'We are under siege': 2 businesses owned by Asian family ransacked in latest Oakland burglary

Reuters
US committee finds China is subsidizing American fentanyl crisis
China is directly subsidizing production of illicit fentanyl precursors for sale abroad and fueling the U.S. opioid crisis, a U.S. congressional committee said on Tuesday, releasing findings from an investigation it said unveiled Beijing's incentives for the deadly chemicals. China continues to provide subsidies in the form of value-added tax rebates to its companies that manufacture fentanyl analogues, precursors and other synthetic narcotics, so long as they sell them outside of China, the House of Representatives' select committee on China said in a report. "The PRC (People's Republic of China) scheduled all fentanyl analogues as controlled substances in 2019, meaning that it currently subsidizes the export of drugs that are illegal under both U.S. and PRC law," the report said, adding that some of the substances "have no known legal use worldwide."
1m ago
Reuters
Slovakia will not implement new EU migration rules, says PM
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday refused to implement the European Union's new migration system in his country, a sign that tensions around the matter are set to remain high despite a reform sealed after years of talks. Approved last week by the European Parliament, the bloc's new migration pact promises to shorten security and asylum procedures and increase returns to reduce unwanted immigration from the Middle East and Africa, a high priority for the EU. Billed by the EU as a major win addressing concerns among citizens ahead of European Parliament elections in June, it allows countries unwilling to host any of the mostly Muslim new arrivals to pay instead.
5m ago
Reuters
Genome study reveals prehistoric Ethiopian origins of coffee
Coffee undoubtedly is a big part of global culture, and the kind made from the Arabica bean is the most appreciated by coffee drinkers. Researchers now have unlocked the genome of the Arabica species and traced its origins to a natural mating between two other coffee species an estimated 610,000 to one million years ago in the forests of Ethiopia. The researchers sequenced the genomes of 39 Arabica varieties, including a specimen from the 18th century, to create the highest quality genome to date of this species, whose scientific name is Coffea arabica.
6m ago
Associated Press
Justice Thomas returns to Supreme Court after 1-day absence
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is back on the bench after an unexplained one-day absence. Thomas, 75, was in his usual seat, to the right of Chief Justice John Roberts as the court met to hear arguments in a case about the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Thomas has ignored calls from some progressive groups to step aside from cases involving Jan. 6 because his wife, Ginni, attended then-President Donald Trump's rally near the White House before protesters descended on the Capitol.
9m ago
Associated Press
A top Federal Reserve official opens door to keeping rates high for longer
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson suggested Tuesday that the central bank's key rate may have to remain at its peak for a while to bring down persistently elevated inflation. In a speech, Jefferson said he expects inflation to continue to slow this year. Instead, he said his outlook is that inflation will cool even with the Fed's key rate “held steady at its current level.”
11m ago
Associated Press
No weed, just beer: Bavaria bans smoking cannabis at Oktoberfest and beer gardens
You can get drunk at Bavaria's world-famous Oktoberfest, but don't get high. The southern German state will ban smoking cannabis at public festivals, inside beer gardens, and even at the Oktoberfest, the world's most popular beer festival, the state's government announced Tuesday. Local authorities in Bavaria will also be allowed to prohibit cannabis consumption in public areas such as outdoor swimming pools and leisure parks such as Munich's Englischer Garten, German news agency dpa reported.
14m ago
NBC News
Former Marine sentenced to 9 years in prison for firebombing Planned Parenthood clinic
A neo-Nazi former U.S. marine who firebombed a Planned Parenthood clinic in California in an act of "hateful extremism" — and planned attacks on a LGBT event and on Jewish families — was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison on Monday.
16m ago
AFP
Inferno devastates historic Copenhagen landmark
A huge fire on Tuesday tore through Copenhagen's 17th-century former stock exchange, toppling the historic building's landmark spire in front of horrified and emotional witnesses.It is one of Copenhagen's oldest and best known landmarks.
21m ago
Associated Press
The Latest | Trump returns to court as jury selection in his historic hush money case enters 2nd day
Donald Trump returned Tuesday to a New York courtroom as the jury selection process in his historic hush money trial enters a second day. The former president and presumptive GOP nominee began the day by railing against the trial and complaining about a gag order that bars him from from publicly commenting on jurors, potential witness and others related to his criminal cases. Dozens of people were dismissed after saying they didn’t believe they could be fair, but a second batch of about 100 prospective jurors have yet to be questioned.
22m ago
NBC News
China is funding the U.S. fentanyl crisis, House panel says in new report
The Chinese Communist Party uses tax rebates to subsidize the manufacturing and export of fentanyl materials, according to a House panel report released Tuesday.
23m ago
Reuters
US defense chief speaks with Chinese counterpart, Pentagon says
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with China's defense minister on Tuesday, the first engagement the two have had in over a year as the two countries seek to restore military ties. The phone call comes as U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have sought to manage tensions and after the two leaders last year resumed direct military talks. In a readout after the call, the Pentagon said Austin "underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea."
23m ago
AFP
Anxiety over Middle East hits global stocks
Global markets mostly sank Tuesday after Israel's army chief vowed a response to Iran's attack on his country.While air defence systems destroyed the vast majority of the barrage and Iran said "the matter can be deemed concluded", Israel's army chief General Herzi Halevi warned that there will be a response, fuelling worries of an escalation.
28m ago
CNN
Colorado funeral home owners accused of mishandling 190 bodies charged with Covid-19 relief loan fraud, officials say
The owners of a Colorado funeral home accused of mishandling nearly 200 sets of human remains are now facing charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $880,000 in Covid-19 relief funds and using it for personal expenses like trips and jewelry, prosecutors said.
38m ago
Associated Press
2023 was a record year for wind installations as world ramps up clean energy, report says
The world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, a 50% increase from the year before, making it the best year for new wind projects on record, according to a new report by the industry's trade association. The latest Global Wind Report, published Tuesday by the Global Wind Energy Council, explores the state of the global wind industry and the challenges it's facing in its expansion. The increase in wind installations “shows that the world is moving in the right direction in combating climate change,” the report said.
43m ago
Associated Press
US Pentagon chief speaks with Chinese counterpart for first time since November 2022
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with China's national defense minister Tuesday morning, in the latest in a series of U.S. steps to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce unsafe and aggressive incidents in the Indo-Pacific. It was the first time Austin has talked to Adm. Dong Jun and the first time he has spoken at length with any Chinese counterpart since November 2022. The call, which lasted a bit more than an hour, comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China this month for talks.
48m ago
Yahoo Finance
Stock market today: Dow jumps 200 points as earnings roll in
Stocks eyed a broader comeback from a steep sell-off as investors digested results from Bank of America and other heavyweights.
51m ago
Associated Press
The US ambassador to Japan says boosting arms industry ties is key to a stronger security alliance
The U.S. ambassador to Japan urged Tokyo on Tuesday to take a greater role in developing, producing and supplying weapons “to enhance our collective security" amid conflict in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel visited a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' F-35 fighter jet factory and stressed the importance of stronger defense industry cooperation between the allies. The visit came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's trip to Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden and highlighted Japan's commitment to do more as a reliable partner, especially in defense cooperation.
52m ago
The Conversation
4 reasons the practice of canceling weakens higher education
Cancel culture leads to educational detriments that can harm democracy.
54m ago
Popular Science
Humongous stellar-mass black hole is the biggest ever found in Milky Way
Gaia-BH3's mass is 33 times bigger than our sun and it's only 2,000 light years from Earth.
56m ago
AFP
Mideast-related oil price spike threatens 'relatively good' economic outlook: IMF chief economist
The recent oil price spike fueled by rising Middle East tensions has the potential to derail the IMF's "relatively good" outlook for the world economy, its chief economist told AFP. "We are projecting a global economy that is quite resilient for 2024," Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said in an interview ahead of the publication of the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook (WEO) report on Tuesday. "China is another example where you see an economy that is operating below potential," Gou
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