Putin extends his rule after a predetermined vote
President Vladimir Putin claimed one other six-year time period in a presidential contest by which he confronted no actual competitors. He’s anticipated to carry a Pink Sq. rally to formally declare victory — and to painting the vote as a public endorsement of his invasion of Ukraine.
Some Russians quietly registered their dissent yesterday. They turned the rubber-stamp election right into a startling protest: Many shaped lengthy strains at polling stations to register their discontent with Putin as he ready to take his fifth time period as president.
Aleksei Navalny, the opposition chief who died in jail final month, had urged his supporters to vote at midday native time. Strains shaped shortly at polling stations in main cities, and several other individuals in Moscow instructed The Instances that they’d come to specific their assist for Navalny.
One girl, who gave her identify as Dayana, 22, stated she was heartened to face amongst fellow Putin critics and really feel “that I’m not alone, that there are a number of us.”
However there was no signal that the protest would deter Putin, who has dominated Russia since 1999. He prolonged his rule till 2030 and, if he serves till the top of his subsequent time period, could have the longest tenure of any Russian chief since Catherine the Nice within the late 1700s.
A predetermined consequence: Even Putin’s spokesman stated final yr that the elections have been “not likely democracy,” however “pricey paperwork.” Within the occupied areas of Ukraine, armed troopers watched individuals vote for president.
What’s subsequent: Many concern {that a} new wave of mobilization might quickly observe the election.
Updates from the battle:
With assist restricted, malnutrition persists in Gaza
A maritime cargo of assist reached northern Gaza’s shores this weekend, the primary to take action in practically 20 years, and one other batch of assist is anticipated to depart from Cyprus quickly.
However specialists and assist teams stated that diversifying the strategies of supply had not relieved starvation and widespread malnutrition. They stated that the principle technique must be over land, and that the easiest way to stave off a famine was a cease-fire.
There could possibly be some motion towards a pause in combating after Hamas softened a requirement for a everlasting cease-fire. The brand new proposal would enable the discharge of hostages in change for a phased pullback of Israeli troops.
Dangers: On Thursday, an assault close to assist vans in Gaza killed not less than 20 individuals. Gazan officers accused Israel of a “focused” assault; Israel blamed Palestinian gunmen. The U.N. human rights workplace has documented 10 assaults this month on Gazans ready for assist.
The U.S.: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Senator Chuck Schumer’s criticism yesterday: “We’re not a banana republic.”
Did Australia catch a Chinese language spy?
In 2020, Di Sanh Duong grew to become the primary particular person charged underneath Australia’s international interference legal guidelines. Late final month, he was sentenced to nearly three years in jail, though he’s anticipated to serve a yr.
Within the case, the federal government fought Duong, a suburban tombstone maker, over interpretations of two phrases (“us Chinese language”), and a $25,000 donation to a hospital that — prosecutors stated — would sooner or later have develop into the idea for a pro-China pitch to a lawmaker. The query at stake: Was Duong a savvy operator for Beijing, or merely a bombastic braggart?
In his solely in-depth interview since his arrest, Duong — who’s ethnically Chinese language — instructed The Instances that he was a scapegoat of geopolitical tensions, saying his prosecution was meant to ship a message: “Don’t stroll too near China.”
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An 82-year-old retired professor in California discovered a brand new calling — providing free driving classes to ladies from Afghanistan. His ready checklist is 50 deep, and he typically teaches 5 back-to-back lessons, some as much as two hours lengthy.
“Our life modified utterly,” one pupil stated after she and her sister handed their street checks.
The Australia Letter: The nation devotes substantial time and assets to managing feral cats. Home ones are a trickier challenge.
Dialog Starters
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Perilous pet: Authorities seized a blind alligator from a New York man who had saved it for 34 years and had allowed individuals to be within the pool with it.
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Beware: A doubtlessly hazardous cat could also be wandering round Fukuyama, Japan. (It fell right into a chemical tank.)
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Uncover: A treasure hunter discovered a Viking sword in an English waterway. It’s in all probability greater than 1,000 years outdated.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Phoebe Philo’s first interview
The British designer Phoebe Philo, who has been known as “the Chanel of her era,” reworked each Chloé and Celine. Then she walked away from the business nearly seven years in the past and just about dropped out of sight.
Late final yr, Philo returned to begin a model in her identify. Sky-high expectations faltered amid complaints in regards to the costs, the imaginative and prescient and the unimaginable return coverage. As she ready for her second drop, she spoke with our chief trend critic in her first formal interview in a decade.
“There might have been an expectation that I might have supplied all the pieces to everybody instantly,” Philo stated. “And that’s simply not doable. It takes effort and time to make most issues which have which means. One has to face for one thing.”
