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Alexei Navalny never wanted to be a dissident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

The following article is adapted from The Dissident: Alexey Navalny, Profile of a Political Prisoner, to be released today by Twelve, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, today.In the West during the Soviet era, Russian dissidents developed a certain celebrity aura. Andrei Sakharov and Yelena Bonner, for instance, were seen as fearless fighters, standing up to an evil empire and enduring long and painful exiles, repressions and other punishments meted out by the Communist regime. The refusenik Natan Sharansky, who served eight years in prison for high treason and espionage before being released in a prisoner exchange, became a member of the Israeli parliament and deputy prime minister. President George W. Bush even awarded him the presidential medal of freedom.But inside Russia, even after the Soviet Union disintegrated, dissidents were never held in quite such high esteem. To many, they and their small acts of protest were virtually unknown. In 1968, eight Soviet citizens stood in Re...

Winston Churchill would have been embarrassed by his WhatsApps too, says UK minister

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

LONDON — He may have led Britain through the horrors of wartime, but there’s one thing Winston Churchill didn’t have to deal with: people reading his WhatsApps.Minister Ric Holden tried a novel line Tuesday morning as he tried to downplay the damning stream of revelations emerging from Boris Johnson’s former advisers at the U.K.’s coronavirus pandemic inquiry.A host of WhatsApp messages disclosed to the inquiry and read out this week have so far painted an unfavorable picture of the then-prime minister, described variously as unable to lead, prone to changing direction “every day” and at the helm of a “weak team.”But Holden, grilled Tuesday morning on the messages on Times Radio, dismissed them as “tittle tattle” — and invoked two former prime ministers in Johnson’s defense.“If there was conversations between people and they were recorded throughout history as they are on WhatsApp then would it be similarly emba...

Time to ‘fall back’: Here’s when Daylight Saving Time ends

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

It’s that time of year again — time to change the clocks for the end of Daylight Saving Time. Fortunately, this is the proverbial time to “fall back,” giving ourselves another hour of sleep.Clocks should go back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. Cell phones and other smart devices update automatically, but analog and digital clocks not connected to the internet will have to be set back an hour manually.When did Daylight Saving Time start?Daylight Saving Time was established by Congress with the passage of the Uniform Time Act in 1966, according to the Baltimore Sun. The law standardized the length of daylight saving time from March to November in an effort to save energy.What states observe Daylight Saving Time?Most of the U.S. observes Daylight Saving Time, with the exception of Arizona and Hawaii — those states observe permanent standard time. Americans of all persuasions, however, revile the biannual practice of changing clocks, prompting several states to pass legislation tha...

China’s forces shadow a Philippine navy ship near disputed shoal, sparking new exchange of warnings

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine navy patrol ship was shadowed by Chinese forces near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, sparking a fresh exchange of accusations and warnings between the Asian neighbors Tuesday.Chinese and Philippine security officials gave conflicting accounts of Monday’s encounter near Scarborough Shoal. China has surrounded the shoal with its navy and coast guard ships since a tense standoff with Philippine vessels more than a decade ago.A rich fishing atoll and a safe mooring area during storms, Scarborough off the northwestern Philippines coast is one of most fiercely contested territories in the South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine forces have faced off in recent months.The frequent confrontations, which led to an Oct. 22 collision of Chinese and Philippine vessels near another disputed shoal, have prompted the United States to repeatedly renew a warning that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, ...

Paris police open fire on a woman who allegedly made threats in the latest security incident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Paris police opened fire Tuesday on a woman who allegedly made threatening remarks on a train, the latest security incident in the country that has been on heightened anti-terror alert since a fatal stabbing at a school blamed on an Islamic extremist.Police said they had no immediate information on the woman’s condition. Police said officers opened fire after she didn’t respond to their warnings. Police responded after a train passenger phoned the emergency services and reported that a woman, who was wearing a face covering, was making threats. It wasn’t clear what threats she was making. A Metro and suburban train station that serves the Francois Mitterrand national library in eastern Paris has been evacuated, police said.The Associated Press

A gunman holed up at a Japanese post office may be linked to an earlier shooting in a hospital

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police on Tuesday surrounded a post office where a man with a gun was holed up, and said the case may be linked to an earlier apparent shooting at a nearby hospital in which two people were wounded.Saitama Prefectural Police said two men — a doctor in his 40s and a patient in his 60s — were wounded after blasts resembling gunfire were heard at a general hospital in the city of Toda, just north of Tokyo. Police did not give details of how exactly the two people were injured. The two victims are both conscious and their wounds are not life-threatening, police said. Kyodo News agency said the two were believed to be inside a consultation room on the first floor when they were attacked. Saitama police are also investigating another case involving a man carrying a handgun holed up inside a post office in the city of Warabi, just north of Toda. They said the two cases are being investigated together because of a possibility that they involve a same suspect. Police sa...

Americans are still putting way too much food into landfills. Local officials seek EPA’s help

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — More than one-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it generates tons of methane that hastens climate change. That’s why more than 50 local officials signed onto a letter Tuesday calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to help municipal governments cut food waste in their communities.The letter came on the heels of two recent reports from the EPA on the scope of America’s food waste problem and the damage that results from it. The local officials pressed the agency to expand grant funding and technical help for landfill alternatives. They also urged the agency to update landfill standards to require better prevention, detection and reduction of methane emissions, something scientists already have the technology to do but which can be challenging to implement since food waste breaks down and starts generating methane quickly.Tackling food waste is a daunting challenge that the U.S. has taken on ...

Shaker wins Section title over Saratoga in overtime

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- For the second year in a row, Shaker and Saratoga matched up in the Section title game, and for the second season in a row, the Blue Bison beat the Blue Streaks in overtime. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Early on, Saratoga scored off a goal from Ryan Farr, giving them a 1-0 lead. However, Shaker found some life in the second half. Owen Brant scored on a sliding goal, splitting two Blue Streak defenders, and tying the game at two. Neither team scored through the remainder of regulation, so fans in attendance were treated to overtime soccer. Just 30 seconds into overtime, Brant came through in the clutch, scoring the game-winner and securing the Class AAA title 2-1, over Saratoga.

Guilderland blanks Nisky in Section title game

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Guilderland came out the gate swinging and built an early lead that was too much for Niskayuna to overcome. The Dutchmen were crowned the new kings of Class AA, defeating the Silver Warriors 5-0. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Sophomore midfielder Jackson Eberz scored two first-half goals, that helped Guilderland build a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. The Dutchmen scored two more goals in the second half to secure the championship win.

Play of the Week winner - Luca Grestini/Marquay Tanksley

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:54:16 GMT

COHOES, NY (NEWS10) -- Congratulations to this week’s winner of our Play of the Week poll, Cohoes' Luca Grestini and Marquay Tanksley. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Grestini connected with Tanksley on a corner kick. Tanksley headed it home with under 40 seconds left against La Salle to send the Tigers to the next round of sectionals. Vote here for this week’s Play of the Week poll!