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Kim Jong Un’s possible trip to Russia could be like his 2019 journey: 20 hours on his armored train

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM (Associated Press)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Reports that Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia soon have drawn attention to the traditional method of travel for North Korean leaders: luxury, armored trains that have long been a part of the dynasty’s lore and are symbols of its deep isolation.In what would be his first foreign travel since the start of the pandemic, Kim may visit Russia this month for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official has said, possibly to discuss North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.According to U.S. reports, the two leaders could meet in the eastern city of Vladivostok, the site of their first get-together in April 2019, when Kim took his green-and-yellow train. Putin is expected in the city for the annual Eastern Economic Forum that runs from Sunday to Wednesday.The reports come at a time when the leaders’ interests are aligning in the face o...

Worried about a 'tripledemic'? There's a vaccine for that

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Flu season is fast approaching, and with rising COVID-19 cases and RSV cases rising in the Southeast, public health officials are urging the public to prepare to head off what some worry could be a "tripledemic."Fortunately, vaccines are available for all three viruses.About two-thirds of Americans plan to get the annual flu shot, according to pharmacy chain CVS.And similar to the treatments for COVID-19, RSV — or respiratory syncytial virus — can be treated with monoclonal antibodies, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expect to be ready by early October.Furthermore, two new vaccines created by GSK and Pfizer "are available to protect older adults from severe RSV disease," the CDC said.And the newest COVID-19 vaccine boosters are expected to roll out this month, possibly as soon as next week.For more information about the viruses, vaccines and treatments, visit the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health website.

Woman pointed rifle at Kohl's employees in Ventura, witnesses say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

A woman who apparently had a confrontation with employees at Kohl's store in Ventura came back later with a rifle, witnesses said Tuesday.The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. at the Kohl's location at 4950 Telephone Road near the 101 Freeway.Witnesses said the woman was denied when she tried to return some merchandise and left the store. Police respond to a Kohl's in Ventura on Sept. 5, 2023. (TNLA)The same woman allegedly returned a short time later with a rifle and pointed it at an employee, the witnesses told stringer news service TNLA.Customers were ordered to leave the store as the Kohl's was evacuated by authorities. Police arrived and quickly detained the woman, according to TNLA. Target shoppers flee suspicious fire in kid’s section KTLA has made calls to the Ventura Police Department for more information, and to determine if the woman had been arrested, but we have not heard back.

Your car is spying on you, report says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Cars are getting an “F” in data privacy. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order.The proliferation of sensors in automobiles — from telematics to fully digitized control consoles — has made them prodigious data-collection hubs.But drivers are given little or no control over the personal data their vehicles collect, researchers for the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation said Wednesday in their latest “Privacy Not Included” survey Security standards are also vague, a big concern given automakers’ track record of susceptibility to hacking.“Cars seem to have really flown under the privacy radar and I’m really hoping that we can help remedy that because they are truly awful,” said Jen Caltrider, the study’s research lead. “Cars have microphones and people have all kinds of sensitive conversations in them. Cars have cameras that face inw...

What's the latest with the Disney, Charter Communications dispute?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Both sides of a dispute that has left nearly 15 million cable TV subscribers without ESPN or other networks affiliated with The Walt Disney Co. are directing customers to other services where they can watch television.The offers speak to the unusual nature of the business dispute between Disney and Charter Communications, and doesn't offer a quick resolution.Charter is telling its Spectrum TV customers about a special deal being offered by the Fubo live television streaming service to get two months at discounts of 25% or 30%, depending on the plan.“I've covered carriage disputes for more years than I would like to remember, and I don't recall a TV provider ever offering its customers a discount to another TV provider during a channel blackout,” wrote journalist Phillip Swann, who runs tvanswerman.com.Spectrum had no comment Tuesday on the offer's implications. ESPN networks go dark on Charter Spectrum cable systems on busy night for sports Disney, meanwhile, is also offering upse...

Rich DeMuro visits Europe's biggest tech show

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Perhaps you've heard of CES in Las Vegas, but halfway around the world, in Berlin, Germany, there's another tech trade show with lots to see."This is actually the 99th year of IFA Berlin," said Oliver Merlin, managing director for this year's show.Show organizers brought me to Berlin to experience IFA's rich mix of history and cutting-edge innovation."IFA is Berlin and Berlin is IFA," said Merlin.The show is sprawling: 130,000 square meters to see spread across 26 different halls.It's almost tricky to describe. Think the biggest Best Buy you've ever seen, mixed with somewhat of a carnival atmosphere. Yep, there are pretzels and beer.There are brands from all over the globe, some were recognizable, and others were new to me."In the United States we tend to think the United States is the center of the universe, and at this show you see lots and lots of products that may not be available in the United States," said Mark Vena, principal analyst with SmartTech Research and host of the Sm...

Want your California driver's license on your smartphone? Here's how to sign up

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Californians can sign up to be a part of the state's Department of Motor Vehicles' newly expanded mobile driver's license program. The program allows users to have an official digital version of their driver's license on their smartphone.During the pilot program, users can make age-restricted purchases at a limited number of locations and fly out of specific terminals at certain California airports. For now, users will also still need to carry their physical licenses as law enforcement and other government agencies are not equipped to accept the license. In order to participate, users must first download the CA DMV Wallet app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.Users are able to enroll remotely without being at a DMV office.Users must then sign in to or create their MyDMV account and provide information such as their driver's license number. Users will then be prompted to take a photo of the front and back of their physical driver's license using their phone's camera. Califor...

Creative Horizons: Arts Calendar September 7-13

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

Expand your arts appreciation and creative horizons with a panoply of new gallery and museum exhibitions, open houses, neighborhood art nights, theater and poetry, films by artists, engagements with science and nature, technology-enhanced cultural experiences, future architectures, Latine authors, spoken word, conscious gatherings, a new bookstore, and a festival of historical trainspotting.Diane Severin Nguyen: Still from IF REVOLUTION IS A SICKNESS at MOCA (Photo courtesy of the artist)Thursday, September 7Artist Film Series: Diane Severin Nguyen at MOCA. Filmed entirely in Ho Chi Minh City, Tyrant Star (2009) prompts viewers to consider how cultural touchstones like songs and shared histories are fragmented and woven together in new ways over time. Set in Warsaw, IF REVOLUTION IS A SICKNESS (2021) follows the character of an orphaned Vietnamese child who grows up to be absorbed into a South Korean pop-inspired dance group. Widely popular within a Polish youth subculture, K-pop is...

Taste of victory: For the SF 49ers, what they put on their plates and into their bodies is part of the job

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

SANTA CLARA – Training camp’s first practice was over, so the 49ers hit their refueling station: a fully stocked cafeteria located between their practice fields and Levi’s Stadium.Over 90 filets of grilled salmon got devoured at dinner. This, however, is not a fish tale, all due respect to salmon, broccoli and brown rice being players’ most popular meal in a routine-oriented world.There is not much uniformity when it comes to player-specific diets for a roster that starts with 90 men in camp (plus coaches and staff) before whittling to 53 players for the regular season.“Our goal is to provide the highest quality and as much as we can for them, to take the guesswork out for them when they leave this building,” Jordan Mazur, the 49ers’ director of nutrition, said in an exclusive interview with this news organization.When Mazur joined the 49ers seven years ago, only a third of the NFL’s teams had a full-time dietician, starting with the New England Patriots. Now, 30 of 32 are on board,...

Map: Sudden crack in Yosemite Valley rock face causes trail and climbing closure

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:12:50 GMT

A crack that suddenly appeared in a rock face in Yosemite Valley has prompted the closure of a trail near the Ahwahnee hotel as well as of some popular climbing routes.An announcement Thursday by park officials said the new crack had “partially detached a large pillar of rock, and that cracking was actively occurring,” raising fears of rockfall.The temporary closure covers part of the Valley Loop Trail and all climbing routes from Peruvian Flake to Rhombus Wall, including the popular Super Slide, Serenity Crack and Sons of Yesterday. No estimated date was given for lifting of the restriction.The opening of the 200-foot crack delighted climbers; the first to complete the new route named it Super Natural and determined the difficulty grade to be 5.10, according to the climbing magazine Gripped. But a park geologist observed falling rock chips and creaking noises, and he said the crack had widened considerably in just a week.