérea Iwakuni del Cuerpo de Marines sobre las 4:00 p.m. hora local (3:00 a.m. hora del este de EE.UU.) tras un largo viaje desde Washington.Se espera que Biden salude a las tropas estadounidenses estacionadas allí antes de viajar a Hiroshima, sede de la cumble del G7 de este año.Biden cancela visitas a Australia y Papúa Nueva Guinea mientras continúan las negociaciones sobre el techo de la deuda en EE.UU.Su primera reunión será con el primer ministro de Japón, Fumio Kishida, antes de una agenda repleta de actos este viernes.Biden, que acortó su viaje a Asia a la mitad para volver a Washington a negociar el techo de la deuda, se enfrentará a preguntas de sus colegas sobre el riesgo de impago de Estados Unidos.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc.,...

Rafael Nadal to reveal French Open plans Thursday; sidelined by hip injury since January

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

Rafael Nadal has not competed since January because of a hip injury. He is expected to announce Thursday whether that absence will include the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times.Nadal’s manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, said Wednesday that Nadal would speak to the media at his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain, “about his participation in Roland Garros.” Nadal has never missed the French Open since winning the title there when he made his debut in 2005.Several sports outlets based in Spain said Wednesday that Nadal would not be competing at the the clay-court Grand Slam tournament in Paris, where main-draw play begins May 28. None of the reports cited a specific source.Nadal has been sidelined since hurting his left hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open on Jan. 18. An MRI exam the next day revealed the extent of the injury, and Perez-Barbadillo said at the time that Nadal was expected to need up to two months to fully recover. He initi...

Detienen en China a una mujer por defender a un cómico que hizo un chiste militar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

(CNN) — Una mujer fue detenida en el noreste de China por publicar “comentarios inapropiados relacionados con el personal militar”, informó este miércoles la policía de la ciudad de Dalian.La mujer, identificada por su apellido Shi, fue detenida el martes por la noche después de que su publicación fuera denunciada a la policía. La policía dijo que la mujer había publicado en su cuenta en la red social china Weibo “para desahogar frustraciones personales en línea”.“No se permitirá ninguna blasfemia por la dignidad del personal militar”, instó la policía en su comunicado.La broma que costó US$ 2 millones: China impone enorme multa por el chiste de un comediante sobre el EjércitoSegún las capturas de pantalla de su post en Weibo, vistas por CNN, Shi había cuestionado la suspensión del cómico chino Li Haoshi, conocido por su nombre artístico House, después de que utilizara una frase asociada al Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL) durante su esp...

Ghosts of war haunt G7 as leaders face up to Chinese menace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — As the leaders of the Group of Seven gather for their annual summit in Japan this week, three world-changing conflicts — past, present and potential — will converge. The atomic bomb that ended World War II destroyed much of the city of Hiroshima, where the leaders will meet. Today, Russia’s war in Ukraine is costing thousands of lives and billions of dollars as it drags on. And then there’s the risk of another horrifying catastrophe to come, as China threatens Taiwan. And it’s over China where the alliance may come unstuck. For hawks like the U.S. and Japan, the summit beginning Friday offers a timely opportunity to make the case to Europe’s leaders directly that it’s time to get off the fence when it comes to confronting China. “This G7 Summit will be an appropriate venue to also discuss security issues and our security cooperation not only in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific region,” Noriyuki Shikata, cabinet secretary at the Japanese pri...

Trudeau arrives in Japan for G7 summit amid geopolitical tensions with China, Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has landed in Hiroshima, Japan for the G7 Leaders’ Summit, where he’s expected to push for increased co-operation on global and economic security to guard against geopolitical instability and the threat of climate change.All eyes will be on how G7 countries, however, choose to address the threat of China specifically.Leaders of G7 countries – Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Japan – meet annually to collaborate on shared goals. This year’s summit will focus on seven main agenda items, including geopolitical and global security issues, economic resilience and climate change and energy.Prior to the summit, Trudeau concluded his first official visit to South Korea on Thursday where the two countries reached agreements on the supply chain of critical minerals — used for electric vehicles — and youth mobility.Canada is hoping to expand its alliances beyond its traditional western partners by seeking...

Russia fires 30 cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets; Ukraine says 29 were shot down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired 30 cruise missiles against different parts of Ukraine early Thursday in the latest nighttime test of Ukrainian air defenses, which shot down 29 of them, officials said.One person died and two were wounded by a Russian missile that got through and struck an industrial building in the southern region of Odesa, according to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the region’s military administration.Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv as the Kremlin’s forces targeted the capital for the ninth time this month in a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons.Debris fell on two Kyiv districts, starting a fire at a garage complex. There was no immediate word about any victims, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post.Ukraine also shot down two Russian exploding drones and two reconnaissance drones, according to authoriti...