A landmark trial against Google will be a key test of whether the US can rein in the industry.

US 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 centre-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. Mr Assange’s freedom is widely seen as a test of Australia’s leverage with President Joe Biden’s administration. Mr Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Mr 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,” Mr Blinken told reporters. “Mr Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country,” he added. Ms Wong said Mr Assange’s prosecution had “dragged for too long” and that Australia wanted the charges “brought to a conclusion.” Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain. Mr Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010. American prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk. Australia argues there is a “disconnect” between the US treatment of Mr Assange and Ms Manning. Then-US President Barack Obama commuted Ms Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. Read More Pope meets with wife and family of Julian Assange, who says pontiff 'concerned' by his suffering Julian Assange’s wife says ‘it is now or never’ at US extradition protest Australian prime minister says he is working effectively to free WikiLeaks founder

A pastor locked himself in a cage with three lions to demonstrate his ‘divine protection’ like the biblical story of Daniel. The religious leader even invited his congregation to the animal park to witness the stunt. According to local media, the pastor, whose identity is still unknown, wanted to prove that “nothing can happen to a man of God”. The clip shows the pastor, seen wearing a bright blue suit, stroking the growling lions in their enclosure in Nigeria. At one point, he even puts his arm in one lion’s mouth before looking confidently at the camera. It appears as though the Nigerian pastor was recreating the biblical story of Daniel, who was thrown into a lion’s den and came out unscathed thanks to the hand of God. After the footage went viral, Kenyan MP Ronald Karauri, 45, offered to pay for the pastor to be sent to the Maasai Mara National Reserve to try the stunt with wild lions. The MP said: “I volunteer to take him to the Maasai Mara please, all expenses paid. “We look for the lions and he can go walk with them.” One local commented: “I challenge him to do that at Maasai Mara!” Another said: “Those are not lions, they are lion cubs. Big difference.” Someone else wrote: “Oh Yeah! Lemme bring my dog and lock him up with it for one minute.” Another local suggested: “He went in just after they were fed.” Erik remarked: “Why are the growls added over the natural soundtrack?” Bill commented: “They should have taken him to the wild lions at the Kenyan park, those lions were given drugs.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The internet has spiralled over a certain two-second snippet from the upcoming Barbie movie – and it involves Margot Robbie's feet. In the trailer for Greta Gerwig's hotly anticipated release, Barbie is seen stepping out of her high heels while maintaining her arched foot. In fact, it's become so "iconic" that it's birthed an entire TikTok challenge with the likes of Chrissy Teigen trying it out, and the hashtag alone has racked up over 40 million views. While the niche trend has proven popular on the platform, doctors have been forced to step in with a warning. Dr Jodi R. Schoenhaus, DPM, RPhs, FACFAS, and Board Certified Podiatrist at Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center, said the challenge "is not without risk." "If someone attempts the pose once or twice, they will likely be ok and produce a great TikTok video," she said. "However, if attempting the pose and stride over long periods, there are some risks involved. The ankle is unstable, which can lead to ligament sprains and injuries, commonly seen with high heel use." According to Dr Schoenhaus, the foot positioning "places more strain on your low back leading to muscle and spine problems," and can injure growth plates in younger women. "To walk on your toes without heels isn't sustainable, and, in fact, the reality in the movie is that Barbie actually has flatfeet, along with 30 per cent of the population. Considering we aren't trained ballerinas en pointe, let's keep the fad to movie stars who have props and multiple takes to make it look perfect," she added. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @shannascribner @barbiethemovie inspired me with a challenge idea!! Stitch & show me how well you can do the #BarbieFootChallenge !!! #barbiefootchallenge #barbie #foot #feet #heels #challenge #footchallenge #feetchallenge #margotrobbie Speaking about the famous scene, Robbie told The Project that it didn't actually require as much effort as people expected. "There’s no special effects, you’d be amazed how few [special effects] there are in this film actually," she said. "We didn‘t do that many takes of it, a couple of takes and I kind of held on to a bar so I was sturdy when I stepped." "We just put double-sided tape on the floor so that my shoes stayed still and I did have a pedicure that morning." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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