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France to close its embassy in Niger for an ‘indefinite period,’ according to letter to staff

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — France will close its diplomatic mission in Niger following this summer’s coup d’etat in the West African nation and a souring of relations between the two countries, according to a letter sent to embassy staff and seen by The Associated Press.The news that the embassy in Niger’s capital Niamey is to close comes as France prepares to withdraw its last remaining military forces from the Sahel state this month.“The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic is regretfully forced to close the embassy for an indefinite period of time,” said a document sent to Nigerien employees of the French embassy dated Dec. 19, 2023, and signed by the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté.French diplomatic sources acknowledge the authenticity of the letter, which notifies Nigerien employees that they will be dismissed as of April 30, 2024.The French embassy in Niger was attacked by demonstrators on July 30, 2023, and the military junta rul...

Pornhub agrees to pay $1.8M to resolve sex trafficking-related charge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

The owner of Pornhub, one of the world’s largest adult content websites, has admitted to profiting from sex trafficking and agreed to make payments to women whose videos were posted without their consent, federal prosecutors in New York announced Thursday.Aylo Holdings, the website’s parent company, reached a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve a charge of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds, according to the office of Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.The deal calls for the Montreal-based company to pay more than $1.8 million to the U.S. government, as well as make separate payments to the individual women harmed by the trafficking. It also requires appointment of an independent monitor for three years, after which the charges will be dismissed.“It is our hope that this resolution, which includes certain agreed payments to the women whose images were posted on the company’s platforms and an independent mo...

First permitted bus of migrants arrives Thursday in Chicago

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is expecting seven more buses to arrive Thursday at the landing zone. On Thursday, the city said it received its first permitted bus arrival after city council passed an ordinance last month. ‘We are not all bad’: Migrants stuck waiting at O’Hare, facing uncertain future in latest kick of ‘political football’ from Texas "We are a sanctuary city and we want to be able to take care of everybody here," 33rd Ward Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez said. "But we can’t do it on our own we need resources."The Latino Caucus demanded more help from the federal government in the form of funding and work permits for all undocumented asylum seekers."That is essential," Decomractic Rep. Chuy Garcia said. "It's critical for Chicago. It's critical for New York, for Houston, all the other cities seeking to do everything they can. They cannot do it alone."The calls come as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vows to continue bussing and flying migrants to Chicago.On Tuesday night, a private p...

Fugitive sought in murder-for-hire plot after man shot, killed outside Chicago youth center

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

CHICAGO — A man recently indicted in last January's deadly shooting of a 24-year-old man outside a West Roseland youth center remains at large, according to FBI Chicago.The agency stated on Thursday that a reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Preston Powell, who is wanted after a man, later identified as Stephon Mack, was shot and killed and another wounded outside the West Roseland Youth Center.The development comes weeks after Powell and 24-year-old Anthony Montgomery-Wilson were charged in what authorities called a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of Mack. According to court documents, prosecutors allege that Montgomery-Wilson and Powell conspired to murder Mack in exchange for money.Authorities announced on Dec. 4 that Montgomery-Wilson was in custody. He pled not guilty to conspiracy to use an interstate facility in the commission of a murder for hire. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024.An arrest w...

Unexpected factor behind death of former NFL player Mike Williams

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new report from the Hillsborough County Medical examiner revealed that a rare factor contributed to the death of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Mike Williams.Williams spent four years in the NFL, from 2010 to 2014.In August, he was working on a construction job in Tampa when he suffered a serious head injury.The medical examiner's report said Williams was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and then transferred to the Suncoast Hospice, where he later died at the age of 36.According to the report, his cause of death was "Bacterial Sepsis with Cerebral Abscesses and Necrotizing Lobar Pneumonia Due to Multiple Dental Caries and Retained Tooth Roots Contributory Cause Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease." Mother of Mike Williams’ daughter speaks about police investigation into former Bucs player’s death Dr. Walter Howard, a clinical professor at University of Florida School of Dentistry is not involved in the case, but said the report shows that severe tooth ...

Texas Republicans in one rural county will hand count ballots. Experts say it’s 'a recipe for disaster.'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.When Gillespie County Republicans conduct their primary in March, they will count votes in an ill-advised way: by hand, using scores of volunteers, without any machines.Even if they can pull off their expensive, labor-intensive plan, they risk being sued by losing candidates or reprimanded by the state. And they may run up a huge bill of unnecessary costs.“Hand-counting is a recipe for disaster,” said Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University and election administration expert. He and most other experts agree on this, and studies back them up: The method is time-consuming, costly, less accurate, and less secure than using machines to tally votes.The factors that led Gillespie Republicans to this plan are not unique to this rural county of nearly 30,000 people, west of Austin in Texas’ ...

Mara Braun, Maggie Czinano lead Gophers women’s basketball rout of Lindenwood

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

Mara Braun topped 20 points for the fifth game in a row, and Maggie Czinano produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Gophers women’s basketball team overwhelmed Lindenwood (Mo.) 100-45 in a nonconference game Thursday afternoon at Williams Arena.Braun finished with 21 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Grace Grocholski added 11 points and Sophie Hart 10 to give Minnesota four players in double-figures scoring.Amaya Battle had eight assists and Janay Sanders five as the Gophers finished with 23 assists and just seven turnovers.Minnesota (11-1) tied its season high with 52 rebounds, while holding Lindenwood to 33.Leading 64-23 at halftime, the Gophers went on a 12-0 run to expand the lead to 76-23 with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Minnesota opened the fourth quarter with a 81-28 lead, then turned the game over to its bench players.

Suspect arrested in Sappington jewelry store burglary may be tied to other crimes - Prosecutors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – One of the men believed to be responsible for more than a dozen smash-and-grab burglaries in the area is in police custody.Investigators believe Joshua John Simmons-Pollard’s crime spree lasted a little more than two weeks, unveiling the magnitude of the accused serial burglar’s crimes in court documents.Simmons-Pollard, 25, broke into businesses in both St. Louis City and County between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15.He’s accused of busting the windows of Glitter on Gravois in Sappington Plaza, and stealing thousands of dollars in jewelry. The break-in was caught on camera.Paul Pytlinski, president and owner of Glitter on Gravois, said he’s glad the suspected thief is behind bars.“This can happen to anybody. We have been in business almost a decade and nothing like this has ever happened,” Pytlinski said.Simmons-Pollard is also accused of several other burglaries, including Imo's Pizza on Jefferson, Tucker's Place on South 12th Street, Courtesy Diner on Hampton, an ATM...

Their home burned in the Marshall fire. Then their new house caught fire after contractors cut a power line.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

Imagine your entire house burning to the ground.You rebuild it and move into a new home 18 months later.But then, three months after that, a neighbor rushes to your door to alert you that a utility box on the side of your brand-new house is on fire.That’s what happened on Oct. 25 to Sonali Marlin, a Louisville resident whose family lost their home in the devastating Marshall fire on Dec. 30, 2021.When Marlin saw the flames outside her rebuilt home in The Summit neighborhood, she panicked and began sobbing.“I just couldn’t imagine my house on fire again,” she said.The fire was quickly extinguished and the exterior suffered little damage. But about thousands of dollars worth of appliances and electronics inside were fried, she said.Now, though, Marlin and her next-door neighbor have been thrust into another homeowner headache filled with lawyers, insurance companies, paperwork and endless phone calls as they deal with a situation that is not their fault.“...

Denver weather: Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Snow headed toward the city this weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:53:32 GMT

While it certainly hasn’t felt like winter this past week, the Christmas weekend is looking to bring some snow to Colorado after all to boost the holiday cheer.The weather could still change by the time the storm hits, but the Denver metro can expect to see anywhere from 1 to 4 inches accumulate on Christmas Eve, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zach Hiris.While that doesn’t sound like much, even 1 inch of snow on the ground Christmas morning is enough for the National Weather Service to classify the holiday a white Christmas.“Even though we’re still a ways out from this event, there’s a good chance for light snow accumulation across the metro,” Hiris said. “My guess is we’ll still have at least a little on the ground come Christmas.”According to Hiris, the mountains will start seeing light snow Saturday morning that will spread to the plains by Saturday night. Most of the snowfall in the metro area will fall S...