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Northern California man freed after 6 years held hostage in Africa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

By DALATOU MAMANE, ERIC TUCKER and KRISTA LARSON | Associated PressNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — An aid worker from Northern California who was held for more than six years by Islamist extremists was freed and flown to Niger’s capital on Monday.The release of Jeffery Woodke came four days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger. Freed at the same time was French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted almost two years ago in neighboring Mali.U.S. officials said no ransom was paid for Woodke, and they praised Niger’s government for helping secure his release. The French government did not comment on how freedom was won for Dubois.“I thank God first of all. And after God, I thank the government of Niger, the U.S. government and France. Long live France!” said Woodke.He added: “I’m very happy to be back in Niamey again, in Niger, my second country, and I’ve nothing more to say apart from, ‘Hello to my family.’ ThatR...

At least one dead after highway 17 crash near Santa Cruz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

At least one person died Tuesday morning after a traffic collision on northbound highway 17 between Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.Authorities did not immediately release details about the solo-vehicle crash, including when it happened and how many people were in the car. The collision forced a closure of the off-ramp at El Rancho Drive and the northbound right lane. The ramp and lane was expected to re-open in “a few hours,” according to Caltrans.Avoid N/B SR-17 at El Rancho Dr., heavy traffic. El Rancho Dr. off ramp is closed and it’s unknown when it will reopen. CHP is investigating a fatal crash. Use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/Nze0IwY7tX— CHP Santa Cruz (@CHPscrz) March 21, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Concord receives $7.9 million grant to achieve zero traffic deaths by 2033 Crashes and Disasters | Horrific crash just off Highway 4 in Antioch claims another life Cra...

Sharks’ Bedard watch is real, but so is need to compete; Quinn talks Reimer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

Let’s forget about NHL Draft Lottery percentages right now. Let’s forget, just for a few seconds, about Connor Bedard, as blasphemous as that might seem.Before the San Jose Sharks get to the offseason, they still want to at least try and leave a foundation for what they hope will be some brighter days ahead.That’s why the Sharks’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday can still be viewed in a somewhat positive light.Yes, the loss was the Sharks’ 12th in 13 games, as they allowed the game-tying goal to Mattias Ekholm with 3:47 left in regulation time and the game-winning goal to Darnell Nurse with less than 15 seconds left in overtime.And for the Bedard-watch crowd, yes, the overtime point moved the Sharks (19-37-15) four points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the NHL.But from the Sharks’ own perspective, they needed a game like Monday’s where they showed some more resilience and a bit more pushback. All too often recently, once the Sharks started to ...

Candida auris: Everything you need to know about the deadly fungus spreading across the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

By Low De Wei | BloombergA deadly drug-resistant fungus spreading across the US saw a dramatic uptick in cases during the Covid pandemic, with more than half of all states now reporting cases.Candida auris (C. auris) was first described in Japan in 2009, with the earliest known infections in the US dating back to 2013. Cases grew exponentially through the end of 2021, according to a paper published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which says it poses a serious global health threat — noted that a further 2,377 clinical diagnoses and 5,754 cases identified through screening were reported last year.Here’s everything you need to know about Candida auris:How do you contract Candida auris?Most cases of the fungus have been reported in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. It’s generally thought to be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or by person to person transmission.What does the fungus do t...

Crews race to fix cracks in eastbound 580 near Livermore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) -- Two lanes of the eastbound Interstate 580 are closed near North Flynn Road in Livermore are closed due to a crack in the lanes, according to Caltrans. The two right lanes are closed while Caltrans crews work to repair the crack. Another storm hits Bay Area: Flood Advisory in effect Caltrans said it is working to repair and reopen the lanes, but that it will not be possible to do so in time for the Monday evening commute. Now, the hope is for crews to make the fix in time for Tuesday's commute, which will be complicated by another atmospheric river storm hitting the Bay Area today.If heavy rain wasn’t bad enough, now here comes the fog. Caltrans crews trying to fix cracks in the two right lanes of eastbound 580 past north Flynn road @kron4news pic.twitter.com/IjY7AUK2OQ— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) March 21, 2023There is signage in place to notify the public of the lane closure. Drivers are being advised to use alternate routes. "Caltrans thanks the ...

Fatal crash on Highway 17 in Santa Cruz stalls traffic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

(BCN) -- A fatal traffic collision is causing delays on northbound state Highway 17 near El Rancho Drive in Santa Cruz County on Tuesday morning. The El Rancho Drive off-ramp was closed following the 5:46 a.m. collision. Another storm hits Bay Area: Flood Advisory in effect The California Highway Patrol on Twitter at 7:11 a.m. asked drivers to avoid the area. There was no estimate from the CHP for when the off-ramp would reopen as the wreck is being investigated. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

NATO to hold Ukraine meeting despite Hungary’s objections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that he would call a high-level meeting of the military organization’s main forum for cooperation with Ukraine next month despite objections from Hungary.The NATO-Ukraine Commission hasn’t met at ministerial level for several years. The last meeting was held at a lower level in 2019 in Kyiv, with NATO ambassadors joining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his Cabinet ministers, about three years before Russia’s full-scale invasion.Hungary and Ukraine are at loggerheads over a language law adopted in Ukraine in 2017 which the nationalist government in Budapest insists stops members of the Transcarpathian ethnic minority from studying in Hungarian. Hungary has routinely blocked NATO-Ukraine Commission meetings since.“This is an established framework. I have the mandate to convene it,” said Stoltenberg, who chairs NATO’s meetings. “In respect for the issues that Hungary has raised I have n...

Growing bald eagle family at Dulles Greenway welcomes triplets as last egg hatches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

In a cry for freedom, the third (and final) eaglet at a nest in Leesburg, Virginia, hatched Sunday morning.A bald eagle couple at the Dulles Greenway and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy in Virginia welcomed the third baby to their family during a livestreamed hatching.More Local NewsMore Virginia NewsMore Animal and Pet NewsRosa and Martin (the adult female and male bald eagles) live on the wetlands near Leesburg. Back in February, Rosa laid three eggs.The first hatched on March 14 and the second followed days later on March 17. Eagles typically lay between one and three eggs per year and begin hatching after around 35 days.Bird watchers can see the budding family on a livestream — where viewers said Rosa was seen feeding the babies Tuesday morning after Martin delivered breakfast.“We are excited to bring the awe and wonder of these eagles into people’s homes again this year,” said Michael Myers, executive director at the conservancy in a news release after the first hatching.“Last...

US announces sanctions on Iran drone procurement network

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States said Tuesday it is imposing a new round of sanctions on Iranian firms and people accused of procuring equipment used for Iranian drones. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control coordinated with the FBI to designate four firms and three people in Iran and Turkey for allegedly buying equipment, including European-made engines, to be used for Iran’s drone and weapons programs.Those targeted for sanctions include the Iran-based Defense Technology and Science Research Center, its procurement firm Farazan Industrial Engineering Inc. and two other firms along with purchasing agents from the companies. “Iran’s well-documented proliferation of UAVs and conventional weapons to its proxies continues to undermine both regional security and global stability,” said Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. Nelson was referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.“The United States will continue to expose foreign procure...

Killing of Kurds in northern Syria sparks protests, tensions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:32 GMT

JINDERIS, Syria (AP) — Thousands of Kurds took to the streets of the earthquake-ravaged Syrian town of Jinderis on Tuesday to protest the killing of four men as they lit a fire to celebrate the Kurdish new year the night before.The attack on the Kurdish men rekindled tensions between Turkish-backed armed groups controlling the area and Kurdish residents. It fed into a power struggle between rival armed factions that control different parts of northwest Syria.At the request of Kurdish residents, fighters from the armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham deployed en masse around Jinderis on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that the group had taken over the headquarters of the Ahrar Sharqiya group, a Turkish-backed armed opposition group, in the area.A HTS spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, but there was a heavy presence of the group’s fighters in and around the city as crowds of Kurds attended the funerals of the vic...