ALEX BLOG

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a 56-nation group headed by Britain's King Charles, said on Wednesday she expected member nations to make progress towards beginning negotiations on reparations ‌for the transatlantic slave trade.

The Commonwealth, which grew out of the British Empire, is one of the world's ‌largest international organisations, representing around 2.7 billion people. Its members include Australia, India, 21 African nations and Caribbean states such as Barbados and Jamaica.

Charles has ​spoken of his profound regret over slavery and has backed research into the British monarchy's historical links to the trade. However, Britain, like most former colonial powers, has dismissed calls for reparations.

In an interview, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey, a former foreign minister of Ghana who has publicly backed reparations from Great Britain, said she was supporting member countries in seeking redress.

"My understanding is that ‌there's some movement in terms of having ⁠parties around the table to decide on the way forward, and the different forms of reparations, how to deal with it going forward will be discussed," she told Reuters.

Discussions would be ⁠multi-lateral and would likely involve regional groups the Caribbean Community and the African Union, she added.

CALLS FOR COMPENSATION GROW

From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were abducted and sold into slavery by European merchants.

Britain was responsible for transporting an estimated ​3.2 million ​people, making it the second most active European nation after Portugal, ​which enslaved nearly six million.

The African Union last ‌year made reparations its theme of the year, and is working on developing a joint stance among member states.

The Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan including a demand for debt forgiveness. That has been opposed by Britain, though Botchwey said she was open to other symbolic forms of redress.

"The UK is saying that probably we can't pay financial reparations. Reparations do not have to be only financial," Botchwey said.

"So once the parties sit, they will be able to come to mutual ‌understanding."

KING A 'GREAT ASSET'

Charles has been under pressure over his younger brother ​Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's friendship with convicted U.S. sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Buckingham ​Palace said on Monday it was ready to support ​any police inquiry after new documents suggested Mountbatten-Windsor may have shared confidential British trade documents with ‌Epstein.

He was cast out of the royal inner ​circle and stripped of many of ​his titles by the king over his close relationship with Epstein.

Charles, who became king in 2023 after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, has been a "great asset" to the Commonwealth, Botchwey said.

"What is happening outside the ​Commonwealth, I may not be able ‌to pronounce on it, but I am very grateful for the work that the King does to ensure ​the relevance of the Commonwealth and also to add value to the work that we do," she ​said.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —Dubai International Airportmaintained its crown as the world's busiest airport last year as officials said Wednesday that a record 95.2 million passengers transited through its terminals, part of the emirate's continued economic boom.

Dubai Airport

The airport took off inthe post-pandemic years, spurred by worldwide interest in travel and by ever-increasing tourism, business and real estate opportunities in the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai on Monday reported a 5% increase in tourists last year, to 19.6 million, a third consecutive year of record-breaking figures.

The state-owned airport is home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, which powers the network of state-owned and state-linked businesses in the emirate known as"Dubai Inc."

Dubai International showed in 2025 "that record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operating reality," said Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports.

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Dubai airport saw 92.3 million passengers in 2024, compared with 86.9 million passengers in the previous year. In 2019, just before the pandemic fully disrupted air travel, traffic was 86.3 million passengers. It had 89.1 million passengers in 2018.

India remained the top destination for people flying out of Dubai International last year, with 11.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 7.5 million and the United Kingdom at 6.3 million. The facility served 108 airlines flying to 291 cities in 110 countries.

A real-estate boom and the city's highest-ever tourism numbershave made Dubai a destination as well as a layover. However,the city is now grappling with increasing traffic and coststhat are pressuring both its Emirati citizens and the foreign residents who power its economy.

Dubai plans to move its airport operations to Al Maktoum International Airport, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) away. Al Maktoum, which opened in 2010 with one terminal, served as a parking lot for Emirates' double-decker Airbus A380s and other aircraft during the pandemic, but it has since returned to life with cargo, commercial and private flights. It also hosts the biennialDubai Air Showand has a vast desert in which to expand.

Authorities plan to move operations in 2032to the city-state's second airport after a roughly $35 billion upgrade.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former federal prosecutor who quit amid a dispute with the Trump administration is now representing former CNN host Don Lemon, who was one of nine people indicted for their alleged roles indisrupting a serviceat a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was a pastor.

A court filing Tuesday shows that Lemon has hired former interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had beenleading the sprawling investigationand prosecution of major fraud cases for the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Officeuntil he resignedlast month.

Several prosecutors have now leftthe office at a time of growing frustration with the administration'simmigration enforcement crackdownand the Justice Department's response to fatal shootings of two people by federal officers in Minneapolis.

Lemon had previously said through another attorney thathe planned to plead not guiltytofederal civil rights chargesover his coverage of the church protest. He has said he was not affiliated with the group that disrupted the church service, and that he was there in his capacity as an independent journalist. The indictment alleges various actions by the group that entered the church, including what Lemon said as he reported on the event for his livestream show.

Lemon is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 13 in federal court in St. Paul.

The Trump administration has cited theMinnesota fraud cases,in which most defendants have come from the state's large Somali community,as justificationfor its immigration crackdown in the state. Thompson estimated in December that the losses to taxpayers from several fraud cases being prosecuted in Minnesotacould total $9 billion.

Thompson recently formed his own law firm with Harry Jacobs, another former federal prosecutor who resigned amid the upheaval in the office. Jacobs had beenlead prosecutor in the caseof Vance Boelter, who has pleaded not guilty in last year's assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the nonfatal shootings of a state senator and his wife.

The firm's website describes them as "battle tested and seasoned" trial lawyers.

Thompson did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Feb 11 (Reuters) - Air New Zealand said on Wednesday it had cancelled 46 wide-body long-haul ‌services ahead of a planned two-day strike ‌by cabin crew over stalled negotiations.

The cancellations have affected 9,500 ​travellers, Air NZ said in a statement, adding that the domestic and regional network would operate as normal, with some cargo-only flights also scheduled.

In a ‌separate statement, local ⁠union E tū said the airline's cabin crew would strike on February 12 ⁠and February 13 after talks failed to resolve their concerns, urging Air New Zealand to make "a fair ​and realistic" ​offer.

"The work done ​by wide-body cabin crew ‌is demanding and often misunderstood," E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh said.

"They are also shift workers whose rosters change every month. They work very irregular hours ... and there is no certainty in their ‌work patterns."

The union said the ​strike will involve only wide-body ​aircraft workers, with ​cabin crew taking action on both ‌days.

Air New Zealand said it ​has contacted ​affected passengers with rebooking options or refunds.

The airline added that it has rescheduled flights and ​redeployed its ‌fleet to protect most Tasman and Pacific services ​from cancellations.

(Reporting by Nichiket Sunil in Bengaluru; ​Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

What a strange winter we have seen in the West.

Sustained warmth continued to break daily records across the region. And to top it off, there was hardly any precipitation.

(MORE:Did Winter Forget The West?)

But I have some good news for all of us. The pattern that lasted through much of the winter is finally breaking down.

And with that comes cooler temperatures and the chance for rain and mountain snow.

First Round: Through Wednesday

The first round of rain and snow is ongoing across California now.

Think of this first round as more of a nuisance than anything else. Rainfall across the lower elevations isn't expected to be extreme at this point.

But the snowfall is more significant.

Winter weather alerts are in place across the Sierra Nevada and parts of the Rockies until Wednesday afternoon. The highest snowfall totals are in the winter storm warnings, as indicated by the dark blue on the map below.

Next Week Gets Interesting

What's ongoing this week is just foreshadowing what's to come. Models are pointing to significant precipitation beginning Sunday and lasting into next week.

This will likely mean that the California snowpack will see a major boost.

This is good news, as the snowpack in California is running about 50% of where it should be at this time of the year,according to the California Department of Water Resources.

While skiers and snowboarders are rejoicing, those across lower elevations may have some concerns.

With this pattern shift, there is a chance of days of sustained rainfall across California. That also means there is an increasing flood threat for the state, especially across burn scars.

This rainfall could last for days and could bring soaking weather as far south as Los Angeles and San Diego.

(FORECAST:Los Angeles|San Diego)

Why The Shift?

Most of the winter has seen the jet stream pulling north of the West and dipping to the South in the East. This pattern leads to less rainfall and warmer temperatures out West.

The graphic below shows what will happen next week. The jet stream will continue to dip to the south across the West, leading to cooler temperatures and an influx of much-needed rain and snow.

Why The Snowpack Matters

The snowpack across the West isn't just for skiers and snowboarders. It also helps provide a freshwater source to the West in the drier months.

This is why the lack of snowfall has been so concerning. The West is dependent on snow, which they haven't been seeing.

States like Colorado are even seeing record snowfall deficits this season.

Rob Shackelfordis a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former federal prosecutor who quit amid a dispute with the Trump administration is now representing former CNN host Don Lemon, who was one of nine people indicted for their alleged roles indisrupting a serviceat a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was a pastor.

Immigration Enforcement Don Lemon

A court filing Tuesday shows that Lemon has hired former interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had beenleading the sprawling investigationand prosecution of major fraud cases for the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Officeuntil he resignedlast month.

Several prosecutors have now leftthe office at a time of growing frustration with the administration'simmigration enforcement crackdownand the Justice Department's response to fatal shootings of two people by federal officers in Minneapolis.

Lemon had previously said through another attorney thathe planned to plead not guiltytofederal civil rights chargesover his coverage of the church protest. He has said he was not affiliated with the group that disrupted the church service, and that he was there in his capacity as an independent journalist. The indictment alleges various actions by the group that entered the church, including what Lemon said as he reported on the event for his livestream show.

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Lemon is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 13 in federal court in St. Paul.

The Trump administration has cited theMinnesota fraud cases,in which most defendants have come from the state's large Somali community,as justificationfor its immigration crackdown in the state. Thompson estimated in December that the losses to taxpayers from several fraud cases being prosecuted in Minnesotacould total $9 billion.

Thompson recently formed his own law firm with Harry Jacobs, another former federal prosecutor who resigned amid the upheaval in the office. Jacobs had beenlead prosecutor in the caseof Vance Boelter, who has pleaded not guilty in last year's assassination of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the nonfatal shootings of a state senator and his wife.

The firm's website describes them as "battle tested and seasoned" trial lawyers.

Thompson did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment Tuesday.

The Justice Department's explanation for seeking toraid a major election office in Georgiaand seize ballots tied to the 2020 election was made much clearer Feb. 10, after it was forced to release a document showing the arguments it used to get a search warrant.

The FBI, which is part of the Department of Justice, seized ballots and other records tied to the 2020 election from a Fulton County election center near Atlanta on Jan. 28. The move marked a major escalation of efforts underPresident Donald Trump's current administration to call into doubt the results of the2020 presidential election, whichTrump lostto then-former Vice PresidentJoe Biden.

The new document is the affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Hugh Raymond Evans in the government's request for a search warrant.

"Following the November 3, 2020, presidential election, there were many allegations of electoral impropriety relating to the voting process and ballot counting in Fulton County, Georgia," Evanswrote in the affidavit.

"Some of those allegations have been disproven, while some of those allegations have been substantiated, including through admissions by Fulton County," Evans added.

Evans wrote that the FBI investigation was jump-started by a referral from an official in Trump's White House, Kurt Olsen. He was appointed by Trump as "Director of Election Security and Integrity," according to the affidavit.

"This warrant application is part of an FBI criminal investigation into whether any of the improprieties were intentional acts that violated federal criminal laws," Evans wrote.

The Justice Department filed the affidavit to a Georgia federal court for release to the public onthe order of a federal judge, who instructed government lawyers to make redactions to shield the names of nongovernmental witnesses. Fulton County officials hadasked the court to release the affidavit to the public.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, defended Georgia's election processes in a statement to USA TODAY.

"As Secretary of State, I've made Georgia the safest and most secure place to vote," Raffensperger said. "Instead of wasting time and tax dollars trying to change the past with baseless and repackaged claims, let's focus our efforts on building a safer, more affordable future for all hardworking Georgians."

What potential crimes is the FBI investigating?

A federal judge in Georgia signedthe search warrant, allowing FBI agents to seize election records as part of an investigation tied to two separate criminal statutes.One of those statutesrequires election officials to keep voter registration records for 22 months after an election.The otherprohibits using threats, coercion or fraud in certain voting processes.

Around 656 boxes of original 2020 election records – as opposed to copies – were seized, according to Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington.

Fulton County has filed a court motionto get the records back.

Evans alleged in his affidavit that there are several "deficiencies or defects" with the November election and vote count that the FBI is looking into in Georgia. Those include missing scanned images of ballots, duplicated ballot scans, inaccurate hand-count tallies of votes and purported absentee ballots that weren't properly creased or folded, he said.

Evans wrote that, if the alleged problems were intentional, then they would be evidence of a crime. By seizing election records, law enforcement would be able to corroborate an analysis suggesting election records were destroyed or that false votes were counted, he said.

White House official behind investigation helped Trump fight 2020 results

Olsen has a long history of fighting the 2020 election results. He joined the Texas attorney general's attempt to get the Supreme Court to stop four swing states from certifying Biden's 2020 victory over Trump,according to The New York Times.

Olsen was sanctioned by a federal judge in Arizona for acting in bad faith by filing a lawsuit on behalf of Trump ally Kari Lake that made baseless allegations about the reliability of voting machines in that state,according to the California-based Daily Journal.Arizona was one of several swing statesBiden won in 2020.

An appeals court decision upheld those sanctions. Appellate Judge Ronald Gould wrote that the lawsuit "made false, misleading and unsupported factual assertions" and the lawyers behind it didn't conduct a reasonable inquiry before filing it, the Daily Journal reported.

Congressional investigators found that Olsen had multiple phone calls with Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, the day a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent Biden's 2020 election victory from going into effect,Politico reported.

Trump's national intelligence chief was present at raid

Director of National IntelligenceTulsi Gabbardwas near the raid when it happened, andreportedly put Trump on the phonewith some of the FBI agents involved in the raid the next day.

That raised the eyebrows of the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, who questioned in aJan. 29 letterwhy someone tasked with overseeing national intelligence would attend a search of an election hub in Georgia.

"The job of the director of national intelligence is to be outward-facing about foreigners, not about Americans," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee,said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." "My fear is now [Trump] sees the political winds turning against him and he's going to try to interfere in the 2026 elections."

Gabbard said in aFeb. 2 letterthat Trump asked her to be present for the raid, and that election security is a national security issue.

Gabbard is investigating the 2020 election results, according to theWall Street Journaland TheNew York Times, which each cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The two outlets reported that her work on the investigation has helped her be in Trump's good graces.

Speaking on "The Dan Bongino Show" on Feb. 2, Trump alluded to the raid whilesaying he won the 2020 election.

"Now you're going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get, with a court order, the ballots," Trump said. "You're going to see some interesting things come out."

Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta, is the largest county in Georgia by population. Biden's win in that county in 2020 helped propel his win in Georgia as a whole, which had 16 presidential electoral votes. Biden won the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes, compared withTrump's 232tally.

Before Biden was inaugurated into office in January 2021, Trumptried to reverse his 2020 losses in several states, including Georgia. He and his allies filed more than 60 lawsuits. None was successful in proving there was widespread voter fraud.

In a phone call with Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, Trump said,"I just need 11,780 votes"in Georgia. Raffensperger defended the accuracy of his state's election results.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:DOJ shares why it raided Georgia election hub and seized 2020 ballots