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Austrian actor Helmut Berger, movie star in the 1960s and ’70s, dies at 78

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian-born actor Helmut Berger, a European movie star in the 1960s and 1970s who rose to prominence with roles in films by Italian director Luchino Visconti, died Thursday, his agent said. He was 78.Berger died “peacefully but nevertheless unexpectedly” early Thursday in his home city of Salzburg, agent Helmut Werner wrote on his management company’s website.Berger was born in Bad Ischl, Austria on May 29, 1944. In 1964, he worked as a film extra in Rome before being discovered by Visconti, who would later become his partner and in 1966 gave him his first role. He played prominent roles in Visconti’s “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece.”Berger’s credits also included appearances in Vittorio De Sica’s “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” Massimo Dallamano’s “Dorian Gray,” and, later, in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III.”After a string of health problems, Berger announced the end of his acting career in Novem...

With G20 event, India seeks to project normalcy in disputed Kashmir

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — As India prepares to host a meeting of tourism officials from the Group of 20 in the disputed region of Kashmir, authorities have deployed elite commandos and stepped up security in the region’s largest city. The meeting will be the first significant international event in Kashmir since New Delhi stripped the Muslim-majority region of semi-autonomy in 2019. Indian authorities are hoping the meeting will show that the controversial changes have brought “peace and prosperity” to the region.Since the 2019 changes, the city, known for rolling Himalayan foothills and exquisitely decorated houseboats, has become a major domestic tourist destination. Hotels have been mostly booked out for months. Kashmir has also drawn millions of visitors, who enjoy a strange peace kept by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers. For the G20 meeting, the city has spruced up its commercial center and roads leading to the convention center on Da...

South Korea to send 21-member team to Japan to review discharge plans at Fukushima nuclear plant

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will send a 21-member team of government experts to Japan next week to visit the Fukushima nuclear power plant where they will review contentious Japanese plans to release treated but slightly radioactive water into the sea.The six-day visit starting Sunday will focus on examining the plant’s processing system, which reduces radioactive materials from contaminated water, and whether the treated water would be safe enough to be diluted and discharged into the ocean, officials said Friday.The safety of the water for years has been a sensitive issue between the U.S. allies, who are now working to repair long-strained ties to address joint challenges like the North Korean nuclear threat and China’s assertive foreign policy.After a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that his government had agreed to host a team of South Korean experts at Fukushima to calm South Korean concerns ...

Nuggets’ Jamal Murray: Meditation fueled historic 23-point fourth quarter

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

For three quarters Thursday night, Jamal Murray was pedestrian.He short-armed shots he normally buries and bypassed teammates with better looks.For three quarters, the Lakers’ clever wrinkle — deploying length with Jarred Vanderbilt or LeBron James on him — appeared to work.When the Lakers double-teamed Nikola Jokic, Murray wasn’t making them pay like the Nuggets needed. But by the fourth quarter of Game 2, having mentally reset, Murray turned into a flamethrower.He saved 23 of his 37 points for the fourth quarter to forge a 2-0 lead in this Western Conference Finals and protect Denver’s homecourt advantage yet again. The Nuggets improved to 8-0 in Ball Arena with their 108-103 win, looking and acting like the No. 1 seed they earned throughout a dominant regular season.As if his scoring wasn’t enough, Murray added 10 boards and five assists to his sterling line.When he nailed a pull-up jumper with 2:10 left in the third quarter, that bucket served as his portal to a space only...

LeBron James on Lakers facing 2-0 series deficit to Nuggets: “This is not the NCAA Tournament.”

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

The King was allowed to skip college ball back in the day, but he must be getting more acquainted with March Madness now that his son is USC-bound.Young LeBron James went straight to the NBA, where the postseason allows him to make mistakes then redeem himself. A graying, wizened LeBron now faces a 2-0 series deficit for the third time in his 12 career conference finals appearances.The other two times he trailed 2-0? He got the last laugh in both of those series.“What you take out of it is the fact that this is not the NCAA tournament,” James said after the Nuggets took a 2-0 lead with a 108-103 win Thursday night at Ball Arena. “The first team to four wins.”Wise words that reflect the headspace of the Lakers as they return home to Los Angeles after two losses that were both attainable in the final minute.“Until a team beats you four times, you always have an opportunity to come out of it,” James preached. “So that’s the confidence tha...

Seal Beach residents brace for second night of possible flooding

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

While many residents along Southern California’s coastline are bracing for a second night of high tides and possible flooding, some people in Seal Beach spent the afternoon cleaning up the mess caused by rising waters Wednesday night.  A combination of high tide and high surf has created concern along south facing beaches in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties. Sand berms have been built in an effort to keep the water away from beachfront homes and businesses.  In Seal Beach, high tides rolled in last night, flooding streets and creating a muddy mess along the boardwalk, beach parking lots and homeowner’s properties.  “It started in the afternoon yesterday and we could see it coming across the beach,” resident Ron Larson told KTLA. “The waves aren’t big waves that overwhelm us...(but) they come one after another for hours and slowly but surely, it accumulates here and got into my garage over here by about 3 inches.”  Jim Cockrill, who lives a block inland fr...

Cal State Long Beach grads upset over ceremony decision

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

It’s a big week for college graduates but some students at Cal State Long Beach are upset over the school’s decision to not allow seniors to walk across the stage or have their names read aloud for graduation.The issue has inspired thousands of students to sign a petition over the decision.The graduation ceremony at Cal State Long Beach has historically been held in the blue pyramid auditorium on campus. The pandemic, however, changed everything and the ceremony was shifted to an outdoor venue at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.Many students say they're upset and disappointed over the decision as graduation ceremonies are seen as a rite of passage.Following several years of hard work, students excited to celebrate their academic achievements by donning a cap and gown while collecting their diplomas are upset they won’t have a chance to do so on campus.Cal State Long Beach's graduation ceremony was held at Angel Stadium in 2023. (KTLA)Students said they felt cheated by the decision, which p...

SAG-AFTRA Members To Vote On Strike Authorization

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have asked its members to vote on a strike authorization on the heels of negotiations with entertainment studios.SAG-AFTRA will begin negotiations with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on June 7, calling it the “most consequential bargaining sessions in history.”“To show our resolve and to enter into negotiations from the strongest position possible, your negotiating committee and National Board unanimously join in asking you to vote YES and authorize a strike,” SAG-AFTRA said in a letter addressed to its members. “This does not mean that a strike will occur; it simply allows the National Board to call a strike if an agreement cannot be reached — and that gives the negotiating committee a strong place from which to begin talks.”AMPTP represents several major studios that include Amazon/MGM, Apple, NBCUniversal, Disney/ABC/...

Sig-alert lifted after fatal collision blocks Hwy. 4 lanes east of I-680

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

VINE HILL — A person died Thursday after a multi-vehicle collision that blocked Highway 4 lanes Thursday evening and led California Highway Patrol officers to issue a Sig-alert, authorities said.Shortly after 5:50 p.m., CHP officers learned of the collision in eastbound Hwy. 4 lanes just west of the on-ramp from northbound Interstate 680. When officers arrived, they found two vehicles that sustained heavy damage, as well as a third vehicle, in the roadway’s No. 1 or left-most lane.One person at the scene was taken to a hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. Their identity was not available Thursday night, pending next-of-kin notification from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office coroner’s division.The CHP issued a Sig-alert at 6:08 p.m., advising drivers and residents to avoid the area due to the collision. The alert was lifted at 7:31 p.m.The crash was the sixth fatal one on the highway in 2023, following a double-fatality collision just over a week ago in ...

Man gets 90 days in jail for placing skimmer at Belmont ATM

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:16:11 GMT

BELMONT – A 30-year-old Seattle man has been sentenced to three months in San Mateo County jail for installing a card skimmer and a camera at an ATM in Belmont, prosecutors said.Nicolae Diaconu on Wednesday pleaded no contest to felony attempted identity theft, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Sean Dabel placed him on two years of supervised probation on the condition he serves 90 days in jail.On Dec. 30, Diaconu and an unidentified accomplice inserted a skimmer into the card slot of a Bank of America ATM on Ralston Avenue and set up a camera on an adjacent post, prosecutors said.The skimmer was discovered and removed by an ATM technician, who contacted Belmont police.When installed on ATMs, point-of-sale terminals or fuel pumps, skimmers capture data or record the personal identification numbers of cardholders, according to the FBI. Criminals use the data to create fake cards and then steal from victims’ accounts. Skimming is estimated to cost fin...