ph joy slot game New details have emerged about the last words of a flight attendant on board the ill-fated Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. The plane was en route to Grozny, Chechnya, from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, carrying 67 people when "physical and technical; external interference" caused it to crash, fuelling speculations about possible Russian involvement in the deadly crash. At least 38 of the 67 people were killed with an investigation into the incident still underway. Russia shoots down 'Western' Santa with missile in sick Putin propaganda video Russia warns of Washington's 'extremely hostile' nuclear stance pre-Trump term White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US has "seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems," but refused to elaborate. Of the 38 deceased is chief flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva. She was hailed for comforting scared passengers as pilot Captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov desperately tried to fly Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 out of danger before succumbing. Social media videos from the plane's interior show the panic and fear among passengers as Aliyeva valiantly tries to calm their distress, saying: "Everything will be fine." Another flight attendant, Zulfugar Asadov, who survived the crash, sustained a painful shrapnel wound. Asadov was convinced he had died in the crash after being "cut on the arm by an impact that occurred outside the plane." He recounted bandaging his arm tightly with a towel with the help of his colleague, Aydan Ragimli. DON'T MISS: WW3 countdown begins in 2025 with Putin landgrab forcing war, claims expert [EXCLUSIVE] Ukraine missile strike 'wipes out key Russian army command post' [LATEST] Russia attacks Ukrainian energy system with drone missiles on Christmas Day [BRUTAL] "We continued the flight," he said. Although the pilot initially wanted to make an emergency landing in the Caspian Sea due to the engine malfunctioning, he later decided to fly towards Kazakhstan for the sake of the passengers' safety. The Embraer jet was likely misidentified as a potential Ukrainian drone and struck by a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile launched from the Naursky district of Chechnya. The apparent shrapnel damage on the still-intact rear section of the aircraft, that crashed at Aktau in Kazakhstan, resembles similar strikes. Videos circulating online showed the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground and erupting into a fireball. Other videos showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft, lying upside in the grass. Some videos showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage of the plane. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan. He released a statement to express condolences to the families of the victims, saying, "It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured."

The Places of Worship Act, enacted in 1991, has recently re-emerged in the public eye, largely due to oral observations made in May 2022 by the then Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has linked the Act's resurgence to a talk by Rajmohan Gandhi, a Janata Dal MP at the time, during the Rajya Sabha's debate on the Bill. Gandhi's 1991 speech, described by Ramesh as one of the Rajya Sabha's most outstanding, advocated for reconciling differences peacefully. It reverberates today, as Ramesh argues that the Act is being undermined by the Bharatiya Janata Party. His remarks were made amid disputes over historical religious sites in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Places of Worship Act prohibits altering the character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947. Recent court cases, involving the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, have led to legal discussions and controversies regarding this legislation, highlighting ongoing tensions in India's socio-political landscape. (With inputs from agencies.)

Shumate's 22 help McNeese beat Div. III-LeTourneau 103-69ALPINE, Texas (AP) — Three U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Cavazos, Texas, have been arrested on human smuggling charges, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said Thursday. Soldiers Emilio Mendoza Lopez, Angel Palma, 20, and Enrique Jauregui, 25, were arrested after a vehicle allegedly driven by Palma and carrying Mendoza Lopez, a Mexican national and two Guatemalan nationals was stopped Nov. 27 by law enforcement in Presidio along the border with Mexico, about 500 miles (805 kilometers) southwest of Dallas. Mike Lahrman, a spokesman for Esparza, said he did not know the soldier’s ranks or whether action had been taken against them by the military. A spokesman for Fort Cavazos did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Mendoza Lopez and Palma allegedly traveled from Fort Cavazos to Presidio for the purpose of picking up and transporting undocumented noncitizens,” Esparza said in a statement. “Jauregui is alleged to be the recruiter and facilitator of the human smuggling conspiracy,” according to Esparza. “Data extracted from Palma’s phone through a search warrant revealed messages between the three soldiers indicating collaboration in the smuggling operation.” Related Articles National News | Memphis police use excessive force and discriminate against Black people, Justice Department finds National News | Legendary Medellin cartel drug lord released from US prison after serving 25 years National News | Two children wounded and gunman dead after shooting at Northern California school National News | Abandoned mines in the US pose dangers to people and property when land gives way National News | Dog food recalled in 7 states for salmonella risk after puppy litter gets sick, FDA says Mendoza Lopez was arrested at the scene of the Nov. 27 traffic stop while Palma, who prosecutors said fled the scene of the traffic stop, and Jauregui were arrested Tuesday at Fort Cavazos, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) south of Dallas, Lahrman said. Mendoza Lopez’s attorney, Shane Chriesman, said he is awaiting more information, known as discovery, from prosecutors on the charge. “Once I get discovery and have a chance to assess the case we’ll develop a plan of attack” and will try to get a bond set for Mendoza Lopez, who is currently jailed without bail, Chriesman said. No attorneys are listed in jail records who could speak for for Palma and Jauregui, who are awaiting their first court appearance on Friday, according to Esparza.NoneNEW YORK — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records Dec. 3 amid a mixed trading session, tacking a touch more onto what's already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by less than 0.1 percent on Tuesday, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It's climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2 percent, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4 percent to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6 percent after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. The key economic event this week arrives Friday with the release of the monthly jobs report. DOVER, Del. — A Delaware judge has reaffirmed her ruling that Tesla must revoke Elon Musk's multibillion-dollar pay package Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick this week denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla's directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. McCormick also rejected an equally unprecedented and massive fee request by plaintiff attorneys, who argued that they were entitled to legal fees in the form of Tesla stock valued at more than $5 billion. The judge said the attorneys were entitled to a fee award of $345 million. The rulings came in a lawsuit filed by a Tesla stockholder who challenged Musk's 2018 compensation package. McCormick concluded in January that Musk engineered the pay deal in sham negotiations with directors who were not independent. Shareholders then met in June and ratified the package for a second time. Musk plans to appeal. NEW YORK — Agribusiness giant Cargill is laying off thousands of its employees. Cargill confirmed this week that it would be reducing its global workforce by about 5 percent under a long-term strategy "to strengthen" its impact, which includes realigning resources. Minnesota-based Cargill did not immediately provide further specifics. A 2024 annual report from the company noted that it had more than 160,000 employees worldwide, meaning the latest job cuts would be set to affect about 8,000 workers. As a privately held company, Cargill doesn't regularly publish its finances publicly. In a 2024 report, the company noted that it operates in 70 countries and sells to 125 markets — raking in $160 billion in annual revenue, down from $177 billion for the prior year. NEW YORK — BlackRock is buying credit investment manager HPS Investment Partners in a stock deal valued at about $12 billion, giving it more ways to service its insurance clients. The transaction includes equity issued by a subsidiary, and that the equity can be exchanged on a one-for-one basis into BlackRock common stock. The company said the transaction creates an integrated private credit franchise with approximately $220 billion in client assets. HPS has approximately $148 billion in client assets and is an independent provider of private credit for insurance clients. BlackRock said that the acquisition of HPS will position it to be a full-service, fiduciary provider of public-private asset management and technology solutions for insurance clients. The transaction is expected to close mid-2025. WASHINGTON — The number of job postings in the United States rebounded in October from a 31⁄2 year low in September, a sign that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled. Openings rose 5 percent to 7.7 million, the Labor Department said Dec. 3. The increase suggests that job gains could pick up in the coming months. Still, the latest figure is down significantly from 8.7 million job postings a year ago. Last month, job openings rose sharply in professional and business services, a category that includes engineers, managers, and accountants, as well as in the restaurant and hotel and information technology industries. The number of people quitting their jobs rose in October, a sign of confidence in the job market. And layoffs tumbled to just 1.6 million — below the lowest figures in the two decades that preceded the 2020 pandemic. Taken as a whole, Tuesday's figures suggest that the job market might be stabilizing at a modest level, with hiring moderate but layoffs uncommonly low. The unemployment rate is at a low 4.1 percent, even though job gains slowed sharply in October, reflecting mainly the impact of hurricanes and a strike at Boeing Co. BANGKOK — China has announced a ban on exports to the United States of gallium, germanium and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. Beijing earlier had required exporters to apply for licenses to send strategically important materials such as gallium, germanium and antimony to the U.S. The 140 companies newly included in the U.S. so-called “entity list” subject to export controls are nearly all based in China. WASHINGTON — The federal government has closed its investigation into an E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers after determining there is no longer a safety risk. The outbreak began in October and sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, including 34 who were hospitalized, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One person in Colorado died and four others developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication. The FDA linked the outbreak to yellow onions distributed by California-based Taylor Farms and served raw on Quarter Pounders at restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming and other states. McDonald’s briefly pulled the burgers from one-fifth of its U.S. locations. HARRISBURG, Pa. — President-elect Donald Trump is underscoring his intention to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp., and he's pledging to use tax incentives and tariffs to strengthen the iconic American steelmaker. Trump said during the campaign that he would "instantaneously" block the deal, and he reiterated that sentiment in a statement late Dec. 2. President Joe Biden also opposes Nippon Steel's purchase of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. A secretive U.S. committee is reviewing the transaction for national security concerns, and federal law gives the president the power to block the transaction. Nippon Steel is pledging to invest in U.S. Steel's factories and strengthen the domestic industry. DETROIT — General Motors is adding more than 132,000 heavy-duty pickups in the U.S. to a previous recall for tailgate release switches that can short circuit and open the gates while the trucks are in park. The action includes certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks. They're being added to a February recall of 323,000 vehicles. Only trucks with a manual gate and power lock and release are affected. The company said in documents posted Dec. 2 that water can get into the electronic gate release switch, causing the gate to unlatch. Dealers will replace the exterior touch pad switch assemblies with new ones that are more resistant to water. Owners will be notified by letter starting on Jan. 13. HOUSTON — A proposed comeback for Enron, the Texas energy company that exemplified the worst in corporate fraud and greed in America after it went bankrupt in 2001, appears to be an elaborate joke. If its return is comedic, some former Enron employees who lost everything in the Houston company’s epic collapse aren’t laughing. They're angry at a publicity stunt they say minimizes what they went through. Enron was once the nation’s seventh-largest business, but it went bankrupt amid a massive accounting fraud. This week, a company representing itself under that name announced it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” A paper trail of legal documents points to the comeback being parody and performance art.

Madonna King is the co-author – with Cindy Wockner – of Bali 9: The Untold Story . I spoke to her on Thursday. Fitz : Madonna, I know you know the story of the Bali Nine backwards. After the 2015 executions of two of their number, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the rest of us have just about forgotten that most of the others remain in prison. Can we begin by you tightly summating the story, before we concentrate on the latest developments? MK : This group of nine young Australians came to infamy in 2005 – less than a year after Schapelle Corby ’s arrest – for trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali and into Australia. And they didn’t actually even all know each other. They were from Brisbane, Illawarra, Newcastle and Sydney. Madonna King co-authored a book about the Bali 9. “Every single one of them ... wanted to find this sense of belonging.” Fitz : So, as a group, these were not hardened career criminals? MK : Definitely not. Most of them just wandered into the whole thing. And these kids – for different reasons, on different promises – decided to get on a plane and go to Bali. After a week of holidaying, they were taken into a dingy hotel room and had packs of heroin plastered to their body, their thighs, their stomach, and five of them then set off for the airport in three different taxis. Two lots of mules were in the first two taxis and Andrew Chan, one of the organisers, without any drugs on him, was in a third taxi. Fitz : Oh, the horror! We know what’s happened to Corby, just for smuggling marijuana, and here we are, with heroin strapped to our bodies, approaching Indonesian customs! MK : Two of them – Renae Lawrence and Martin Stephens – were initially quite cocky. They passed a drug dog on the way in. They would have passed more than one sign warning of the death penalty for drugs. But they kept going, all the time while being monitored, and then – just before they climbed onboard – they were searched. All up they had more than eight kilograms of heroin strapped to their bodies. That’s a lot of heroin. In current terms, it amounts to 80,000 street deals worth $4 million. And suddenly, all of the swagger evaporated. One started crying. They knew they were in all sorts of strife. Fitz : Did I mention the HORROR? And did we ever find out who was the Mr Big, or Mrs Big for that matter, behind the whole thing? MK : There was a woman who police in Bali had their eyes on. They knew her name, they knew she was from Thailand, and they tried to get her, but somehow mysteriously, they never did and she was never charged. There were also several other people in Australia downstream who were later charged – with barely any publicity – most of them from Brisbane. They went to jail for various short periods and have now been out for years and years. Fitz : In the meantime, on the ground, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were identified as the ringleaders? MK : Yes. They were a couple of boys from Homebush High, who kind of knew each other at school, but no more than that. Sukumaran really intrigues me. School references labelled him as “honest, reliable, responsible, punctual, with high standards”. He took part in the national maths and science competitions. He was a gold medal winner in karate. He was in the school’s second grade rugby team. He gave blood in the annual school appeal. He was a volunteer for the Salvation Army Red Shield appeal. This wasn’t a kid who you expected in 2015 to be shot in the dead of the night by an anonymous marksman, just because he fell in with a bad crowd and made a decision that he went to his death ruing. Andrew Chan, right, and, and Myuran Sukumaran, left, pictured in 2006. They were executed by firing squad in 2015. Credit: AP Fitz : I do remember Sukumaran seemed to have, despite the extremity of his circumstances, a certain dignity, a certain courage in his public pronouncements, starting with his expression of deep remorse? MK : Yes. Both of them were incredibly apologetic. Andrew Chan actually turned to religion, and became a pastor. Before his arrest, Chan had got into some teenage trouble, and was a small-time thug in some ways. But they had both got themselves into a situation where they were sucked into a syndicate that was trafficking heroin. In jail though, even the Indonesian authorities said they were both fantastic in mentoring other people. They knew what they’d done was wrong and in their cases, it wasn’t fake. It wasn’t because they were facing a firing squad. They actually had time to sit in squalor and look at what they’d done. Both of them saw their families, perhaps particularly their mothers, absolutely destroyed. Imagine being told your child is going to be lined up in a field at some time without anyone there, and shot? I feel sick even saying those words. All the Bali Nine parents were hardworking. In the case of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the parents were good people trying to give their child a better life, and they’ve each had to live with the consequences of one absolutely stupid (and criminal) decision by their sons. Fitz : Speaking of stupid decisions, what about the others, like the son of the notably Christian parents, Scott Rush? Somebody must have said to him, “Scott, here’s the plan.” But what on earth was in it for him and the others to go through customs with heroin strapped to their bodies? MK : About $5000 each. The Australian government is negotiating with Indonesia for the repatriation of the five remaining members of the Bali Nine (from left) Martin Stephens, Si-Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Matthew Norman and Scott Rush. Credit: Composite: Nathan Perri Fitz : That’s it? They’re risking the death sentence, on a million-dollar consignment, in return for just $5K? MK : That’s all. And in one case, Michael Czugaj – this kid from Brisbane who’d never been overseas, who was one of I think nine siblings – he met one of the others at a nightclub in Brisbane, went home, got his passport without his parents knowing where he was, and left for Bali. A few days later his parents get a phone call, turn on the news and find out their son’s been arrested for drug trafficking! He and Scott Rush knew each other at school, through sport, but not particularly well, and both of them had been in a little bit of trouble here and there, but they were young kids. And Scott Rush comes from a strong, united family. Fitz : Again, an extraordinary fate, for young men with such grounded backgrounds. MK : Exactly. But that’s the point. It wasn’t necessarily what kind of family they came from that put them there. I had young children myself at the time, and when I was doing the book with Cindy Wockner I became obsessed with trying to get to the bottom of “why these nine? What’s to stop my own children, or anyone’s children one day going down the same path?” In some cases, their parents loved each other so much that they still held hands while their children were sitting on death row or in court in Bali. In other cases, their parents despised each other so much that despite their kids being in this much trouble, they never even picked up the phone to each other. That broke my heart. So you can’t say they’re from a good family or a bad family, or a divorced family or a together family. This was more about the kids themselves. Fitz : And did you find the unifying thread? MK : Two things ... Firstly, every single one of them wanted to belong, whether it was in a tiny street gang, or working with others, or on a holiday to Bali that someone promised at a nightclub in Brisbane – they wanted to find this sense of belonging. And the other thread was an absolute lack of confidence. They had no confidence in themselves. I remember talking to one parent, and there was a picture of their child on the wall, and I said, “Oh, they look like they were a bit sporty when they were young”. And that parent’s response was, “But they would have never made it really, look at their knobbly knees”. I was quite taken back. Then they handed me a photo album of their child, and I’m going through it. I said, “Oh my God, that smile could light up a room”. The response from the parent was,“yeah, but look at the crooked teeth.” Fitz : That would break your heart! Loading MK : It did, but they weren’t being mean. This parent loved their child. But I got on the plane and I cried all the way back to Brisbane, thinking,“How do you actually bring your child up so they know right from wrong?” You can’t compliment them all the time, but I think kids lean into what they learn. And I think what Briony Scott said in that fabulous interview you did with her last week is so true. They’ve got to be confident, and they’ve got to be able to make decisions without wanting to fit in at any cost. And if we thought it was bad 20 years ago, social media has made that demand for girls to fit in at any cost, a thousand times worse. Fitz : So on the night in question, is it fair to say that because the Australian Federal Police tipped off the Indonesian authorities, their cards were always marked and, as we say in rugby, “shits was trumps on the blind”? MK : I don’t understand rugby, but this group – almost every one of them – was known to the AFP. They didn’t have all the evidence, but they were tracking them. They knew where they bought their tickets, where they were headed, and why. Fitz : So here’s my key question. Why not arrest them on landing in Australia? They’re Australians, so let them face Australian justice. Beyond not spending 20 years in a hell-hole, there would have been every chance that the two men executed could have come back here, paid their dues, and gone on to live fruitful lives. Wouldn’t that have been the decent thing to do? MK : I think Australians are very split on that, and I can really see both sides. But one thing many have pointed out is that we have agreements with various countries – not only about drugs, but terrorism, too – and we have to be careful about breaching those agreements for our own ends. Because the boot can be on the other foot at other times, and could we be expecting them to not share information with us about illegal activities in our country planned by Indonesian nationals? Loading Fitz : As a matter of interest, do you personally accept the sheer absurdity of the whole so-called “war on drugs”? For every massive drug bust like this, the only result is that it drives up the price on the streets to make even more fabulous profits for the puppeteers and the whole thing will go on until such times as sanity prevails and drugs are treated as a health problem, not a criminal problem. All the war on drugs does is drive the whole thing underground, where it is truly dangerous. MK : No, I don’t. For the six or seven years after the Bali 9 were arrested, we talked to our children every second night over the dinner table about the importance of the law, about the influence of friendships, about getting in the wrong crowd, about making a decision that they might regret for the rest of their life. We all used these kids to teach our own kids about the perils of drugs. But I can also see how, after having paid such a long and heavy price, it’s time to bring them home, because the lesson in their arrest has been lost. Teenagers now have never heard of them. Fitz : And what do we know of their likely fate once back in our brown and pleasant land? MK : Not much. I do think the Opposition is right to ask questions about the deal. We deserve transparency and accountability. Will they serve more time? Under what circumstances are they being transferred back here? Does this change the agreements we currently have with Indonesia? Have we offered anything in return? Personally, I would love them to be visiting schools and explaining the mistake that they made. But I think before they arrive on a plane, Australians deserve to know what the deal involves and what is their future. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Five Minutes with Fitz Opinion Bali Nine For subscribers Peter FitzSimons is a journalist and columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald. Connect via Twitter . Most Viewed in National LoadingPopular but problematic planD Gukesh: After a dream 2024, youngest chess world champion faces a tough 2025

Romania's far-right candidate Calin Georgescu on Saturday urged voters to go to polling stations despite the country's top court having scrapped the presidential elections over alleged irregularities amid claims of Russian interference. The court's shock ruling, coming just before the presidential run-off which had been due Sunday, opens the way for a new electoral process starting from scratch in the EU and NATO member state bordering war-torn Ukraine. The annulment follows a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency this week detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks. Georgescu -- who unexpectedly topped last month's first round of voting -- called for voters on Sunday "to wait to be welcomed, to wait for democracy to win through their power", said a statement from his team. "Mr. Calin Georgescu believes that voting is an earned right," said the statement. "That is why he believes that Romanians have the right to be in front of the polling stations tomorrow." Georgescu himself would go to a polling station near Bucharest at 0600 GMT, said his team. Earlier Saturday, police raided three houses in Brasov city in central Romania as part of the investigation "in connection with crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, computer forgery". Among the houses searched was that of businessman Bogdan Peschir, a TikTok user who according to the declassified documents allegedly paid $381,000 to those involved in the promotion of Georgescu, Romanian media reported. Peschir has compared his support for Georgescu to the world's richest man Elon Musk's backing of US president-elect Donald Trump. Little-known outsider Georgescu, a 62-year-old former senior civil servant, was favourite to win the second round on Sunday against centrist pro-EU mayor Elena Lasconi, 52, according to several polls. But the constitutional court on Friday unanimously decided to annul the entire electoral process as it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation". President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that he had discussed with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and they agreed on the "need to strengthen the security of social media". The European Commission announced earlier this week that it had stepped up monitoring TikTok after Romania's authorities alleged "preferential treatment" of Georgescu on the platform -- a claim the company has denied. Following the court's decision, the United States said it had faith in Romania's institutions and called for a "peaceful democratic process". Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on X branded the vote's cancellation an "attempt at rigging the outcome" and "denying the will of the people". Georgescu called it "a formalised coup d'etat" and said democracy was "under attack". His team on Saturday declined to comment on the raids, saying they "will not comment or provide answers until we have exact data". Georgescu and another far-right party, the AUR, have said they plan to appeal the decision to stop the voting to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. A past admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgescu, an EU and NATO sceptic, in recent days had reframed himself as "ultra pro-Trump," vowing to put Romania "on the world map" and cut aid for neighbouring Ukraine. In an interview with US broadcaster Sky News on Saturday, Georgescu said there were no links between him and Russia. Political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP that the annulment has "further polarised Romanian society". With trust in institutions and the ruling class already low, the vote's cancellation poses a "major danger that Romanians will think that it doesn't matter how they vote", Ciobanu added. Elsewhere in the EU, Austria annulled presidential elections in 2016 because of procedural irregularities. In Romania, a new government is expected to set another date for the presidential vote. In last weekend's legislative elections, the ruling Social Democrats came top. But far-right parties made big gains, securing an unprecedented third of the ballots on mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in Ukraine. In a joint appeal on Wednesday, the Social Democrats and three other pro-EU parties -- together making up an absolute majority in parliament -- signed an agreement to form a coalition, promising "stability". bur-jza/jj

Washington Commanders release 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel ForbesALPINE, Texas (AP) — Three U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Cavazos, Texas, have been arrested on human smuggling charges, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said Thursday. Soldiers Emilio Mendoza Lopez, Angel Palma, 20, and Enrique Jauregui, 25, were arrested after a vehicle allegedly driven by Palma and carrying Mendoza Lopez, a Mexican national and two Guatemalan nationals was stopped Nov. 27 by law enforcement in Presidio along the border with Mexico, about 500 miles (805 kilometers) southwest of Dallas. Mike Lahrman, a spokesman for Esparza, said he did not know the soldier’s ranks or whether action had been taken against them by the military. A spokesman for Fort Cavazos did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Mendoza Lopez and Palma allegedly traveled from Fort Cavazos to Presidio for the purpose of picking up and transporting undocumented noncitizens,” Esparza said in a statement. “Jauregui is alleged to be the recruiter and facilitator of the human smuggling conspiracy,” according to Esparza. “Data extracted from Palma’s phone through a search warrant revealed messages between the three soldiers indicating collaboration in the smuggling operation.” Related Articles National News | Memphis police use excessive force and discriminate against Black people, Justice Department finds National News | Two children wounded and gunman dead after shooting at Northern California school National News | Abandoned mines in the US pose dangers to people and property when land gives way National News | Dog food recalled in 7 states for salmonella risk after puppy litter gets sick, FDA says National News | White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign Mendoza Lopez was arrested at the scene of the Nov. 27 traffic stop while Palma, who prosecutors said fled the scene of the traffic stop, and Jauregui were arrested Tuesday at Fort Cavazos, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) south of Dallas, Lahrman said. Mendoza Lopez’s attorney, Shane Chriesman, said he is awaiting more information, known as discovery, from prosecutors on the charge. “Once I get discovery and have a chance to assess the case we’ll develop a plan of attack” and will try to get a bond set for Mendoza Lopez, who is currently jailed without bail, Chriesman said. No attorneys are listed in jail records who could speak for for Palma and Jauregui, who are awaiting their first court appearance on Friday, according to Esparza.

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