Shipping Containers for Sale in Mobile, AL

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Downtown Mobile is buzzing the night before Fat Tuesday as families claim their spots and prepare for the biggest parade day of the year.

Families are setting up chairs and talking strategy along the parade route. One group of kids showed off a sign with a big target and a basket, hoping to improve their aim and their catch rate.

“Well, usually I just hold it up and I bounce it, said Merideth Bonilla, ”Then they try to hit in there, and I empty it out every time somebody hits it, so they want to hit it more.”

Others are already celebrating today’s parade haul. The Calhoun sisters said they’ll be cruising the route tomorrow riding a new hoverboard they caught in a parade today.

“We’re gonna be down here early, and we’re gonna be in front of the courthouse, hoverboarding and skateboarding,” Isabella Calhoun said.

“I screamed, and then I jumped over the gate”, said her sister, “I was holding my arms out, and they dropped it into my arms, and I almost dropped it because it was heavy.”

Fat Tuesday parade schedule

Tomorrow’s parade schedule is packed with six major parades:

Order of Athena kicks things off at 10:30 a.m. on Route A, followed by Knights of Revelry at 12:30 p.m.

King Felix III rolls at 1 p.m., with the Comic Cowboys right behind at 1:30 p.m.

At 2 p.m., the MAMGA Mammoth Parade takes over Route B.

The night wraps up with Order of Myths at 6 p.m. on Route C.

FOX10 will provide live coverage starting at 6 a.m., with parade streaming beginning at 10 a.m.

The free FOX10 Float Tracker app lets users know where the start of each parade is at any time. The app also includes parade routes, schedules and weather forecasts. The FOX10 Float Tracker app is available in the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Qatar's al-Udeid, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, put missiles into truck launchers as tensions with Iran ratcheted up since January, analysis of satellite images showed, meaning they could be moved more quickly.

The decision to keep the Patriot missiles in mobile trucks rather than semi-static launcher stations -- meaning they could rapidly deploy to strike or be moved defensively in case of an Iranian attack -- shows how risks heightened as frictions grew.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, its backing for allied groups in the Middle East and crushing of internal dissent, though talks to avert a war continue.

There are also U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey and on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that in case of strikes on Iranian territory, they could retaliate against any U.S. base.

A comparison of satellite photographs in early February with those taken in January shows a recent build-up of aircraft and other military equipment across the region, said William Goodhind, a forensic imagery analyst with Contested Ground.

At al-Udeid, the Patriot missiles were visible parked mounted into M983 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) at the start of February, Goodhind said.

"The decision to do so gives the Patriots much greater mobility, meaning they can be moved to an alternative site or repositioned with greater speed," he said.

It was not clear on Tuesday whether the missiles were still in the HEMTTs.

Iran says it has replenished its missile stocks after two weeks of conflict last summer when Israel bombed its nuclear facilities and some other military targets, a campaign that the United States joined late on.

Iran has underground missile complexes near Tehran, as well as at Kermanshah, Semnan and near the Gulf coast.

The Iranian naval drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri was visible in satellite photographs on January 27 at sea some 5 km from Bandar Abbas. It was also visible near Bandar Abbas on February 10.

Images from February 1 showed an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, three C-130 Hercules aircraft, 18 KC 135 Stratotankers and seven C-17s. On January 17 there had been 14 Stratotankers and two C-17s.

Images from February 2 of one location in Muwaffaq showed 17 F15-E strike aircraft, 8 A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft, four C-130s and four unidentified helicopters. Images from January 16 were low resolution and it was not possible to identify all aircraft there.

February 2 images of a second location in Muwaffaq showed a C-17 and a C-130, as well as four EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. Pictures of that location on January 25 had not shown any aircraft.

At Prince Sultan base in Saudi Arabia, images on February 2 showed a C-5 Galaxy and a C-17 aircraft. Images on December 6 showed five aircraft that appeared to be C-130s.

Satellite images from February 6 showed seven more aircraft than had been observed on January 31 at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

A trash bin from Alabama journeyed from one beach town to another, traveling more than 4,000 miles from Fort Morgan to Weymouth, England, over more than five years.

“It’s quite a well-traveled bin, that one,” said Ryan Stalker, the Weymouth resident that found the bin.

Last month, a trash bin with “Baldwin County Alabama” written in faded print washed up on shore in Bowleaze Cove, a beach in Weymouth, a town in southern England.

Stalker, a scuba diver and underwater photographer, was walking along the beach, looking for treasures, when he saw the bin. He noticed it was covered in goose barnacles.

He walked up and started inspecting it. There was a big crack along the side, and it had clearly spent a lot of time in water.

Then, he saw “Alabama” on the side.

“I started having a little bit more of a look at it, and then I noticed the Alabama on the side of it and I thought, ‘Oh, I know where that’s come from then,’” Stalker said. “That’s come an awful long way.”

He got his car, put the trash bin in the back, and returned home. The bin is larger than most trash bins in the United Kingdom, he said, taking up most of the space in his car. Plus, it smelled, on account of the goose barnacles.

Stalker put the trash bin in his garden while he pondered what to do with it. He posted photos of it on social media, which soon gained traction, not just in the U.K. but internationally as well.

“I didn’t think it would make so much news, a bin,” Stalker said. “But when you’ve got that story and you can trace it across, then it’s quite interesting.”

Eventually, an employee of Baldwin County Solid Waste saw the photos and got in touch with Stalker. He asked if any of the bin’s identification number was visible.

Stalker took a scouring pad to the trash bin and was able to reveal most of the number.

Baldwin County Solid Waste was able to use the partial number and determine that it must have belonged to one of three houses in Fort Morgan, said Jennifer Doan, recycling outreach coordinator for Baldwin County.

The bin was lost during Hurricane Sally in 2020. The most recent hurricane to directly hit Alabama’s coast, Sally caused five to seven feet of storm surge and between 20 and 30 inches of rain.

Stalker thinks the bin stayed in warmer waters in the south Atlantic for some time. The goose barnacles, he said, are native to the Caribbean. They don’t survive for very long in the colder waters of the north Atlantic.

Storms are common in the winter in the U.K., so turbulence from the storms likely finally brought the bin to shore, more than five years later.

“I suspect it’s probably been around [the Alabama coast] way for a while, drifted around, then probably drifted around for years in the Atlantic, going round in circles, a bit more this way, a bit more back,” Stalker said.

Initially, Stalker thought he was going to recycle it. But then, after realizing the significance of his find, he decided to keep it. But it can’t stay in his garden forever, he said.

A local pub displays items that have washed up onshore, from shipwrecks or other continents or otherwise. Stalker said there’s a chance the pub will take it.

Stalker has found many unique objects in his time combing beaches and scuba diving. He said he’s found a refrigerator door before. But the bin is unique, he said, and has brought lots of attention in both the U.K. and the U.S.

A restaurant owner in Liverpool, who used to live in Fort Morgan, offered him a free meal. And if Stalker ever wants to make the trip to Fort Morgan, he can stay for free, he said.

“I was going to recycle it, to just get rid of it,” Stalker said. “But actually, with all the attention and five-and-a-half years at sea, I thought, ‘I should probably see if anyone wants it.”

More than 300 people showed up Monday night to the Stockton Civic Club to learn more about a proposed solar power farm built in north Baldwin County.

People packed into the auditorium and spilled out into the outdoor pavilion, where organizers had a speaker set up.

“They surprised us with this, so we would feel like we can’t do anything about it,” said Alex Mizell, a 16-year-old resident of the county, during the meeting. “I want to grow up in a world where I feel safe to swim in the water.”

On Dec. 2, Alabama’s Public Service Commission approved two solar power farms to be built in Baldwin County, in support of Meta’s $1.5 billion data center being built in Montgomery. That facility is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

The solar farms are meant to generate enough electricity to offset the energy demand from the new data center. According to the agreement, Meta subscribed to the full output of both solar farms.

But after news of the first 4,500-acre solar power farm was announced last week, Baldwin County residents—already frustrated with the rapid pace of development in the county—exploded with anger on social media, feeling blindsided by the development.

“It’s not a solar farm, it’s a solar monstrosity right here in Stockton,” said Jim Zeigler, a longtime politician who is currently running for a seat on the Public Service Commission, during the meeting.

No representatives of the project spoke at Monday night’s meeting.

Residents in the unincorporated community of about 350 to 500 residents expressed frustration at the potential environmental impacts of building a solar farm on the property, which sits along the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It’s an area known for its biodiversity.

There are wetlands on the property, which feed into the delta. Those wetlands help keep the water in the delta—and then Mobile Bay—clean, residents argued. In addition, endangered species like the gopher tortoise and Alabama red-bellied turtle call it home.

Nick Williams, a resident of Spanish Fort and outdoorsman, also noted the history on the site. It was the site of the Taensa people, a Native American tribe, he said, and there are still Indian mounds on site.

Williams said he’s talked to families who have lived in the Stockton area for 200 years. It’s a historic town that people are proud of.

“It’s kind of a one-two punch,” Williams said. “Nobody knew about this, and nobody asked for it.”

Williams and other organizers against the project asked people attending the meeting to call Alabama Speaker of the House of Representatives Nathaniel Ledbetter to oppose two bills currently in the legislature: SB 71 and HB 392, both of which they argue would directly impact the project.

SB 71, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, would prohibit state agencies from implementing environmental regulations that are stricter than federal agencies. In addition, state agencies would have to show that a proposed regulation is supported by “the weight of the science.”

The bill has been widely criticized by environmental and health officials in the state. After passing out of the Senate by a vote of 27-7, it is scheduled for a vote in the state house.

HB 392 would shift the Public Service Commission, which regulates Alabama Power, from an elected body to an appointed body. Two of the three seats on the Public Service Commission are up for election this year.

The bill will receive a hearing Tuesday in the house Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure committee.

Beyond those two bills, meeting attendees discussed other ways to oppose the solar farm. The project is still in the early phases of development, which makes it easier for the community to organize opposition, said Meagan Fowler, one of the anti-solar organizers.

“We caught this early, so I’m very optimistic,” said Fowler at the end of the meeting. “I do think we have a fighting chance.”

The solar farm will be developed by Silicon Ranch, a solar power company based in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to the 4,500-acre farm proposed here, the company will also develop another, 3,000-acre solar farm north of Stockton, outside of Fort Mims in Baldwin County, Williams said.

The solar farm projects are expected to be in operation by the end of 2028, according to the public service commission approval.

With hundreds of millions of views, YouTuber Ghanem al-Masarir was flying high.

From his flat in Wembley, the loud-mouthed and sometimes offensive comedian was making waves as a critic of the Saudi Arabian royal family. But as well as fans, he'd made some powerful enemies.

The first thing al-Masarir noticed was that his phones were behaving weirdly. They had become very slow, with the batteries running out quickly.

Then he noticed seeing the same faces appear in different parts of London. People who seemed to be Saudi regime supporters began stopping him in the street, harassing and filming him. But how did they know where he was all the time?

Al-Masarir feared his phone was being used to spy on him. Cyber experts would later confirm he'd become the latest victim to be spied on with the infamous Pegasus hacking tool.

"It was something that I couldn't comprehend. They can see your location. They can turn on the camera. They can turn on the microphone, listen to you," al-Masarir tells the BBC. "They got your data, all pictures, everything. You feel you've been violated."

On Monday, after six years of legal battles, the High Court in London ruled Saudi Arabia was responsible, and ordered the kingdom to pay al-Masarir more than £3m ($4.1m) in compensation.

Al-Masarir's iPhones had been hacked in 2018 after he clicked on links in three text messages seemingly sent from news outlets as special membership offers.

It led to him being stalked, harassed and in August of that year, beaten up in central London.

The court heard two strangers had approached al-Masarir and shouted at him, demanding to know who he was to talk about the Saudi royal family, before punching him in the face and then continuing to attack him.

Passers-by intervened and the two men retreated, calling the YouTuber a "slave of Qatar" and saying they were going to "teach him a lesson".

The High Court judge described the physical attack as premeditated and noted that one of the assailants was wearing an earpiece.

"There is a compelling basis" that the assault and the hack "was directed or authorised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or agents acting on its behalf," Mr Justice Saini said in his written judgement.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had a clear interest in and motivation to shut down the claimant's public criticism of the Saudi government," the judge ruled.

After the assault, the harassment continued. In 2019, a child approached al-Masarir at a Kensington café and sang a song praising King Salman, the Saudi monarch.

This incident was filmed and posted on social media, began trending with its own hashtag, and was even broadcast on state-owned television in Saudi Arabia.

On the same day, a man walked up to al-Masarir as he was leaving a west London restaurant and told him, "Your days are numbered", before walking off.

Al-Masarir was born in Saudi Arabia but has lived in Britain for more than 20 years, originally coming to study in Portsmouth.

He is now a British citizen and lives in Wembley, but no longer ventures far from home - going into central London is still frightening for him after he was attacked.

The 45-year-old rose to fame in the Arabic-speaking world for his satirical YouTube videos criticising Saudi rulers, in particular the crown prince and de facto ruler Mohamed bin Salman.

Al-Masarir's humorous takes - and sometimes personal and offensive attacks on the Saudi government - often went viral, generating more than 345 million views.

In his most watched clip - which has 16 million views - he criticised the authorities for being angry about a viral video of girls dancing in Saudi Arabia. Mysteriously, the sound has been removed on YouTube and al-Masarir has no idea how or when the video was edited.

Since al-Masarir was hacked and attacked he has lost his confidence and become depressed and fearful. The once funny and outspoken personality agreed to talk to the BBC - but was reserved and didn't want to fully show his face.

He hasn't posted a video for three years and says in spite of his legal victory, the Saudi government has succeeded in silencing him.

"No amount of money can repay the harm this has done to me," he says. "The hack has really changed me. I am not the same Ghanem I used to be."

It was spyware experts from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab who confirmed al-Masarir had been hacked with Pegasus spyware. They sent an analyst to London and deemed it highly likely the hack had been orchestrated by Saudi Arabia.

Pegasus is a powerful and controversial hacking tool made by Israeli company NSO Group. NSO Group insists it only sells its spyware to governments to help track terrorists and criminals.

But Citizen Lab has discovered it on phones belonging to politicians, journalists and dissidents - including al-Masarir.

When al-Masarir first tried to bring a claim against Saudi Arabia, the kingdom argued it was protected from legal action under the State Immunity Act 1978.

But in 2022 the court ruled Saudi Arabia did not have immunity. Since, then the country has not been represented in any further proceedings.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has failed to serve a defence or to respond to this application and has breached multiple further orders. It appears unlikely to participate in the claim," the High Court judge concluded.

The total damages awarded are £3,025,662.83 but it's not clear if Saudi Arabia will pay.

The BBC contacted the Saudi embassy in London but has not had a reply.

Al-Masarir says he is determined to enforce the judgement and is willing to use international courts if necessary. But no amount of money will make up for how the hack has turned his life upside down, he says.

"I feel depressed that they got away with something like this in London - in Great Britain."