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ICC drops war crimes charges against former Central African Republic government minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

THE HAGUE, Nethlerlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court announced Thursday it was dropping some 20 charges including murder, extermination, deportation, torture, and persecution against a former government minister from the Central African Republic, citing a lack of evidence and available witnesses. Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the court based in The Hague in the Netherlands, issued a statement saying he was withdrawing all charges against Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka because there were “no longer any reasonable prospects of conviction at trial.”Mokom, 44, was accused of coordinating operations of the anti-Balaka, a mainly Christian group that fought against the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel group. The fighting left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in 2013 and 2014.During a pretrial hearing in August, Mokom’s defense team told judges that prosecutors had already uncovered evidence that could exonerate Mokom, even before his arrest in neighbor...

Northern Europe braces for gale-force winds, floods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Northern Europe braced for bad weather including gale-force winds from the east on Thursday and Friday, with authorities saying floods could cause major problems in inland Danish waters and in the Baltic Sea. Danish broadcaster TV2 said it likely would be the worst flooding in 110 years, and the Danish Meteorological Institute said waves could reach 4 meters (13 feet) along east-facing coasts. In the U.K., the Met Office issued a red alert for parts of Scotland, warning of “exceptional rainfall” Thursday and Friday, while in Ireland, Storm Babet brought flooding to several towns and villages, with some areas remaining under water and without power.In Denmark, residents scrambled to place sandbags along exposed areas. In Assens on the central island of Funen, the Danish Emergency Management Agency was deploying huge rubber tubes in the harbor to counter rising water levels, TV2 said. Southern Denmark police urged people along the east coast to leave exposed...

Trucking firm Mullen Group reports $39.1M Q3 profit, revenue edges lower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

OKOTOKS, Alta. — Mullen Group Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $39.1 million, up from $38.0 million in the same quarter last year as its revenue edged lower.The trucking firm says the profit amounted to 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 39 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $504.0 million, down from $518.4 million in the same quarter last year.The company says the decline was due to lower fuel surcharge revenue, declines in overall general freight demand in three of its operating segments and the sale of its hydrovac assets and business in December 2022.On an adjusted basis, Mullen Group says it earned 43 cents per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 51 cents per share a year earlier.Mullen Group offers trucking and other logistics services as well as specialized services for the energy, mining, forestry and construction industries in Western Canada.This report by The Canadian Press was first publi...

2 special elections could bring more bad news for Britain’s governing Conservatives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Voters are casting ballots Thursday in two special elections in England that could add more misery to the beleaguered governing Conservative Party as it prepares to fight a national election next year.The Conservatives won both Tamworth in central England and Mid-Bedfordshire, north of London, by large margins during the last national election in 2019. But both constituencies’ lawmakers resigned under a cloud.Tamworth legislator Chris Pincher quit after Parliament’s standards watchdog recommended he be suspended for “completely inappropriate” behavior after groping two men at a London private members’ club. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’ s reluctance to sanction Pincher when the allegations emerged helped trigger Johnson’s ouster at the hands of his own party last year.Mid-Bedfordshire member of Parliament Nadine Dorries resigned over the treatment of Johnson and her own failure to be appointed to Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords. Dorries is a s...

Thursday Forecast: Temps in low 60s with scattered showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Our Thursday will be mainly cloudy with the chance for on and off scattered showers and seasonable temperatures topping out in the lower 60s.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Showers are likely this evening, before rain chance tapers overnight.  Under mostly cloudy skies, lows will fall to around 50.  Friday Forecast: Our clouds decrease Friday as afternoon highs climb to near 60.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

FTC urged to investigate anonymous messaging app 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

(The Hill) -- Fairplay, a children’s online safety advocacy group, asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday to investigate an anonymous messaging app.In a Thursday complaint, Fairplay and Kristin Bride — a parent activist who lost her 16-year-old son, Carson, to suicide in 2020 — asked the FTC to probe Not Gonna Lie (NGL). The app allows users to post anonymous messages to others and can be connected to Snapchat and Instagram accounts. Fairplay alleged that NGL heightens the risks of cyberbullying and is dangerous for teen users, which the group said the app targets. The group also accused NGL of using deceptive marketing, which Fairplay argued violates a federal ban on "unfair or deceptive" acts and pratices.NGL lets users send anonymous messages to others, including messages through prompts offered by the platform. Users can access NGL through Instagram without having to make a separate account or username, and the platform instructs users on how to post links to ...

Austin City Council to consider next steps in city manager search, Austin Convention Center funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin City Council has its meeting Thursday, and we are keeping track of some key agenda items. Here are some of the things we are watching:Council to vote on city manager search next stepAustin City Council is expected to vote Thursday on whether to move forward with a search firm that will help the City recruit and hire its next city manager.City of Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Tuesday that the City received 12 applications from search firms but ultimately decided to move forward with Mosaic Public Partners. Council will have final say on whether the City can move forward with that selection.Mosaic Public Partners has previously helped the City with executive searches, including the hiring of former Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, the mayor said. Council to vote on city manager search next step The firm estimated it will take roughly 3-4 months for it to submit an offer to its top candidate after it gets started. A city manager could be named as soon as...

Austin graffiti shows need to respond to sexual assault victims in new ways

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

The SAFE Alliance encourages anyone who is a survivor of sexual violence to seek help. You can call their 24-hour hotline at 512-267-SAFE (7233), text 737-888-7233, or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4573) for help.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After KXAN found more than 60 spray-painted tags across Austin restaurants, buildings, and bridges that said, "even though I was raped, I am OK,", we put out a call for the person responsible to contact us to better understand why it was happening. We got a response. While KXAN is unable to verify a connection for sure, we still think the meaning that person says is behind the messages is worth sharing at a time when new resources are being made available in Texas to help sexual assault victims."My methods are confrontational, but I believe this is a problem that Austin has to fully confront," a person, who did not give a name, wrote in an email to KXAN using an email address with the same message that has been graffiti...

Record heat ahead of wetter weather pattern

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Mother Nature will turn up the autumn heat heading into the weekend with temperatures likely to break a few daily records along the way.Today's afternoon highs will soar well into the upper 80s under a dry and sunny sky. A weak cold front will quietly slip in from the north, but will do nothing more than turn our winds northerly and bring drier air to our region.The heat becomes more noticeable Friday and Saturday as afternoon highs climb into the mid-90s. Both afternoons are expected to break the current daily records. Clouds will slowly be on the increase over the weekend with a jump in humidity expected by Sunday.Formula 1 race weekendWeather pattern changes next weekMoisture from a Pacific hurricane and a deepening storm system out west will lead to increasing rain chances Monday through Wednesday. It currently appears that 0.75"-1.50" of rain is possible locally, but stay tuned for updates.Weather pattern favors wetter conditions in Central Texas next week BL...

Suspicious person complaint leads to drug arrest for Horicon man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:24 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Horicon man was arrested at the I-87 rest area in Queensbury following a suspicious person complaint. Vincent Varley, 40, faces a slew of charges. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Saturday, October 14, around 7 p.m., police responded to the rest area off I-87 in Queensbury for a complaint of a suspicious person trying to enter another person's car. Troopers arrived and identified the suspect as Varley. Police say Varley was uncooperative at first and appeared intoxicated. Law enforcement says an investigation found Varley had driven to the location and was taken into custody for driving while intoxicated. Police arrest suspect accused of stealing cop car and rifle Police say a further investigation found Varley had drug paraphernalia and other controlled substances, including felony-weight narcotics in his car. Police mentioned Varley resisted arrest. Charges:Third-degree criminal possession...