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Russia to announce a verdict in Navalny case; the Kremlin critic expects a lengthy prison term

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday is due to hear the verdict in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said that he expects a lengthy prison term. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a penal colony east of Moscow. In 2021, he was also sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for a parole violation. The latest trial against Navalny has been taking place behind closed doors in the colony where he is imprisoned. If the court finds Navalny guilty, it will be his fifth criminal conviction, all of which have been widely seen as a deliberate strategy by the Kremlin to silence its most ardent opponent. The 47-year-old Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and has exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. Navalny was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in...

A Greek zoo serves up frozen meals to animals to help them beat the heat

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

SPATA, Greece (AP) — At first sight, Tiembe studies his frozen breakfast with hesitation: Chunks of red meat and bone packed in a foot-long block of ice.The 15-year-old Angolan lion eventually licks the ice before gnawing pieces of meat free.Animals at the Attica Zoological Park outside the Greek capital were being fed frozen meals Friday as temperatures around the country reached 40 C (107.5 F) and were set to rise further, in the fourth heat wave in less than a month.The extreme temperatures and wildfires — a growing concern for biodiversity in southern Europe — have had an impact on Greek wildlife.A fire on the island of Rhodes burned for 11 successive days, triggering the evacuation of 20,000 people, mostly tourists.The island’s animals were less fortunate.As the fire tore through mountain forests and a nature reserve, an estimated 2,500 animals and beehives were burned, along with 50,000 olive trees, according to Agriculture Ministry officials. Fallow deer, a symbol of Rhodes, ...

Delayed by over a month, the ‘Barbie’ movie will now be released in the United Arab Emirates

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has approved the release of the “Barbie” movie after a delay of over a month over possible content issues.UAE officials didn’t explain the screening delay, which has also occurred in other Arab nations.“The UAE Media Council has granted the Barbie movie the approval to be screened in the UAE’s licensed cinemas after completing the necessary procedures in line with the standards of media content and the UAE age classification,” the council announced late Thursday.The movie’s inclusion of a transgender actress as Barbie and other messaging on LGBTQ+ issues could be an issue in Arab countries with Muslim majorities that consider homosexuality and transgender identity to be contrary to Islamic religious beliefs.The movie about the world-famous doll stars Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as Ken. It also features several other actors as “Barbies” and “Kens,” including Hari Nef, a transgender actress from P...

Pope visits a once-troubled Lisbon neighborhood and says true charity must ‘get your hands dirty’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Pope Francis visited a once troubled and crime-plagued neighborhood of Portugal’s capital Friday to draw attention to the charitable side of the Catholic Church and the need to protect the world’s most vulnerable people with concrete gestures that “get your hands dirty.”The midway point in Francis’ five-day visit to Portugal began with the pontiff hearing confessions of some young people who were in Lisbon for World Youth Day. The big Catholic youth festival will end Friday with a traditional Way of the Cross procession recreating Christ’s crucifixion.Francis visited a community center in the city’s Serafina neighborhood, which sits beneath a giant 18th century aqueduct that is a symbol of the bounty that gold from Portugal’s Brazilian colony once afforded the country. Two decades ago, drug and crime problems dogged the neighborhood, but it has largely left them behind thanks in part to efforts by church charity groups, including one that wa...

India’s top court temporarily halts conviction of opposition leader for mocking Modi’s surname

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court on Friday temporarily halted the criminal defamation conviction of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for mocking the prime minister’s surname. His party said it would now seek to have Gandhi reinstated as a member of parliament. A fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in 2024 polls, Gandhi was ousted from Parliament after his conviction by a magistrate’s court in March.The Supreme Court stayed the conviction, which means it is temporarily halted while the court goes into Gandhi’s appeal in detail before issuing a final ruling.Gandhi’s disqualification as a lawmaker also now remains in abeyance, said Live Law, an online portal for Indian legal news. Congress party leader K.C. Venugopal said the party would approach the Parliament speaker to restore his seat.The court’s order also means that Gandhi will be able to contest next year’s general elections unless a final court decision goes against him.Despite its decision, th...

Protests, poisoning and prison: The life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 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 stands a new trial that could keep him behind bars for two more decades.The verdict in the trial is due to be announced Friday in a makeshift courtroom in the Penal Colony No. 6, where Navalny is being held and where the trial took place behind closed doors, in the town of Melekhovo, about 230 kilometers (over 140 miles) east of Moscow. Here’s 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 noto...

Today sets new record for longest heatwave in Austin's history

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Well... we're doing it. Today puts us in the record books for the most consecutive days at 100° or hotter... and we're not done yet.There will be little to no difference between today and yesterday, as both the Heat Advisory and Red Flag Warning remain intact for most of the area.Heat Advisory in effect 12p.m. to 9 p.m. FridayRed Flag Warning in effect 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. FridayExcessive heat will continue into the weekend with afternoon highs likely to break or exceed the daily records both Saturday and Sunday.Excessive heat this weekendTemperatures may climb back to their highest numbers of the year. We're forecasting 108º toward the end of next week. BLOG: Forget the heat: Here's when cooler air usually comes Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) Staying cool is paramount in this heat wave but many of your fellow citizens still have a difficult time doing so. Consider supporting our ongoing KXAN Summer Fan Drive in partnership with Family Eldercare by clicki...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: How Often Do You Wash Your Hair?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Charlotte, and its about hair washing. Here's her email: Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hey Jaime. My dilemma is about washing your hair. I wash my hair every other day, and I think that's normal. Sometimes if I'm doing lots of outside work, or workouts, I'll wash it every day. Recently a friend told me I was "ruining" my hair by washing it so much, and that the most you should wash it was twice a week. That seems insane to me. What do you do? What do you think? I'm interested to hear what other people do. I'll be listening. Thanks Jaime.CharlotteWell, I too have heard that two or three times a week is the most you should wash your hair in a week. But that doesn't work for me. I generally do every other day, but if I'm having a really busy week, I've been known to go three days, but that's rare. How often do you wash your hair? What do you think is the right nu...

Boaters cling to rocks, rescued in Sacandaga River

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

HADLEY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- What started as a training exercise turned into a real-life rescue for the New York State Police (NYSP) Under Water Recovery Team and New York State fire members in the Sacandaga River on Thursday. NYSP says with the help of Devin Robarge, a brave civilian, boaters clinging to rocks in the river were accounted for and taken to safety.Image via New York State PoliceImage via NYSPImage via NYSPImage via NYSP Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The NYSP Under Water Recovery Team and New York State fire members were wrapping up a training exercise Thursday on the Sacandaga River when they got word of an inflatable vessel in trouble. Police say Robarge was the first to swim to help those in trouble. Together, two boaters were found clinging to a rock in rapid waters and were taken to safety.

Teenagers safely rescued from bluff in St. Charles County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:44:06 GMT

ST. CHARLES -- Four teenagers were rescued overnight after they got stuck on a bluff in St. Charles County. Along the "Lewis Trail"  between the Busch Trail and the Katy Trail. That's off Highway 94, south of Francis Howell High School, toward the Missouri River. It took about four hours to rescue them safely. Rescuers had to rappel about 80 feet to reach the teens. It's unknown how the teens became stuck on the bluff. No one was injured.