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Julian Assange has been issued a new passport by his native Australia, regional media reported Thursday, clearing one of several hurdles keeping the wanted WikiLeaks publisher from exiting the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and returning home.Andrew Todd, an assistant secretary for the Consular and Crisis Management Division of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, confirmed that the government approved a passport application filed by Mr. Assange in 2018, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.“Mr. Assange does have an Australian passport,” Mr. Todd said during a Senate hearing, the newspaper reported.Mr. Assange, 47, was born in Townsville, Australia, in 1971....

Chilean authorities on Sunday issued a red alert -- the most severe in their warning system -- that the Copahue Volcano, high in the Andes mountains on the border with Argentina, might be poised for a significant eruption. In a statement, Chile's Geological and Mining Service stressed that no mandatory evacuations have been ordered around the remote volcano, which lies about 280 kilometers southeast (175 miles) of Concepcion, though the closest roads to it are in Argentina. Even though the seismic activity suggests a minor eruption, the agency decided to raise the alert level because it could not rule out...

"What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound." Note:This update comes some 24 hours after our longtime Washington D.C. Insider first outlined shocking details of an Obama administration having been "overruled" by senior military and intelligence officials leading up to the successful attack against terrorist Osama Bin Laden. What follows is further clarification of Insider's insights surrounding that event. _______ Q: You stated that President Obama was "overruled" by military/intelligence officials regarding the...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A judge has issued a gag order in the capital murder case against the man accused of killing one soldier and wounding another at a military recruiting office in Arkansas. Judge Alice Lightle issued the order Monday after prosecutors requested it to block court officials and police from discussing the case

CHICAGO- Bubba Ludwig can't walk, talk or open the refrigerator door—but he does have his very own Illinois gun permit. The 10-month-old, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, was issued a firearm owner's identification card after his father, Howard Ludwig, paid the $5 fee and filled out the application, not expecting to actually get one. The card lists the baby's height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be. With some exceptions, the cards are required of any Illinois residents purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition within the state. There are...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A judge issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for Daniel Baldwin after he failed to appear in Orange County Superior Court on charges that he illegally took another person's car. "He had an arraignment scheduled and he did not appear so a bench warrant has been issued," said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "I was sitting in court. He most definitely did not show up." The 46-year-old actor's manager, Daniel Spilo, said, "You guys need to get your facts straight and call us back," but declined further comment. A second call to Spilo...

TIJUANA, Mexico - The police department has issued about 60 slingshots to officers in the violent border city of Tijuana, where soldiers confiscated police weapons two weeks ago on allegations of collusion with drug traffickers. Municipal police spokesman Fernando Bojorquez said Monday that the slingshots, along with bags of ballbearings, were given to officers patrolling areas of the city visited by tourists. Tijuana's police force of 2,000 officers has been without guns since Jan. 5, but some patrol alongside armed state police. President Felipe Calderon sent 3,300 soldiers and federal police to Tijuana at the beginning of January to hunt...

urgent - immediate broadcast requested Tornado Watch number 868 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1045 am EST Thu Nov 16 2006 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for portions of District of Columbia Delaware much of Maryland eastern North Carolina southern and central New Jersey southeast Pennsylvania much of eastern Virginia coastal waters Effective this Thursday morning and evening from 1045 am until 600 PM EST. Tornadoes... hail to 1.5 inches in diameter... thunderstorm wind gusts to 80 mph... and dangerous lightning are possible in these areas. The Tornado Watch area is approximately along and...

Today's celebrities are well aware of their responsibilities as role models but can well do without public interference in their private lives. As tennis star Sania Mirza says, “As long as I'm winning, people shouldn't care whether my skirt is six inches long or six feet long.” Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Wednesday, Sania said, “How I dress is a very personal thing.” Wearing a long-sleeved black-and-white shirt with conservative black pants, she was speaking out in public for the first time since a cleric issued a fatwa against the way she dressed on court. Sania, who...

Two weeks before a man being taken into custody by Santa Rosa police died of drug-induced delirium, the manufacturer of the Taser stun gun issued a bulletin warning law enforcement that people with that condition were at risk from repeated or prolonged shocking. Santa Rosa police, however, said information in the bulletin, issued June 28 by Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., wasn't anything new. "That information is in our training," said Sgt. Clay Van Artsdalen, Santa Rosa's training officer. "There is nothing new in the bulletin." Police used Tasers, as well as pepper spray and a neck restraint, to subdue...

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - An arrest warrant issued for Mindy McCready says the country singer has violated her probation on a drug charge, authorities said Wednesday. A judge signed off on the warrant Monday because McCready left Tennessee without getting permission from her probation officer and didn't report to the officer during July, according to Williamson County Sheriff's officials interviewed Wednesday. Authorities said this was McCready's second probation violation, which means she cannot post bond this time and likely will have to serve time in jail. The probation violations stem from charges brought against the singer last year, when she pleaded...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the committee probing claims of wrongdoing in the oil-for-food program will issue up to three more reports and is asking for more money, officials said. Annan told the council he wanted to comply with a request from the Independent Inquiry Committee for documents relating to the work of the council and its subsidiary organs, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Some council members expressed concern about the accuracy of the notes, sloppy translations and the inclusion of personal opinions, a council diplomat said on...

SEATTLE (AP) - Make that an iced coffee. While the Northeast was bidding farewell to unseasonably chilly temperatures, Seattle residents dusted off the sunscreen and shorts Friday as the National Weather Service issued its first-ever heat advisory for the city. The advisory covering the urban corridor from Tacoma north to Everett was prompted by a second day of record temperatures. Thursday's high temperature of 89 degrees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport broke a 58-year-old record. A high of 87 was forecast for Friday. Phyllis Cameron, 92, planned to keep cool with lots of iced tea and a few gin-and-tonics. "I'm just...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

(AP) - The Iraqi Special Tribunal has announced arrest and detention warrants for 12 prominent figures already in U.S. custody. 1. Saddam Hussein; president; detained Dec. 13 2. Ali Hasan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali for his role in chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds; Number five on the most wanted list; detained Aug. 21 3. Aziz Saleh al-Numan; Baath Party Baghdad regional command chairman; number eight on the most wanted list; detained May 22, 2003. 4. Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti; presidential adviser and Saddam's half brother; number 38 on the most wanted list; allegedly the chief organizer of...