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Shopping center near Stonecrest mall sold for nearly $17M

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Shopping center near Stonecrest mall sold for nearly $17M

A shopping center in the heart of Stonecrest sold for nearly the same price at the entire Gallery at South DeKalb mall, according to AJC.

Turner Hill Marketplace, a strip mall with more than 124,000 square feet of retail space, was recently acquired by two Miami-based real estate firms for $16.8 million. M Street Holdings and Highline Real Estate Capital acquired the fully leased property. The retail center is anchored by Burlington, American Signature Furniture and Chapel Beauty locations.

Turner Hill Marketplace sold for the nearly the same amount as the 71-acre Gallery at South DeKalb mall, which was sold via a December auction for $19 million. The mall, located in Atlanta’s Panthersville neighborhood, lacks an anchor tenant — unlike the Turner Hill location and the Mall at Stonecrest.

Stonecrest’s mall, which has teetered on the edge of foreclosure since early 2020, almost changed hands last year. However, a venture capital group backed out of a purchasing agreement last summer.

Despite that, the retail center has welcomed multiple attention-grabbing projects over the past year. An aquarium opened in a former Sears building at the mall, and the New Black Wall Street Market opened across the street.

David Milgram, founder and managing principal at M Street Holdings, confirmed the sale to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and said the site’s size and proximity to I-20 were both selling points. The 13.5-acre location is in the Mall of Stonecrest area, which is just south of the interstate.

“(There is) strong growth in Atlanta.” he said Tuesday. “We’re seeing strong growth in most of the southeast, and we just want to buy and invest in where the growth is.”

The Palomar Group arranged the sale on the behalf of Atlanta-based RCG Ventures. The sale was made public at the beginning of February.

The marketplace was built in 2001 and renovated in 2017. Its anchor tenants all have at least seven years remaining on their respective lease. Milgram said the new owners will maintain the property and its current leases, while looking for future investment opportunities in the Atlanta area.

Hong Kong’s COVID cases deepens with new social restrictions, vegetable shortage

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Hong Kong’s COVID cases deepens with new social restrictions, vegetable shortage

Hong Kong announced stringent new coronavirus restrictions and record new infections on Tuesday, while a shortage of vegetables added to the misery as truck drivers who tested positive for COVID-19 were unable to bring them from mainland China.

The Asian financial hub reported a record 625 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, according to Reuters, with cases likely to continue rising rapidly, authorities said. There were 2,600 infections over the past two weeks compared with just two in December.

Hong Kong’s coronavirus policies have turned the Asian travel and business hub into one of the world’s most isolated major cities.

The economic and psychological toll from the hardline approach are rapidly rising, with measures becoming more draconian than those first implemented at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Flights are down by around 90%, schools, playgrounds, gyms as well as most other venues are shut. Restaurants close at 6 p.m. (1000 GMT), while most people, including the majority of civil servants, are working from home.

All the measures are being extended to Feb. 24, when the city’s vaccine pass will also take effect. People will need to be vaccinated to enter shopping malls, supermarkets and other venues, Lam said.

Government quarantine facilities are also nearing their maximum as authorities struggle to keep up with their rigid contact tracing scheme.

Many health experts have said the current strategy of shutting itself off as the rest of the world shifts to living with coronavirus, is unsustainable. 

Doctors say mental health is suffering, particularly in families where people are earning less, or children cannot go to school due to the restrictions.

Responding to the worrying trend, Hong Kong’s leader Carrie lam said public gatherings would be limited to two people from four currently, while churches and hair salons would close from Thursday, joining a slew of venues already closed.

Lam also announced a ban on private gatherings of more than two families, though it was unclear how authorities would enforce it.

“The time has come for Hong Kong to take some tough measures,” Lam told a news briefing.

“We are adopting stringent measures to protect Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong’s supply of vegetables on Tuesday was around one-third of Monday’s after several cross border truck drivers, who bring in produce from mainland China, tested positive, the government said. 

Shelves stocking vegetables were bare across supermarkets in the city while crowds surged into fresh markets to snap up the limited produce available. Other food remained available.

At a market in the city’s downtown Wan Chai district, a staff member from Qiandama vegetable store, shouted to crowds not to enter.

“No more veggies inside…It’s like the battlefield,” she said as people tried to charge in.

Some vegetable and fruit stalls selling mainland Chinese produce were shuttered while others were selling produce at double their usual prices.

For now, Lam said, the best option was to adhere to the “dynamic zero” strategy employed by mainland China to suppress all coronavirus outbreaks as soon as possible.

The official Chinese Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, had encouraged Hong Kong to follow China’s approach to containing the virus in an editorial on Monday.

“When vaccination rates increase, when Omicron disappears and when other things happen, we will revisit our strategy,” Lam said.

Hunting the shops for vegetables, one 60 year old man, who gave his surname as Ngai, said the authorities should help supply more food as prices had surged.

“The government doesn’t do anything, so the vegetable sellers are upping the price,” he said. “It’s really hard to be a Hong Konger.”

North Korea boasts of ‘shaking the world’ by testing missiles that can strike U.S.

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North Korea boasts of ‘shaking the world’ by testing missiles that can strike U.S.

North Korea boasted on Tuesday that it is one of only a handful of countries in the world to field nuclear weapons and advanced missiles and the only one standing up to the United States by “shaking the world” with missile tests.

International tension has been rising over a recent series of North Korean ballistic missile tests, actions long banned by the U.N. Security Council. January was a record month of such tests, with at least seven launches, including a new type of “hypersonic missile” able to manoeuvre at high speed, according to Reuters.

North Korea celebrated the anniversary of the founding of its army on Tuesday, a holiday that has occasionally featured major military parades with missiles and other weapons in previous years.

There were no reports of a parade this year, however, and state media said the day was marked by senior military leaders visiting the mausoleum of the country’s former rulers, among other events.

U.S. and South Korean officials have said they fear the launch of the Hwasong-12 on Jan. 30 could be a step toward fully resuming tests of North Korea’s ICBMs or nuclear weapons. North Korea has not conducted a nuclear test or fired an ICBM since 2017.

Also among the tests was the first firing since 2017 of a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of striking U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean.

A statement from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said a series of tests since New Year represented “remarkable achievements” that strengthened North Korea’s “war deterrence.”

It also cited the Hwasong-15, the longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ever launched by North Korea, which hasn’t been fired since its first test in 2017, and is believed to have the range to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States.

“In today’s world where many countries waste time dealing with the United States with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the U.S. mainland in its range,” it said.

“There are more than 200 countries in the world, but only a few have hydrogen bombs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles,” it said.

Asked to comment, the U.S. State Department repeated past statements that it harboured no hostile intent towards North Korea and urging a return to dialogue, calls Pyongyang has persistently ignored.

A State Department spokesperson also called North Korea a threat to international peace and security and global nonproliferation efforts.

“The United States has a vital interest in deterring (North Korea), defending against its provocations or uses of force, limiting the reach of its most dangerous weapons programs, and above all keeping the American people, our deployed forces, and our allies safe,” the spokesperson said.

Jenny Town, director of 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea program, said the fact that North Korea’s statement came from its foreign ministry probably made the statement less threatening than if might appear. “The formulation is very passive. Not that they will do it, but that they can,” she said.

The United States called on North Korea on Monday to defund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and prioritize the needs of its own people. read more

A Washington think tank said on Monday it has identified a military base close to North Korea’s border with China that is likely intended for stationing ICBMs. read more

Talks to persuade Pyongyang to give up or limit its arsenal in return for sanctions relief have been stalled since 2019.

Apple will introduce new iPhone, iPad on March 8

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Apple will introduce new iPhone, iPad on March 8

Once again, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has . This time, Bloomberg’s sources have shared details on Apple’s upcoming spring event.

The report claims that Apple will host this year’s event on March 8, which is a little earlier than usual. And the report names four major announcements expected at the event. In contrast to some of Gurman’s recent newsletters, he cites sources familiar with Apple’s plans, lending the report some credibility.

The sources also claim that Apple plans to introduce a new Apple Silicon Mac as early as March, though the report does not guarantee that product will appear at the event.

Other reports have circulated claiming that Apple needs more time to produce the display-centric high-end iMac redesign. So our best guess for a new Mac at a March event would be a new, high-end Mac mini with the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips seen in recent MacBook Pro models. Currently, only the low-end Mac mini has Apple’s custom-designed silicon, and that unit has an M1. High-end Mac mini models are still on Intel but have not been updated in a long time.

The Apple event will feature a new iPhone SE model with 5G capabilities, as has long been rumored. The sources also say the mid-range smartphone will have a faster processor and an improved camera, but it won’t feature a radical new design.

Among other things, that suggests that the classic iPhone Home button still isn’t going anywhere. The current iPhone SE uses a Home button-based design similar to that seen in 2017’s iPhone 8. The report doesn’t address how Apple might deal with the increased battery drain associated with 5G in that design, which has a notably small battery by today’s standards.

That’s not the only existing rumor the report claims to confirm. The next is that the iPad Air will get a refresh. As expected, the Air will have a faster processor, but like the iPhone SE, it will also gain 5G capabilities. The report doesn’t specify anything about the new iPad Air’s design, but the tablet got a major redesign not very long ago, so we expect the device to be similar to its predecessor.

Finally, the first half of March will also bring us the release of iOS 15.4, the report claims. iOS 15.3 did not introduce any major new features, but based on what we’ve seen in recent beta releases, iOS 15.4 seems poised to do more. Specifically, it will allow users to authenticate with Face ID while wearing face masks, and it will introduce the long-delayed Universal Control feature, which was initially planned for the first release of iOS 15 last year.

As always, Apple’s plans could change. The company usually finalizes its event dates with email invitations to press and influencers about a week beforehand.

Five women ski jumpers are disqualified at the Olympics over their jumpsuits

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Five women ski jumpers are disqualified at the Olympics over their jumpsuits

Anger and confusion overflowed at the Olympic mixed-team ski jumping final in China after five female competitors were disqualified from the event by officials who said their jumpsuits didn’t comply with the rules. The shocking outcome sparked tears and left athletes and coaches struggling to describe what they had just experienced.

The disqualified jumpers represent four of the top ski jumping teams in the world: Sara Takanashi of Japan; Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria; Katharina Althaus of Germany; and Anna Odine Stroem and Silje Opseth of Norway, according to NPR.

The rules specify how much tolerance is allowed in the suit, as measured when an athlete is standing in an upright position.

If you’re wondering how specific the rules are, consider that they dictate what kind of underwear jumpers can wear, and they forbid jumpers from tucking their hair into their suit. They also specify the suit’s air permeability, as well as the number and location of its seams.

As several of the athletes and coaches acknowledged, this is far from the first time women’s jumpsuits have been at the center of controversy.

“For years, every female ski jumper around the world was required to have extra panels sewn in around her hips,” Emily Russell of North Country Public Radio reported last week. “The International Ski Federation (FIS), which sets competition standards for the sport, said the additional hip panels were meant to fit a woman’s body better.”

But some athletes said the extra panels mainly seemed to emphasize the curves of women’s bodies. The FIS changed the rules about those panels in its 2020 specifications — but now women’s suits are again making headlines, on winter sports’ biggest stage.

A roundup of reactions, via Reuters:

  • “We just pulled the crap card. That is how you destroy nations, development and the entire sport,” said Germany’s Althaus, who already has won a silver medal in Beijing in an individual event.
  • “This is a parody, but I am not laughing,” said German sports director Horst Huttel.
  • “The sport of ski jumping has experienced one of its darker days,” said Clas Brede Braathen, the Norwegian national team manager for ski jumping.
  • “For me, it is a puppet theater. The entire season the suits have been an issue. I am unbelievably angry and I don’t understand it,” said German team coach Stefan Horngacher.

The controversy marred the Olympic debut of the mixed-team competition. Instead of celebrating gender equity — a main priority for Olympic organizers — the disqualifications “became the main topic of the day,” according to the sport’s governing body, FIS.

Slovenia won gold in the event, propelled by Nika Kriznar and Ursa Bogataj, both of whom had already medaled in earlier individual competitions. Silver went to the Russian Olympic Committee and bronze to Canada — two countries that had never reached the podium in mixed-team events at the world championships or the World Cup, according to the Olympics’ news feed.

The disqualified athletes’ jumpsuits were reportedly too large, potentially giving them an unfair advantage as they soared through the air. Ski jumping is governed by exacting rules that account for a number of variables, from an athlete’s weight to the size and cut of the athletes’ jumpsuits.

Takanashi’s coach “said her suit was supposedly too big around the thighs, even though she wore it in the women’s normal hill event on Saturday,” Japan’s NHK reported. “He added that the extreme dry weather may have affected her body’s moisture content.”

Like Takanashi, other athletes said they competed in the same jumpsuits they wore in earlier events. That includes Opseth, who told Norwegian media that what changed wasn’t her suit, but the way it was measured.

But FIS official Aga Baczkowska told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that the equipment inspection followed the rules, adding that it’s up to each team to ensure its suits are in compliance.

“The jumping suit must in all places and parts be tight-fitting the athlete’s body,” according to the FIS equipment measuring guidelines that were updated in November.

Schools shut in India as protests grow over headscarf ban

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Schools shut in India as protests grow over headscarf ban

Authorities in southern India have ordered schools to shut as protests intensified over a ban on Islamic headscarves that has outraged Muslim students, according to Theguardian.

The standoff in Karnataka state has galvanised fears among the minority community about what they say is increasing persecution under the Hindu nationalist government of the prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Karnataka’s top court began hearing a petition challenging the legality of the ban on Tuesday but adjourned before issuing a ruling.

Modi’s rightwing Bharatiya Janata party governs Karnataka state, and several prominent members have thrown their support behind the ban.

Critics say Modi’s election in 2014 emboldened hardline groups who see India as a Hindu nation and are seeking to undermine its secular foundations at the expense of its 200 million-strong minority Muslim community.

In fresh demonstrations on Tuesday, officers fired teargas to disperse a crowd at one government-run campus, while a heavy police presence was seen at schools in nearby towns.

The chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai, appealed for calm after announcing that all high schools in the state would be closed for three days. “I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges … to maintain peace and harmony,” he said.

Students at a government-run high school were told last month not to wear hijabs, an edict that soon spread to other educational institutions in the state.

Confrontations on campuses have escalated between Muslim students condemning the ban and Hindu pupils who say their classmates have disrupted their education.

“All of a sudden they are saying you are not supposed to wear hijab … why did they start now?” said Ayesha, a teenage student at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in the coastal city of Udupi.

Ayesha said a teacher had turned her away from her chemistry exam for wearing the garment. “We are not against any religion. We are not protesting against anyone. It is just for our own rights,” she told AFP.

Another student, Amrut, standing nearby among a crowd of Hindu boys wearing saffron shawls, said the dispute had unfairly prevented him from attending class. “We had … requested them not to wear hijab,” he said. “But today they are wearing hijab. They are not allowing us to go inside.”

CDC’s highest travel risk level has swelled to 135 places, including Japan

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CDC’s highest travel risk level has swelled to 135 places, including Japan

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added even more destinations on Monday to its ever-growing list of places considered to be a “very high” travel risk for Covid-19.Level 4, the CDC’s highest, has now swelled to almost 135 places, illustrating the rapid surge of the Omicron variant around the world. In early January, there were around 80 destinations listed there. Level 4 now has more destinations than all the other CDC categories combined, according to CNN.

The CDC does not include the United States in its list of advisories, but it was color-coded at Level 4 on February 7 on the agency’s map of travel risk levels.Last week, Mexico and Brazil were the most notable of a dozen places added to Level 4.Other tourist favorites parked on Level 4 even longer include Australia, Canada, France, Peru, Singapore and Spain. The United Kingdom has been there since July 2021.

Joining the Level 4 ranks this week are two island nations on opposite sides of the world: Japan in Asia and Cuba, the largest and most populous island in the Caribbean.The other new Level 4 nations are also scattered around various parts of the globe.Armenia is in the mountainous Caucasus region on the far reaches of eastern Europe. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the heart of Central Africa while Libya is on the Mediterranean coast of northern Africa. Oman is on the Arabian Peninsula, while Israel is on the Mediterranean shores in the Middle East.The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. The CDC advises travelers to avoid travel to Level 4 countries.To recap, this week’s additions to Level 4 are:

• Armenia
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Israel
• Japan
• Libya
• Oman

Last week, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was at “moderate” Level 2. Armenia, Cuba, Japan, Libya and Oman had been at Level 3, in the “high” risk category.

Israel was added to Level 4 on January 18 along with 21 other destinations and remained there in subsequent updates. However, the CDC listed Israel as an updated entry in Level 4 on Monday because the agency has added information on Gaza and the West Bank. The CDC does not have separate entries in its listing for those.

How China got blue skies in time for Olympics

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How China got blue skies in time for Olympics

The blue skies greeting Olympic athletes here this month are a stark change from just a decade ago when the city’s choking air pollution was dubbed an “Airpocalypse” and blamed for scaring off tourists.

Beijing’s air still has a long way to go, according to AP, but is measurably better than past years when smog often made it difficult to see nearby buildings and people wore masks to protect themselves from pollution, not COVID-19. The city’s notorious pollution also made news in 2016, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself jogging in the haze through Tiananmen Square with a smile on his face. Some mused on social media that he was trying to ingratiate himself with Chinese authorities.

Yet at this month’s Beijing Games, the air is clear enough for athletes to see the mountains surrounding the city.

A look at what’s behind the transformation.

WHAT CHANGED?

After pollution hit record levels in 2013 and became a source of international attention and widespread public discontent, China launched an ambitious plan to improve its air quality and said it would fight pollution “with an iron fist,” according to a recent report from the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. That was also around the time the country bid on this month’s Winter Games.

The ensuing efforts were similar to the measures China had previously taken to ensure clear skies for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, but on a larger scale, the report notes. Tougher emissions standards were imposed on coal-fired plants and the number of cars on the road was curbed to cut vehicle emissions. Local officials were given environmental targets, and coal-fired boilers in homes were replaced with gas or electric heaters.

The government’s reporting of air quality data also improved.

Jia Pei, a 30-year-old Beijing resident who enjoys exercising outside, said the improved air quality puts him in a better mood.

“In the past when there was smog, I would feel that I was inhaling dust into my mouth,” he said.

HOW IS HEALTH AFFECTED?

The effects of air pollution can be visceral and include irritated eyes and difficulty breathing.

“You could hear people coughing all over because of it,” said Myllyvirta, who was living in Beijing until 2019.

Children, older adults and people with health conditions including asthma are more likely to feel the effects. The very fine particles that make up air pollution can get deep into people’s lungs and have been linked to health problems including irregular heartbeats and decreased lung function.

Poorer people might also be more vulnerable if they can’t afford air purifiers or need to work outdoors, said Guojun He, a researcher at the University of Hong Kong and co-author of the report from the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago.

IS BEIJING’S AIR CLEAN NOW?

Despite the progress, Beijing’s annual average air pollution last year was still more than six times the limit laid out by the World Health Organization’s guidelines.

And the concentration of coal-burning industries that still surrounds the city means it remains susceptible to bad air days, said Lauri Myllyvirta at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki, Finland.

When those happen can depend on factors like car traffic or how much wind there is to blow away smog.

Still, Chinese officials hail the country’s achievements. Last year, they say there were 288 days of good air quality days in Beijing, compared to 176 days in 2013.

S.Korea to lodge protest with CAS, IOC over disqualified short track skaters

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S.Korea to lodge protest with CAS, IOC over disqualified short track skaters

South Korea said on Tuesday it plans to lodge a protest with the global top court for sport and an Olympics body over the disqualification of two short track speed skaters which triggered public furore at home, according to Reuters.

Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo were disqualified from the men’s 1,000 metres semi-finals at the Beijing Winter Olympics on late Monday, for an “illegal late pass” and a lane change, respectively, both causing contact with another skater.

Many South Koreans questioned the decisions, especially as Hwang, the world number two in the event who won two of the four World Cup legs this season and set a new Olympic record on Saturday, had crossed the line first.

The incident has fuelled angry comment on social media that the referees had penalised South Koreans to boost China’s chances of winning medals on home ice.

After Hwang and Lee were knocked out, Chinese skaters advanced to the final and eventually secured a gold and a silver.

“We’ve been receiving requests from sport officials and ordinary citizens to pull out of the Olympics altogether and bring the athletes home,” Yoon said.

“But we’re not in that stage yet, as there are more races left for us to compete, I think the best way to go is to take all measures we can so that the athletes will do as best as they can.”

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) said it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Olympic Committee over what it called an unfair decision.

“We will explore all available ways and means to ensure that such an unfair judgment will not be made again,” Yoon Hong-geun, president of the Korea Skating Union, told a televised news conference in Beijing.

China beats S.Korea to win Women’s Asian Cup

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China beats S.Korea to win Women’s Asian Cup

China came from two goals down to defeat South Korea 3-2 on Sunday and win the Women’s Asian Cup for a record ninth time, according to AP.

Just five days after the men’s team was eliminated from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, a last-minute goal from Xiao Yuyi completed a dramatic comeback for China in Navi Mumbai, India.

“At half-time I told the players not to give up as anything can happen in 45 minutes,” said China coach Shui Qingxia, who won the title five times as a player. “We are delighted to win the title and we are going in the right direction in tactical, technical and psychological terms.”

The tournament also acts as Asia’s qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup. Both Korea and China have secured their places in the competition co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand along with semi finalists Japan and, for the first time, the Philippines.

Vietnam took the fifth World Cup spot after defeating Taiwan and Thailand in a round-robin play off.

South Korea had looked set for its first continental title after scoring twice in the first half. Choe Yu-ri found the target in the 27th minute and just before the break, Chelsea’s Ji So-yun scored from a penalty given after a handball by Yao Lingwei.

Midway through the second half, China was awarded a penalty of its own after Lee Young-ju handled in the area. Tang Jiali scored to reduce the deficit and just four minutes later she crossed for Zhang Jinyan to head home the equalizer.

In the final moments, South Korea missed a great opportunity to restore its lead and secure its first title before Wang Shanshan, named as the tournament’s MVP, set up Xiao to score the dramatic winning goal.

“We played well in the first half and it was great to score but we have to reflect on what happened in the second,” said Korea’s first goalscorer Choe. “We did show that we have progressed as a team and have to keeping moving forward in the future.”

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