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Inside the penal colonies: A glimpse at life for political prisoners swept up in Russia’s crackdowns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Alexei Navalny turns 47 on Sunday, he’ll wake up in a bare concrete cell with hardly any natural light.He won’t be able to see or talk to any of his loved ones. Phone calls and visits are banned for those in “punishment isolation” cells, a 2-by-3-meter (6 1/2-by-10-foot) space. Guards usually blast patriotic songs and speeches by President Vladimir Putin at him.“Guess who is the champion of listening to Putin’s speeches? Who listens to them for hours and falls asleep to them?” Navalny said recently in a typically sardonic social media post via his attorneys from Penal Colony No. 6 in the Vladimir region east of Moscow.He is serving a nine-year term due to end in 2030 on charges widely seen as trumped up, and is facing another trial on new charges that could keep him locked up for another two decades. Rallies have been called for Sunday in Russia to support him.Navalny has become Russia’s most famous political prisoner — and not just because o...

Emirati hosts want UN climate talks to deliver ‘game-changing results,’ with big oil at the table

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A senior United Arab Emirates official says the Gulf nation wants the U.N. climate summit it’s hosting later this year to deliver “game-changing results” for international efforts to curb global warming, but doing so will require having the fossil fuel industry at the table.Environmental campaigners have slammed the presence of oil and gas lobbyists at previous rounds of talks, warning that their interests are opposed to the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions — caused to a large degree by the burning of fossil fuels. Last month scores of U.S. and European lawmakers called for the summit’s designated chair, Sultan al-Jaber, to be replaced over his links to the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.The issue complicates already-delicate negotiations ahead of the Nov. 30 – Dec. 12 meeting in Dubai, known as COP28. Preliminary talks starting next week in Bonn, Germany, will show whether the incoming UAE presidency can overcome skepticism among ...

AP’s Global Week in Pictures: May 27 – June 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

May 27 – June 2, 2023From the campaign trail in Iowa of US presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, to the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by the Associated Press in the past week.The selections were curated by AP photo editor Anita Baca in Mexico City.Source

Buscan desesperadamente a posibles sobrevivientes del choque de trenes que dejó cerca de 300 muertos en India

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

(CNN) — Los equipos de rescate de la India luchan por encontrar supervivientes tras el terrible accidente de tres trenes en el que murieron cientos de personas, en lo que constituye una de las peores catástrofes ferroviarias que ha vivido el país.Se han confirmado al menos 288 muertos y más de 1.000 heridos tras la colisión el viernes de dos trenes de pasajeros y un tren de mercancías en la ciudad de Balasore, en el estado oriental de Odisha.Sin embargo, los equipos de rescate prevén que el número de muertos aumente aún más, ya que se cree que muchas personas han quedado atrapadas bajo los vagones volcados.“No tenemos muchas esperanzas de rescatar a nadie con vida”, declaró el jefe de los servicios de bomberos de Odisha, Sudhanshu Sarangi, al canal de noticias local NDTV.La causa del accidente sigue sin estar clara, pero el ministro indio de Ferrocarriles, Ashwini Vaishnaw, declaró a la prensa el sábado que se ha ordenado una “investigación de alto nivel̶...

Taillon, Swanson lead Cubs to a 2-1 win over Padres

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jameson Taillon pitched effectively into the sixth inning, Dansby Swanson homered among his three hits, and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Friday night in the opener of a four-game series.“That is the best I have seen him I think since spring training – on the attack,” Cubs manager David Ross said of Taillon. “I thought he did spectacular – it is as good as I’ve seen him.”Taillon (1-3), who came in winless over his previous eight starts with an 8.04 ERA, kept the Padres batters off-balance twice through their lineup and earned the win. He gave up three hits and one run in a season-high 5 2/3 innings.“Been grinding, working really hard with everyone behind the scenes. It is nice to get the results,” Taillon said. “I haven’t felt like a huge part of what we are doing yet just because I haven’t been pulling my weight, so it is nice to contribute and be part of a win.”Padres starter Michael Wacha (5-2) struggled wit...

Texas A&M beats Cal State Fullerton 12-7 in regional nightcap

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Jack Moss and No. 9 hitter Max Kaufer had three hits apiece and combined for five RBIs as Texas A&M rolled to a 12-7 victory over Cal State Fullerton in Friday’s nightcap of the Stanford Regional.Kaufer, a catcher, drove in three runs for the second-seeded Aggies (37-25), who advance to play No. 1 seed Stanford on Saturday. The third-seeded Titans (31-23) will play an elimination game against No. 4 seed San Jose State earlier in the day.Moss, who was among four Texas A&M players with two RBIs, erased a 3-0 deficit with a go-ahead two-run single in a five-run bottom of the second inning. The Aggies pushed across three more runs in the third to take an 8-3 lead. Ryan Targac had a two-run homer in the fourth, Hunter Haas followed with a run-scoring double and the Aggies had an eight-run advantage.Zach Lew had two hits, including a double, and three RBIs for the Titans.Shane Sdao (4-1) earned the win, issuing two walks over four no-hit innings in re...

Penn, Oral Roberts, Rider take down national seeds in NCAA Tournament baseball games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

No. 1 Wake Forest and 10 other national seeds won their openers in the NCAA regionals on Friday before Penn began a late-night flurry of upsets.The Quakers gave the Ivy League its first national tournament win over a Southeastern Conference opponent, beating No. 13 Auburn 6-3 in 11 innings. Next, Oral Roberts took down No. 11 Oklahoma State 6-4 for its third win over the Cowboys this season and its nation-best 19th straight victory.Minutes later, Rider finished an 11-10 win over No. 10 Coastal Carolina when Richie Sica made a diving catch of Caden Bodine’s flare to center with the bases loaded.Penn, which hadn’t won in the tournament since 1990, took the lead on Ryan Taylor’s double and added two insurance runs on consecutive squeeze plays. Four pitchers limited Auburn to four hits and struck out 14.The Ivy League had been 0-9 all-time against the SEC in the tournament. Now Penn will try to make a run like conference mate Columbia did last season, when it reached a...

Turkey’s Erdogan set to take oath for 3rd term in office, announce new Cabinet lineup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s longtime president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is to be sworn in for his third term on Saturday. All eyes are on the announcement of his new Cabinet — its lineup should indicate whether there will be a continuation of unorthodox economic policies or a return to more conventional ones amid a cost-of-living crisis.Erdogan, 69, won a new five-year term in a runoff presidential race last week that could stretch his 20-year rule in the key NATO country that straddles Europe and Asia, into a quarter-century. The country of 85 million controls NATO’s second-largest army, hosts millions of refugees and played a crucial role in brokering a deal that allowed the shipment of Ukraine grain, averting a global food crisis.Erdogan is scheduled to take the oath of office in parliament, followed by an inauguration ceremony at his sprawling palace complex. He is scheduled to reveal the members of his new Cabinet during a separate ceremony later on Saturday.Dozens of foreign ...

Protests, poisoning and prison: A look at the life of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

LONDON (AP) — In a span of a decade, Alexei Navalny has gone from the Kremlin’s biggest foe to Russia’s most prominent political prisoner.Already serving two convictions that have landed him in prison for at least nine years, he faces a new trial that could keep him behind for two more decades.Navalny turns 47 on Sunday in prison, where he has been repeatedly locked up in solitary confinement.A look at Navalny’s life, political activism and the charges he has faced through the years:June 4, 1976 — Navalny is born in a western part of the Moscow region.1997 — Graduates from Russia’s RUDN university, where he majored in law; earns a degree in economics in 2001 while working as a lawyer. 2004 — Forms a movement against rampant overdevelopment in Moscow, according to his campaign website.2008 — Gains notoriety for alleging corruption in state-run corporations, such as gas giant Gazprom and oil behemoth Rosneft, through his blogs and other posts.2010 — Founds RosPil, an anti-corrup...

Snoop Dogg Postpones Anniversary Concerts, Shows Support For Writers Strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:53 GMT

Snoop Dogg announced the postponement of his upcoming Hollywood Bowl anniversary show in an act of solidarity with unions in the entertainment industry.The June 27-28 shows were going to celebrate Snoop’s “Doggystyle,” his debut album that shaped the sound of West Coast hip-hop in the 90s, but the “Dogg Father” said those shows will now fall Oct. 20-21.In a Friday Instagram post, Snoop wrote that the change was a show of support for the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who are currently on strike, as well as the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), both of whom are negotiating new contracts in the entertainment industry.“Me and Dr. Dre, we stand in solidarity with the writers,” Snoop said in a video posted to Instagram.Snoop added that he was hopeful that the unions and the entertainment companies “negotiate fair deals as soon as possible.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by sno...