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A federal judge in Vermont on Wednesday released a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher from immigration custody as she deals with a criminal charge of smuggling frog embryos into the United States.Colleagues and academics also testified on Kseniia Petrova’s behalf, saying she is doing valuable research to advance cures for cancer. “It is excellent science,” Michael West, a scientist and entrepreneur in the biotech industry, testified on Petrova’s research papers. He said he does not know Petrova, but has become acquainted with her published work, citing one in which she explains that “by mapping embryonic development, novel ways of…

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed appeals by families of students killed or wounded at Oxford High School in 2021, ending efforts to hold employees partly responsible for the mass shooting.Under Michigan law, immunity is a high hurdle to overcome in lawsuits against a government body, including public school staff. Lawyers typically have to show that gross negligence occurred.The court, in a two-sentence order, said it would not step into the litigation. The decision means a 3-0 Court of Appeals decision in favor of school employees will stand.A lawyer for the families said he would speak…

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its embassies abroad to stop scheduling new visa interview appointments for students and exchange visitors, according to an internal cable seen by news agencies on Tuesday. In the memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the pause is in place because the State Department plans to expand the screening of student applicants’ social media. Here is all we know about what this pause could mean. What happened? Rubio signed a cable, obtained by multiple news agencies, asking US embassies all over the world to pause new visa interviews for foreign…

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to “chart a unified and collective path towards a peaceful, prosperous, and just future”, following their meeting in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. In a world roiled by United States President Donald Trump’s threats of crippling tariffs and rising economic uncertainties, alternative centres of global power were on full display, with the GCC and China attending the ASEAN summit for the group’s inaugural trilateral meeting on Tuesday. In their joint statement released on Wednesday, the GCC – comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia…

GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) — Just steps from the porticos, patios, clay-tiled roofs and manicured lawns of suburbia, Kelly Saxer has gotten used to questions. As she weaves through tomato vines, snaps asparagus and generally gets her hands dirty, visitors and even some nearby residents want to know what she’s doing — and how the farm where she works wound up here.“Sometimes it feels like we’re animals in a zoo a little bit because people will walk by and they’ll just stare, you know, like gawk at us,” Saxer said.This is Agritopia, an 11-acre (4.5-hectare) organic farm that’s all that remains…

BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.The photos of the subjects identified by Tamara Lanier as her great-great-great-grandfather Renty, whom she calls “Papa Renty,” and his daughter Delia will be transferred from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, the state where they were enslaved in 1850 when the photos were taken, a lawyer for Lanier said Wednesday.The settlement…

Whether it’s a modest balcony, a pocket-size patio or a tiny backyard, small outdoor spaces have big potential. With a few smart design choices and some creative flair, even the most limited square footage can become a welcoming and rejuvenating retreat.The very constraints of a small area can inspire more thoughtful — and impactful — design decisions.Here’s how to make the most of your petite patio, balcony or urban garden and turn it into a space that wows.Think vertically: Make use of walls and railingsWhen floor space is at a premium, the only way to go is up. Vertical gardening…

NEW YORK (AP) — Weddings in the United States are often dependent on goods imported from countries hit with new tariffs.Vendors and engaged couples are navigating higher prices and supply worries after President Donald Trump went to war over trade around the globe. Exports from dozens of countries, including major centers for goods such as cut flowers, wedding gowns and decorations, are now subject to extra taxes when they reach the U.S. Wedding professionals see potential for pivots to alternative sources. Some recommendations for people who are planning a wedding while the tariff situation remains in flux: TIP: Rethink how…

NEW YORK (AP) — Krista Vasquez had her heart set on getting married in a body-hugging, halter-style gown from Spain. In April, the Atlanta paramedic learned her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more because of new U.S. tariffs on imported goods.With little wiggle room in her timing, the bride-to-be quickly checked around for similar styles. The story was the same: any dresses from Europe would come with tariff-driven price increases ranging from $150 to $400. And that was before President Donald Trump said he would increase the tariff on goods produced in the European Union from 10% to 50%.Vasquez,…

As if the impending arrival of your first child isn’t stressful enough, you’re undoubtedly shopping for a seemingly endless list of baby gear. Cribs, strollers, bottle warmers, sound machines and whatever the heck a MamaRoo is. You’ll likely get most of that stuff from a baby registry. But the biggest baby gear item requires a more significant cash outlay: a new vehicle for your growing family. We can’t help you pay for that, but we can point you toward five great SUVs of different sizes that all start for under $40,000. Edmunds’ car experts focused on three qualities: 1) lots…