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US Secretary of State tells Australia that WikiLeaks founder is accused of ‘very serious’ crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of “very serious criminal conduct” in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.Australia’s center-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States.Assange’s freedom is widely seen as a test of Australia’s leverage with President Joe Biden’s administration.Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia.“I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think it’s very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter,” Blinken told reporters.“Mr....

African Union gives 15-day ultimatum to Niger junta to end regime but soldiers seek continuity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — The African Union has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the junta in Niger to reinstall the country’s democratically elected government just as the coup leaders met with senior civil servants to discuss how they would run the country and as the U.S. and the European Union threatened sanctions against the regime.Brig. Gen. Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, told state television that the junta met with civil servants on Friday and asked them to continue their work as usual following the suspension of the constitution. “The message given was not to stop the processes underway, to keep on with things,” said Brig. Gen. Toumba.“Everything that must be done will be done,” he said, signaling the intention of the regime led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who also goes by Omar, to remain in power.After its meeting on Friday, the African Union Peace and Security Council said it was concerned by the “alarming resurgence” of coup...

Violent crime is rising in the nation’s capital. DC seeks solutions as Congress keeps close watch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pamela Smith’s voice soared and quivered like a preacher in midsermon as she recalled her troubled childhood and how it helped prepare her for the challenges she faces as the new police chief in the nation’s capital.“I stand before you as a child who had no hopes, who had no dreams — they were far beyond my reach. But I believe that all things are possible,” she said at her introductory news conference in Washington, in cadences honed by years as an ordained Baptist minister. “I believe I bring a fresh perspective, a different kind of energy, a different level of passion to what I’m going to do.”Smith takes on the job at a precarious time.Violent crime is rising sharply, fueled by more homicides and carjackings. The District of Columbia’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, and the D.C. Council have, at times, been at odds about crime legislation. On Capitol Hill, the Republican-led House has begun citing the city’s crime statistics while aggressively reviewing...

Manitoba government planned a COVID-19 video and song for project that was abandoned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

WINNIPEG — In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manitoba government laid out plans for a video to reflect on the effects of the novel coronavirus, complete with a song commissioned from noted singer-songwriter Sierra Noble.But the project was abandoned, documents obtained by The Canadian Press indicate. Its aim and contents are still a mystery, as no one involved is providing details.The video was to be a “virtual reflection/memorial event” in early 2021, the provincial Finance Department said in a response to a freedom of information request. The project had a working title — “Manitoba Tribute Video.”As part of the project, the government was to pay $13,000 for a song composed by Noble. The government would have exclusive use of the song for 12 months so it could be played at events or news conferences, and in audio and video distribution.A contract was drawn up and signed, although the name of the video production company was withheld from the freedo...

‘Perfectly excited’: Canadian scientists await first look at bits from asteroid Bennu

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

A group of Canadian scientists is awaiting delivery of an outer space postcard from the past. On Sept. 24, seven years after it blasted off from its Florida launch pad, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to drop a capsule into the Earth’s atmosphere containing matter plucked from the surface of an asteroid dating from the early history of the solar system.“I’ve never worked with extraterrestrial material,” said Dominique Weis, a geoscientist at the University of British Columbia, who’s in line to get a tiny sample.“I’m perfectly excited.”The material comes from Bennu, previously known as near-Earth object 101955, a frozen chunk of rock about 500 metres across and roughly 450,000 kilometres from Earth. OSIRIS-REx has orbited within a couple hundred metres of its surface, scooped up a shovelful of it and is on its way home to drop off the package of whatever it found.A Canadian-built set of lasers helped guide OSIRIS to its d...

Can you lease a used car?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

(iSeeCars) -- When it comes to car buying, you may be torn between buying and leasing. While leasing a car might be an attractive option if you want a different car every few years, you might be turned off by the high monthly payments for the cars you’re interested in. What you might not realize is that you can also lease a used car. Although used cars make up only a small percentage of the leased car market, it’s still possible to lease a used car. And with used car prices still higher than pre-pandemic levels, leasing a used car could be a smart financial decision.So how can you lease a used car, and is it a good idea? We have the answers.Which Used Cars Can be Leased? Used cars that are available to lease are typically Certified Pre Owned cars (also known as CPO) from car dealerships. A certified pre-owned vehicle is a late-model used car that is sold by a franchised dealer after it has been thoroughly inspected, and comes with a factory-backed extended-powertrain warranty a...

No shoes, no service? What can happen if you fly barefoot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — For many of us, flying is a relatively easy experience. Your flight leaves on time, your seatmates are polite, and you arrive at your destination safely. But, in some cases, one of those aspects of flying may not go exactly as planned. You may find one of your fellow flyers committing an air travel faux pas: being barefoot. You’ve seen the photos online of people's toes peeking out between the seats. Maybe you’ve encountered it yourself. Either way, it’s largely frowned upon. In some cases, barefoot flying can even get you grounded.  What is the flight hack ‘skip lagging,’ and why you should avoid it Within its contract of carriage, United Airlines considers being barefoot, as well as being “not properly clothed,” an offense that justifies “refusal or removal of a passenger.” The carrier lists it as one of the many infractions that could impact safety for the passenger or others on the plane. American Airlines says bare feet “aren’t allowed” from pa...

Salmonella illnesses among Minnesota children tied to raw milk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

One Twin Cities child was hospitalized and four others became ill with Salmonella after health officials believe they consumed unpasteurized milk. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, families of two of the children confirmed that the raw milk had been consumed. Information from the other families was not available, but a lab analysis showed the bacteria that made all five children ill came from the same source.The children who fell ill range in age from three months to 10 years and were sick between the end of June and early July. One child was hospitalized.Unpasteurized milk, also known as raw milk, is milk that has not been heated to a temperature high enough to kill harmful germs from fecal contamination sometimes found in the milk, the health department said in a news release.“Even healthy animals can carry these germs and have them in their milk,” said Maria Bye, senior epidemiologist in the Zoonotic Diseases Unit at MDH. “Consuming any unpasteurized milk is risky,...

Other voices: Cleanup on branches 1, 2 and 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

Healthy skepticism of authority is a very good thing — as power should never go unchecked in a democracy. But corrosive distrust of government of, by and for the people is a very bad thing — because pervasive cynicism, the reflexive belief that those we elect and the public servants beneath them have ulterior motives, leads to disengagement and division and drift. We therefore commend, with caveats, two legislative pushes in Washington to ensure that federal officials do more to earn the trust we put in them.The first is by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, whose bill on Supreme Court ethics last week won the assent of a slim majority of the Judiciary Committee.Every member of the federal judiciary has to follow a code of conduct — with the exception of the nine men and women who sit on the highest bench in the land. That’s akin to referees calling fouls on every basketball player except those who make the All-Star team.In the wake of revelations that Justices Clarenc...

Working Strategies: The up-sides to interim work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:12 GMT

Amy LindgrenTemporary jobs, contract assignments, seasonal employment, gig work — how many ways can we say “short-term” when it comes to work? For some people, these kinds of opportunities are the perfect fit, but for others the prospect of non-permanent employment is a let-down.If you’re looking for a full-time, “forever” job, taking something interim can feel like a capitulation. It’s just disappointing to be working at something that’s intended to end, especially when it means you’ll be job searching again soon.That’s one reason job seekers turn down these in-between opportunities, even when they need money. Another reason is the fear of being locked in when a better opportunity comes along. In that scenario, the worker worries they’ll feel obligated to the first job and unable to accept the permanent position they’ve been seeking.That’s understandable, but not exactly logical. These jobs are meant to end and they are generally filled by individuals heading to something big...