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Kremlin critic convicted again, handed new prison term for opposing war in Ukraine

TALLINN, ESTONIA —  Imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Gorinov was convicted again on Friday for opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine and handed a three-year prison term. A swift, three-day trial against Gorinov, once a low-profile activist, underscored Moscow’s intolerance of any…

Ukraine asks NATO for membership invite next week, letter shows

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged his NATO counterparts to issue an invitation at a meeting in Brussels next week to Kyiv to join the Western military alliance, according to the text of a letter seen by Reuters on…

Russian defense minister visits North Korea for talks with military and political leaders

SEOUL, South Korea —  Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their cooperation over Russia’s war in Ukraine. In announcing the visit, Russia’s…

Ukrainian energy workers carry out repairs despite Russia’s pounding of country’s power grid

On a bright winter day, workers at a Ukrainian thermal power plant repair its heavily damaged equipment as drops of water from melted snow leak through gaping holes in its battered roof. Several weeks earlier, the facility was targeted by…

UN rights office urges Russia to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid as winter sets in

Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said massive missile and drone attacks on the power network this week have heightened serious concerns about the plight of civilians facing a winter of hardship and misery.   Russia launched missile and long-range drone strikes on Thursday,…

Putin threatens Kyiv with new hypersonic cruise missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday threatened to strike “decision-making centers in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, with Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic cruise missiles, after pounding Ukrainian energy infrastructure and cutting off power to more than one million people across the country….

Russian strikes pound energy infrastructure

Russian drones and missiles pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure Thursday, cutting off power to more than 1 million people across the country, Ukrainian authorities said. “As of now, 523,000 subscribers in the Lviv region are without electricity,” regional head Maksym Kozytsky…

HIV activist to use Charlize Theron’s Instagram for a day

Geneva, Switzerland —  A young South African activist living with HIV will take over Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron’s Instagram account on World AIDS Day, the United Nations said Thursday. Ibanomonde Ngema, a 21-year-old activist, will be given the reins to…

US dismisses Russia’s warning to South Korea about supplying arms to Ukraine

WASHINGTON —  The United States has dismissed Russia’s warning that it will take every measure necessary if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine. Patrick Ryder, press secretary for the Department of Defense, said Tuesday that “it’s a little bit…

France’s farmers resume strike over South American trade deal

Protests by French and other European farmers are threatening a long-expected trade deal between the European Union and South American trading bloc Mercosur, comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The EU hopes to clinch it next month — but individual…