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Niger’s leader, seized in coup, vows democracy will win

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

By Sam Mednick | Associated PressNIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s president defiantly declared Thursday that democracy would prevail, a day after mutinous soldiers detained him and announced they had seized power in a coup because of the West African country’s deteriorating security situation.While many people in the capital of Niamey went about their usual business, it remained unclear who was in control of the country and which side the majority might support. A statement tweeted by the army command’s account declared that it would back the coup to avoid a “murderous confrontation” that could lead to a “bloodbath.” It was not possible to confirm that the statement was genuine.Meanwhile, President Mohamed Bazoum — who was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960 and is a key ally of the West — appeared to have the backing of several political parties.“The hard-won ...

Video: San Jose burglars ram stolen cars into smoke shops, 4 arrested

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

(KRON) -- Four suspects police say were involved in a series of robberies using stolen vehicles to ram into the exteriors of smoke shops have been arrested, according to the San Jose Police Department. San Jose police investigated more than 10 commercial burglaries of "smoke shop type businesses" between March and April.In the course of the investigation, police say that Jose Cabellos was identified as a primary suspect by the SJPD Burglary Unit. Police believe Cabellos had additional accomplices and detectives are currently following up on leads. Naked woman on Bay Bridge suffered mental health crisis: CHP Detectives obtained a warrant for Cabellos' arrest and a search warrant for his residence. On June 16, he was arrested in San Jose by officers from the SJPD Covert Response Unit.But the arrest didn't stop the burglaries. Throughout the month of July, police say several more burglaries matching the same pattern occurred.One attempted burglar occurred on July 24 at around 3 a.m. ...

Man arrested for hate crime after assaulting elderly woman in Hayward

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

(KRON) -- A man was arrested for elder abuse and a hate crime after allegedly assaulting an elderly woman outside a Hayward grocery store, police said Thursday. The incident occurred in the late morning hours of July 21.The woman, according to the Hayward Police Department, walked toward the entrance to the store when the man approached her. Without warning or provocation, the man slapped her across the face, police said. Video: San Jose burglars ram stolen cars into smoke shops, 4 arrested The woman fell to the ground and hit her back on the concrete curb of the parking lot.The man then fled the scene. However, the incident was captured by surveillance cameras. Officers reviewed the footage and recognized the man from prior service calls, according to police.The man was eventually located in the same area the alleged assault took place. Police arrested and charged him.

San Leandro home uninhabitable after SUV crashes into it

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

(KRON) -- An SUV crashed into a house in San Leandro early Thursday morning, according to the Alameda County Fire Department. Alameda County Fire responded at 1 a.m. to the house in the 1500 block of 148th Avenue.The driver of the SUV suffered moderate injuries and had to be extricated from the vehicle, the fire department said. No one inside the home was injured. Video: San Jose burglars ram stolen cars into smoke shops, 4 arrested The gas meter and electrical for the house were clipped by the SUV during the crash. PG&E secured the meters and house was red-tagged by the building department, making it uninhabitable, firefighters said.Alameda County Fire declined to provide any additional details.

The Intercept’s 2022 Annual Staff Demographic Survey

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

In 2020, The Intercept began conducting an annual staff survey in order to assess how we’re faring in our efforts to increase the newsroom’s demographic diversity. We are now making available the results of our third and latest demographic assessment, which was conducted in April and May 2022.This year, we added three new questions with the hope of capturing our staff members’ class backgrounds as well as their experiences with debt and means-tested government assistance. With these additions, our survey consisted of 20 questions that were sent to 49 full-time U.S. employees and fellows. We saw a slight decrease in participation from last year; the survey was completed by 88 percent of those who received it. As in previous years, the survey was both voluntary and anonymous. According to the 2022 results, 60.5 percent of our staff identify as white and 35 percent identify as people of color, with the remainder declining to self-identify. These percentages are similar to last yea...

Wildfire in Greece triggers explosions at ammunition depot and relocation of fighter jets

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A wildfire whipped on by strong winds triggered a series of massive explosions Thursday at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece, and F-16 fighter jets were being moved from a nearby air base as a precaution while firefighters worked to tame multiple blazes in the country.The Greek air force said the military base was not under an immediate threat. The depot was evacuated before the explosions, and no injuries were reported, although continued blasts prevented firefighting teams from approaching the site.Fires have raged across parts of Greece during three successive Mediterranean heat waves in the past two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge weekend evacuation of tourists on the island of Rhodes.The fire in the Volos area of central Greece’s Magnissia region reached the ammunition storage facility about 6 kilometers (4 miles) north of the major military air base in Nea Anchialos. Local media...

One thing the pope won’t be able to ignore in Portugal is a legacy of clergy sex abuse

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — When a panel of experts read aloud some of the harrowing accounts they had collected from recently discovered victims of child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church, the country’s senior bishops squirmed in the auditorium’s front-row seats.During a live television broadcast, the experts reported in February that at least 4,815 boys and girls had been abused since 1950, most aged 10-14. Before the stunning findings, senior Portuguese church officials had maintained there had been only a handful of cases of clergy sex abuse. They lost even more credibility with a response so clumsy and hesitant that victims were inspired to form Portugal’s first survivor advocacy group to press for compensation.Pope Francis will wade into the quagmire of Portugal’s reckoning with its legacy of clergy abuse and cover-up when he arrives in Lisbon next Wednesday to participate in World Youth Day, the international Catholic youth rally. While there is no mention o...

Jaguars LT Cam Robinson embraces temporary backup role while preparing for 4-game suspension

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson is a backup for the first time in six years. The reduced role isn’t something he wanted, but he’s embracing it.“It’s honestly not terrible,” Robinson quipped.The NFL suspended Robinson last month for the first four games of the regular season for violating league policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Robinson spoke publicly about the punishment for the first time after practice Thursday, saying he unwittingly ingested a banned substance after tearing a ligament in his right knee in December.“I hadn’t even started rehabbing yet,” he said. “I was still on crutches. I take full responsibility for it. I just got to be more careful and be more cautious about what I’m putting into my system.”Robinson first learned about the failed drug test in January, but the appeals process took more than five months before he learned the ultimate outcome.“It was a long time coming, really, really nerve-wracking,” he said. “Probabl...

Publishers Weekly Best-Selling Books

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

HARDCOVER FICTION1. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower)2. “The Collector by Daniel Silva (Harper)3. “A Soul of Ash and Blood” by Jennifr L. Armentrout (Blue Box)4. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry (Berkley)5. “Obsessed” by Patterson/Born (Little, Brown)6. “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese (Grove)7. “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown)8. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper) 9. “Crook Manifesto” by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday) 10. “After Death” by Dean Koontz (Thomas & Mercer) 11. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano (Dial)12. “The Only One Left” by Riley Sager (Dutton)13. “Palazzo” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte)14. “Cross Down” by Patterson/DuBois (Little, Brown)15. “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang (William Morrow)_____HARDCOVER NON-FICTION1. “Beyond the Story” by BTS (Flatiron)2. “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – (Piggyback)3. “Outlive” by Peter Attia (Harmony)4. “You Will Own Nothing” by Carol Roth (Broadside)5. “Dark F...

Prince Harry loses part of lawsuit but will get his day in court against The Sun publisher

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:20:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry ’s lawsuit accusing the publisher of The Sun tabloid of unlawfully snooping on him can go to trial, but not on allegations of phone hacking, a High Court judge ruled Thursday.The case also cannot deal with a claim that newspaper executives made a secret settlement pact with the royal family, the judge ruled.The Duke of Sussex alleged the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World hacked his phone, employed investigators and used deception to unlawfully gather information on him dating back two decades.News Group Newspapers (NGN), which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, argued that the suit should be thrown out because the claims were brought after the six-year limitation to do so expired.Justice Timothy Fancourt said Harry was well enough aware of a phone hacking scandal that roiled Britain more than a decade ago that he could have brought his own case sooner. But the younger son of King Charles III can proceed on allegations about other unlawful...