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As regional bloc threatens intervention in Niger, neighboring juntas vow mutual defense

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Two West African nations ruled by mutinous soldiers said Monday that military intervention in Niger would be considered a “declaration of war” against them, as the junta attempts to consolidate power after a coup last week. The West African regional body known as ECOWAS announced travel and economic sanctions against Niger on Sunday over the coup, and said it would use force if the coup leaders don’t reinstate Bazoum within one week. Bazoum’s government was one of the West’s last democratic partners against West African extremists.In a joint statement from the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso, the two countries wrote that “any military intervention against Niger will be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.”Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, Mali’s state minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, read the joint statement on Malian state TV Monday evening. The two countries also denounced ECOWAS eco...

Does Texas A&M’s botched hire spell doom for classroom diversity? Some say yes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

With pageantry that included balloons, a banner and an outdoor signing ceremony, Texas A&M University celebrated a diverse new chapter in its history with its June hiring of Kathleen McElroy.McElroy, a Black journalist whose background included decades at the New York Times and a reputation for promoting diversity in the workplace, was a major get for the university with the largest student body in the country. She was headed to her alma mater with a mission to revive its journalism program — and it was all the sweeter for A&M because she had been lured away from its rival, the University of Texas at Austin. But the celebration didn’t last long. Just days later, McElroy’s tenure offer unraveled after the university buckled under backlash from Texas Scorecard, a conservative website, and an unspecified group of individuals close to the university who opposed her previous diversity initiatives. A new state law will limit that and the discussion of race and inclusio...

Lawyers in case of fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin movie set spar over whether to dismiss charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors are urging a judge in Santa Fe not to throw out charges of involuntary manslaughter against a movie weapons supervisor in the 2021 shooting death of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal for the film “Rust.” At an online hearing scheduled for Tuesday, defense attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will counter that the charges should be dismissed, after accusing the prosecution of sloppy work and public grandstanding that violates their client’s rights to due process.The hearing also will address objections to a recently filed charge of evidence tampering against Gutierrez-Reed and whether prosecutors can shield the name of a witness from public disclosure as they pursue that charge. Prosecutors say a witness is prepared to testify that Gutierrez-Reed handed off a small bag of narcotics to the witness after returning from an interview at a police station. But they said the person worries about being harassed by media and blackliste...

A judge is set to hear the last day of testimony in the Oxford High School shooter’s sentencing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge is expected to hear the third and final day of testimony Tuesday at a sentencing hearing for the Oxford High School shooter, though an immediate decision is not anticipated.Ethan Crumbley, 17, pleaded guilty to murder, terrorism and other charges in a mass shooting that killed four students and wounded seven others in 2021 at the school about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Detroit.Because of his age — 15 at the time — an automatic life sentence would be unconstitutional. Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe first must consider the shooter’s mental health, unstable family life and other factors before deciding whether a life term would fit.Crumbley otherwise would face a minimum sentence somewhere between 25 years and 40 years in prison, followed by eligibility for parole.The shooter left behind a journal and text messages that were rife with dark writings, confusion and paranoia. Defense attorneys revealed messages last week that were sent ...

Roam like at home: Roaming rules extended for 10 more years 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

The EU's roam like at home policy ensures that Europeans can call, message and use mobile data anywhere in the EU at no extra cost, Society.In April 2022, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the extension of the roaming rules that allow EU consumers to continue to call and transfer data across EU borders for the same cost as at home. The legislation is part of the digital transformation strategy, one of EU’s priorities.Roam like at homeSince the introduction of the roam like at home rules in June 2017, about 170 million people have enjoyed the benefits of staying connected during their travels across Europe while paying the same prices as at home. The system operates across the European Economic Area, which comprises all 27 EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.The policy has been very successful, for instance data roaming usage increased 17-fold in the summer of 2019, compared with the summer before the abolition of roaming charges.Better quality, mo...

Video shows L.A. deputy open fire on man ramming patrol car with SUV

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released video Monday of a deputy opening firing on a 45-year-old man seen repeatedly ramming the deputy’s vehicle with his SUV in Bell Gardens last month.  The incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on June 22 at the intersection of Eastern and Florence avenues, and was captured on nearby surveillance cameras, a witness’ cellphone camera and the deputy’s body-worn camera.  The suspect, identified as Jesus Cerda, can be seen entering the intersection against the red light as the deputy was behind him. In response, the deputy turned on his sirens and entered the intersection “to warn and block oncoming traffic,” LASD officials said in the critical incident briefing.  The 45-year-old, driving a white SUV, began driving in circles before ramming the deputy’s vehicle.  “After Cerda rammed the patrol car a third time, the deputy discharged his service weapons,” officials said.  Footage from the deputy’s body-worn camera ...

Two fires at Berkeley apartment building investigated as possible arsons

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

BERKELEY – Two fires at a Berkeley apartment building in the span of less than a week are being investigated as possible arsons, police said.No one has been arrested in connection with either fire, Berkeley police Officer Jessica Perry said Monday.Both blazes happened at the same three-story apartment building in the 1100 block of Oxford Street.The first fire was reported around 5:35 a.m. on July 19. Perry said a resident used a garden hose and a fire extinguisher to partially put out the fire before firefighters arrived.The blaze scorched the south side of the structure, but no one was injured, Perry said.Residents mentioned seeing a “strip of gasoline fuel on fire” next to the apartment building during the fire, Perry said. Two gasoline cans were also spotted on the sidewalk following the fire.The second fire was reported around 3:55 a.m. on July 25. This time, the fire involved the east side of the structure, Perry said. Firefighters evacuated the residents, put out the fire and ...

Four-bedroom home sells in Piedmont for $2 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

264 Saint James Drive – Google Street ViewA 2,516-square-foot house built in 1958 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 200 block of Saint James Drive in Piedmont was sold on June 23, 2023, for $2,000,000, or $795 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Additionally, the house is equipped with a garage. The property encompasses a generous 0.3-acre of land.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:A 4,590-square-foot home on the first block of Wyngaard Avenue in Piedmont sold in October 2022, for $4,200,000, a price per square foot of $915. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Selborne Drive, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 4,130-square-foot home was sold for $4,082,500, a price per square foot of $988. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In November 2022, a 3,758-square-foot home on Selborne Drive in Piedmont sold for $2,850,000, a price per square foot of $758. The home has 4 bedrooms an...

Powerful Typhoon Khanun lashes southwest Japanese islands, grounding flights and closing businesses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful Typhoon Khanun was approaching Japan’s southwestern island of Okinawa on Tuesday, lashing the region with strong winds and high waves, and forcing transportation to halt and stores to close.The slow-moving Khanun, which means jackfruit in Thai, was heading northwest at speeds of 20 kph (12.4 mph) on Tuesday morning, packing surface winds of up to 162 kph (100 mph). It was at sea southeast of Okinawa’s main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.The city office in the Okinawan prefectural capital of Naha was closed Tuesday due to violent winds, while supermarket chains were also shut or operating under shorter hours.Footage on NHK national television showed fallen trees on the street in Naha. No injuries were reported.Hundreds of flights into and out of the Naha airport, including a more than a dozen international flights connecting Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, were canceled, according to the airport. Public transportation on Okinawa, inc...

Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:32:09 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia. But Washington is seeing once again that while it’s easy to get into the Middle East militarily, it’s difficult to ever get fully out — particularly as Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.There is no sign that diplomacy will revive the deal soon, and Iran in recent weeks has resumed harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of the world...