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Medical convoys from Nagorno-Karabakh suspended after Armenian detained by Azerbaijan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 GMT

The transfer of critically ill patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia has been halted, local Armenian leaders said, after a man traveling with the Red Cross to seek treatment was arrested by Azerbaijani forces on war crimes charges.Gurgen Nersisyan, the state minister of the breakaway region’s unrecognized government, announced on Saturday that Vagif Khachatryan was “taken from the checkpoint” installed by Baku on the border with Armenia and that his whereabouts are unknown. Speaking to POLITICO, one of his advisers, Artak Beglaryan, confirmed that all medical evacuations have been stopped indefinitely as a result.In a statement shared with state media, Azerbaijan’s prosecutor’s office confirmed Khachatryan had been detained, adding that he stands accused of committing “genocide.” Officials allege he was involved in the killing of 25 people in the village of Meshali during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1991, which saw hundreds of thou...

BPD: Dorchester man charged with drug trafficking after ‘lengthy investigation’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 GMT

Boston police arrested and charged a Dorchester man Friday with drug trafficking after “a lengthy investigation,” officials announced.37-year-old Victor Pena was charged with trafficking fentanyl over 200 grams and cocaine 36 grams or more.Police said they found approximately one and a half kilos of fentanyl and 39 grams of cocaine when searching the residence on Wells Avenue.Pena is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

Source: Patriots hosting ex-Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott on free-agent visit

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 GMT

The Patriots are hosting ex-Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott on a free-agent visit Saturday, a source confirmed to the Herald.Elliott has been a free agent since Dallas released him in mid-March. Last season, Elliott rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns, while averaging 3.8 yards per carry and starting 14 of 15 games. In New England, he could serve as the primary backup to star back Rhamondre Stevenson, especially in light of Ty Montgomery’s recent leg injury in training camp.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots extra points: Bill Belichick touts rookie WR, Matt Judon explains red sleeves New England Patriots | Family affair at Patriots summer camp New England Patriots | Patriots training camp Day 3: Bill O’Brien’s offense opens up, but where are the weapons? New England Patriots | Christian Gonzalez proving to be exactly what Patriots needed early in training camp New England Patriots...

Heavy rainfall expected for Toronto and GTA on Saturday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 GMT

A special weather statement is in effect for Toronto and the GTA warning of heavy rainfall for most of the day. Environment Canada says anywhere between 30 to 50 millimetres of rain could fall across the region, including Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and Durham regions due to heavy rain and thunderstorms on Saturday. “Drivers should watch out for ponding and pooling on the roads and flooding on certain ramps that are prone to flooding,” said CityNews 680 meteorologist Carl Lam. “If you see a road that is flooded, do not drive through it and turn around.”The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority echoed similar concerns when it comes to rivers and streams in the area. “All TRCA rivers within the GTA may experience higher than normal flows and water levels for the next few days,” the regional authority said in a statement. “The combination of slippery, unstable banks, and changing water levels could create hazardous conditions in and near...

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

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:02:30 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...