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Putin supporters formally nominate him as independent candidate in Russian presidential election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘s supporters on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, state news agencies reported. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters is mandatory under Russian election law for those not running on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures in their support. The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures. “Whoever is ready to support the candidacy of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for the post of president of Russia, please vote. Who’s in favor?” Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the executive committee of the People’s Front, asked those gathered. The People’s Front is a political coalition, founded in 2011 by Putin.After the vote, Kuznetsov announced that the group had voted unanimously to nominate Putin.According...

Catholic activists in Mexico help women reconcile their faith with abortion rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a corner of their Mexico City office, activists from Catholics for the Right to Decide keep an image of the Virgin Mary close to a green scarf that reads: “Mary was consulted to be mother of God.”For these Catholic women, prayer does not conflict with their fight for abortion access nor does their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe prevent them from supporting LGBTQ+ rights. “You might think that one cannot be a feminist and a Catholic,” said activist Cinthya Ramírez. “But being women of faith does not mean that we oppose progressivity, human rights or sexual diversity.”The organization was founded in 1994 by theologians and activists following in the footsteps of Catholics for Choice in the United States. Now present in 10 Latin American countries, its members denounce the invisibility of women in some religious environments and advocate for the reinterpretation of sacred texts with a feminist perspective.“Assuming our right to decide and dissent with the eccle...

Suspect dies in crash after sex assault, kidnapping, robberies in Bridgeport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

CHICAGO -- A string of crimes from sexual assault, robbery, kidnappings and a stabbing ended with the death of a suspect in a rollover crash Friday morning, police said.According to police, an unidentified man entered a residential building in the 1500 block of South Wabash Avenue early Friday morning. He approached a woman, produced a knife and proceeded to batter and sexually assault her.Police say the man then encountered two more women and forced all three of them into a residence, then robbed all three at knifepoint. A man then entered the residence and was also held at knifepoint and robbed.The woman who was sexually assaulted managed to escape, police said. The ma forced the remaining victims into his car and went to a Subway restaurant in the 700 block of 31st Street in Bridgeport. Violent crime spree ends in Bridgeport neighborhood, death of suspect Police said the man attacked and robbed a restaurant employee and left with cash from the register. The man got back into th...

Austin to build its first all abilities playground

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) announced that it will build a new all abilities playground, a first for the city, with assistance from the Austin Parks Foundation (APF).The department said that it wants to build the playground at the Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, which is on Nuckols Crossing Road. Currently, that park is "largely untouched," according to PARD. All-abilities playground opens in Del Valle However, it will take some time before construction of the playground will begin. The "discovery phase" of the project, consisting of virtual and in-person community meetings, begins in January 2024.PARD and APF said that they expect approval of the final design during summer 2024. 2019: Round Rock ISD installs new accessible playgrounds for kids of all abilities A February memo from PARD said the department selected Springwoods Neighborhood Park on Anderson Mill Road as a potential "play-for-all-abilities" park.

A bright and mild weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Sunny days and clear nights highlight this third weekend of December. The cold front that moved across Central Texas Friday left dry air from a north wind.Afternoon highs this afternoon will rise to the low to mid 60s.Today's normal high is 64°Camp Mabry measured .45" of rain Friday, bringing the three day total to .53", one of the higher amounts. A gauge six miles WNW of Richland Springs recorded the most rain with .73" followed by one of the gauges at Buchanan Dam with .69".It was hoped that more rain would be measured. The upper low, originally forecast to track from New Mexico to Texas instead moved northeast into Oklahoma placing it further away from Central Texas. RAINFALL REPORTS FROM CENTRAL TEXAS The weather will be quiet the next five days. Tomorrow morning will be our coldest morning when lows fall to the mid to upper 30s. Sunday afternoon will be quite pleasant with a mostly sunny sky and highs in the upper 60s to low 70s.A cold front will silently mo...

Thomas Friedman: The Arab oil states won’t rebuild Gaza for free

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — I’ve been concerned from the start that Israel launched its invasion of the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas with no plan for what to do with the territory and its people in the wake of any victory. Having just spent a week in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates taking the pulse of this important corner of the Arab world, I am now even more worried.Let me summarize my concerns this way: Because Hamas built a vast tunnel network under Gaza, Israeli forces, in their quest to eliminate that vicious terrorist organization, are having to destroy huge numbers of structures. It’s the only way they can kill a lot of Hamas fighters and demilitarize Gaza without losing a lot of their own soldiers in the short window that Israel feels it has in the face of pressure from the U.S. and other allies to wind down the invasion.Israel was justified in hitting back at Hamas for breaking the cease-fire that existed on Oct. 7 and indiscriminately murdering, raping or maiming mo...

The best things to eat and drink at the Denver Christkindlmarket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

The holiday cup of cheer overfloweth here in the Mile High City. Proof? You could go to a new Christmas pop-up bar in the Denver metro every day between now and Christmas and still not hit them all up.Rosol with a dumpling in it from the Pierogis Factory. (Brittany Anas, Special to The Denver Post)But if you’re hungry, the best place for a holiday food crawl is at the Denver Christkindlmarket in Civic Center, where you can pump applesauce onto your latkes from a condiment dispenser, savor goulash soup in a bread bowl, and devour a platter loaded with pierogi, Polish sausage, a cabbage roll, and sauerkraut salad at Pierogies Factory’s pop-up hut.There are also giant, salted soft pretzels ready to dunk in warm cheese, but if you had your fill of those during Oktoberfest, the cinnamon-dusted sugar ones are nice for this time of year. At Kogler’s Bakery stall, you can pick up quiche and strudel to serve on Christmas morning. And at Knödel Haus by Andy’s Kitchen, pair the boiled du...

Colorado regulators unlikely to ban sales of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

A Colorado commission that sets policies designed to control air pollution deferred a decision Friday on how to regulate gas-powered lawn and garden equipment, but it’s unlikely a sales prohibition will be part of the state’s future plan.The Air Quality Control Commission asked staff at the state’s Air Pollution Control Division to draft a new policy for it to consider at its February meeting, and based on members’ instructions, it does not appear the majority is interested in any sale prohibitions.Earlier this week, the commission debated two proposals — one written by the state agency and a more stringent plan submitted by the Regional Air Quality Council, a group with a mission to lower air pollution along the Front Range.Based on instructions to staff, the commission is likely to order state and local governments to stop using gas-powered equipment, which is what the state agency had proposed. But it’s unclear if that ban would be limited to t...

Apple is doing its part to end green bubble shaming. It’s our turn.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

For more than a decade, smartphone users everywhere have faced a major problem in how we communicate: the “green versus blue bubble” disparity.When iPhone users send texts to other iPhones, the messages appear blue and can tap into exclusive perks like fun emojis and animations. But if an iPhone user texts an Android user, the bubble turns green, many features break, and photos and videos deteriorate in quality.Over time, the annoyance and frustration that built up between blue and green bubbles evolved into more than a tech problem. It created a deeper sociological divide between people who judged one another by their phones. The color of a bubble became a symbol that some believe reflects status and wealth, given a perception that only wealthy people buy iPhones.Now part of this problem will soon be addressed.In November, Apple announced that it would improve the technology used to send texts between iPhone and Android users, starting next year, by adopting a standard that Google ...

Colorado Republicans line up for rare shot at an open congressional seat as Ken Buck exits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:32 GMT

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck’s decision last month not to seek reelection to Congress opened a tantalizingly rare window for Republicans in eastern Colorado: a red seat in one of the state’s few remaining conservative strongholds that, once won, would be tough to ever lose.“If somebody wants to be a congressman who lives in the 4th District, this opportunity rarely comes along — an open seat,” said Dick Wadhams, a Republican political operative and former chair of the Colorado Republican Party. “It basically forces the hand of people who have that ambition.”Colorado’s 4th Congressional District spans much of the eastern part of the state, from the Wyoming state line to the Oklahoma Panhandle, taking in farming communities as well as more urban enclaves, including Loveland and Douglas County, as it wraps around most of metro Denver. It’s the most reliably Republican district in a state that’s turned deeper shades of blue for nearly a ...