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Airbnb bookings decline in San Francisco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Summer is off to a slow start for Airbnb hosts in San Francisco. Some are reporting a major decline in bookings. A long-time Airbnb host in SF tells KRON4 usually this time of year his bookings are full.However, that's not the case right now -- forcing hosts like him to offer lower rates. Over 40 firefighters respond to ‘accidental’ blaze at SF home "Much much less traffic than last year," Hostwell CEO and Airbnb host Keith Freedman said. "The rates are down quite a bit. Occupancy is down about 25 percent."Freedman rents a room in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood on Airbnb. He is also the CEO of Hostwell, a company that manages short-term rentals for homeowners.Freedman says he and other Airbnb hosts in the city have seen a major decline in bookings so far this summer."We are finding that there are fewer business travelers," Freedman said. "Tourism is down too, but business is what really drives the rates. Tourism drives occupancy and business drives rat...

Bay Area company's flying car prototype approved by FAA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

(KRON) -- Flying cars are closer to becoming a reality. A Bay Area company has been testing a prototype and just got federal approval to take the skies.The vision the company "Alef" has for the near future is something you see in this video they released (above) of cars flying well above the Bay Bridge."I grew up reading Azimov, Bradbury and some other science-fiction writers and mostly watching Back to the Future Fifth Element and Blade Runner," said co-founder Jim Dukhovny Alef. Airbnb bookings decline in San Francisco Innovator Jim Dukhovny was inspired by science fiction to make flying cars a reality. Together with these three men they gathered in a Palo Alto cafe and sketched a rough drawing of what it could look like. Seven years later, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given them the green light to take their model a prototype to the skies."So this is a limited special airworthiness approval which allows us to fly in very limited spaces for very limited purposes...

Wimbledon 2023: Stan Wawrinka looks forward to facing Novak Djokovic. He doesn’t expect to beat him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Stan Wawrinka never has faced Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.So for that reason, three-time major champion Wawrinka was pleased to see that he’ll meet 23-time major champion Djokovic in the third round at the All England Club on Friday.But don’t think for a second Wawrinka believes he can win this matchup.“Hopefully I can make a competitive match,” Wawrinka said, “but if you will look at recent results, I don’t really stand a chance.”Sure, Wawrinka beat Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final and again in the 2016 U.S. Open final. Wawrinka, now 38, also has defeated Djokovic, 36, at the Australian Open.But overall, Djokovic leads their head-to-head series by a 20-6 count. WHEN ARE FRIDAY’S MATCHES?Djokovic-Wawrinka will be last on Centre Court, which means they could get started at about 8 p.m. local time, which is 3 p.m. EDT. The schedule starts in the main stadium at 1:30 p.m. local time (or 8:30 a.m. EDT) with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz aga...

Dodgers beat the Pirates 5-2 to pull within a half-game of AL West-leading Arizona

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman homered and Julio Urias pitched six innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Thursday night.The Dodgers took three of four from Pittsburgh to pull within a half-game of slumping Arizona for the NL West lead with two games left before the All-Star break.Freeman, who will participate in his seventh All-Star Game, was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs. He made a sliding catch, turned a double play and stole a base.Muncy hit the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, a two-run shot to center field for his 20th of the season. Freeman led off the inning by legging out a double to the left-field corner, and Muncy then hit the 414-foot home run.Urias (6-5) allowed two runs on three hits, struck out eight and walked one, all in 88 pitches. He retired 11 in a row before walking Ke’Bryan Hayes to lead off the sixth. With Hayes in scoring position with two outs, Freeman made a sliding catch in front of the Pit...

Where has the Energy Bill gone?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

Presented by SSE By RUSSELL HARGRAVE PRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— The next phase of the Energy Bill is now expected after the summer, creating weeks of delay.— The government goes to court over U.K. net zero plans (for a second time).— The global cost if renewables manufacturing is short of essential minerals? $3 trillion. A very warm welcome to Friday’s POLITICO Pro Morning Energy and Climate UK. Abby is still hunting tulips in Amsterdam and Charlie is busy choosing his outfit to go and see Bruce Springsteen in concert — so this is Russ flying solo for the day.As always, please get in touch with any thoughts, tips and critique at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Or reach us on Twitter: @hargraver; @charliecooper8; @abby_wallace3.If you are not already a Pro subscriber and would like a free trial of this newsletter, sign up here.DRIVING THE DAYWHERE’S THE ENERGY BILL ...

Chula Vista residents not giving up on reopening Harborside Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Some Chula Vista residents are not giving up trying to get Harborside Park reopened after it closed last August.“Number one, the park is important and number two, the high-density housing creates more problems in the long run,” Laura Douglas said.Chula Vista residents of all ages attended a neighborhood meeting Thursday strategizing on how to save Harborside Park. Mayor John McCann was also there.“I believe we should be increasing park land in this community and not lowering it,” McCann said.Harborside Park closed August 31, 2022, after concern over public safety like drugs and crime in the area, but also homelessness. The park is notably next to an elementary school.Months of planning went into how to reopen the park, but in May, Councilmember Andrea Cardenas proposed the city to research the park’s potential for housing under the Surplus Land Act with a condition to build a community center as well. Husband suspected of killing woman whose body was found in...

South Korea endorses the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from Fukushima plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into sea as it tried to calm people’s fears about food contamination.Seoul’s assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and that its environmental and health impact would be negligible.Even before Friday’s announcement, South Korean officials have been actively campaigning to dissolve the public’s unease about the wastewater release, holding daily briefings to address what they describe as “excessive fears” and tightening radiation tests on seafood imported from Japan.Conservative lawmakers from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ruling party have even toured seafood markets to drink sea water ...

An Indian state court won’t stay Rahul Gandhi’s defamation verdict in a blow to his election hopes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian state court refused to stay opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction for criminal defamation in a ruling Friday that sets back his prospects to contest national elections next year. A fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in 2024 polls, Gandhi had been ousted from Parliament after his conviction in March, and a stay would have opened up a path to reinstate his parliamentary seat. The defamation case involved comments Gandhi made in a 2019 election speech that were deemed to be insulting to Modi’s surname. He was sentenced to two years in prison but the court suspended his prison sentence in April.Gandhi can still seek to stay the conviction to a larger bench of the Gujarat state high court or to the Supreme Court of India.He risks losing his eligibility to run in elections for the next eight years if a court doesn’t overturn his conviction and two-year sentence.A man who shares the prime minister’s surname, which is...

Is the EU doing all it can to keep our soil healthy?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

Special report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA)Publication on Monday 10 July at 5pm CESTSoil health is essential for sustainable farming. However, 60-70 % of EU soils are unhealthy, in part due to current soil and manure management practices. The common agricultural policy (CAP) has a number of financial and legislative tools intended to encourage improvements in soil and manure management, and the Nitrates Directive caps the application of nitrogen from livestock manure in polluted areas. The European Court of Auditors has assessed whether the European Commission and member states made effective use of available EU tools for managing agricultural soils and manure sustainably. The auditors assessed whether conditions of the EU’s direct farm payments to farmers were ambitious enough, whether the member states targeted the EU rural development funding well, and the impact of derogations. The audit covered the period from 2014 to 2020, and also looked forward to the period ...

Prospects for Ukraine's Invitation to NATO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:39:24 GMT

A NATO summit will take place in Vilnius on 11-12 July. The world is eagerly awaiting how the issue of Ukraine's invitation to the Alliance will be resolved, Dispatches, IFBG.It should be noted that granting Ukraine an invitation would be a very good strategic decision for the Alliance and the whole collective West. Ukraine - having received security guarantees and official support - will become a serious geopolitical and economic player, and consequently NATO and the West will have a reliable partner who shares their values.An invitation to join NATO would greatly accelerate Ukraine's reform process in various areas, especially defence and security. Given that more than 82 percent of Ukrainians support NATO membership, such a move would also strengthen democracy in the country, further consolidate the population's ambitions, and boost the implementation of Western values.Interestingly, Ukrainians are not alone in welcoming Ukraine into NATO. A very large percentage o...