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☆ Police use tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades on 'foreign agent' bill protesters in Georgia's capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

(Photo by Davit Kachkachishvili/Anadolu via Getty Images)Tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons were reportedly used by riot police against protesters in Georgia's capital Tbilisi as demonstrations over a so-called "foreign agent" bill escalated. Clashes lasted until late into Tuesday night, with police trying to disperse protesters which the Georgian internal ministry said were breaking demonstration laws by blocking entrances and exits to the country's parliament. "Totally unwarranted, unprovoked and out of proportion use of force ongoing in Tbilisi against peaceful protesters," Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media platform X. The bill would force non-governmental organizations, campaign groups and media platforms who receive at least 20% of funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents." They would also be under close scrutiny by Georgia's justice ministry and be made to share sensitive details with authorities, or be faced with large fines.

Persons: Davit Kachkachishvili, Salome Zourabichvili Organizations: Getty Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia, Anadolu, Georgia's, Tbilisi

☆ A Proposed Law Targeting ‘Foreign Interests’ in Georgia Riles the Opposition
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past month, the Georgian capital of Tbilisi has been engulfed in turmoil. Protesters have taken to the streets of the city night after night. A fistfight broke out between legislators in the country’s Parliament. And over the weekend, there were clashes between police and protesters at a large demonstration in the center of the city. The government backed down on a previous attempt to pass the law last year after facing massive protests, but this time appears determined to push it through Parliament.

Persons: fistfight Organizations: European Union Locations: Tbilisi, country’s, Georgian

☆ Georgia presses on with Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill despite huge protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Christian Edwards | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Georgia’s government is attempting to force through a controversial “foreign agent” law, despite international condemnation and huge protests from its citizens. Critics of the law say is it is a Kremlin-inspired effort to undermine democracy which will damage Georgia’s bid to join the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party first tried to pass the bill 13 months ago, but was forced into an embarrassing climbdown following a week of intense protests. Nearly 80% of Georgians support European integration, according to a poll conducted in December by the National Democratic Institute. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Russians – especially men of service age – have fled to Georgia to avoid conscription.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, –, Irakli Gedenidze, ” Giorgi Bekurashvili Organizations: CNN, European Union, South Caucasus, “, Kremlin, EU, National Democratic Institute Locations: Soviet, Europe, United States, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russia, South, Russian, “ Russia, Georgia, Ukraine

☆ Violent clashes break out in Georgia amid controversial ‘foreign agents’ law debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Radina Gigova | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Violent clashes erupted between protesters and police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday as the country’s parliament continued debating a controversial “foreign agents” bill, criticized by Western and domestic opponents as authoritarian and Russian-inspired. “Second night of massive protest in Tbilisi against the Russian Law,” Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media on Tuesday. The Georgian Dream party, which has been pushing for the law, has the parliamentary majority which could override a presidential veto. At least one employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was injured during Tuesday’s clashes, the ministry said in a statement. If protesters “continue their illegal actions,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs will “administer special measures defined by law,” it warned.

Persons: ”, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Zourabichvili, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Aleko Elisashvili Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rights Watch, Amnesty International Locations: Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Georgian, Britain, Russian, Soviet

☆ Georgian politician punches opponent in face in brawl over ‘foreign agent’ law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Georgian Dream said earlier this month it would reintroduce legislation requiring organizations that accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines, 13 months after protests forced it to shelve the plan. Georgian Dream says it wants the country to join the EU and NATO, even as it has deepened ties with Russia and faced accusations of authoritarianism at home. In a statement, Kobakhidze defended the draft law as promoting accountability, and said it was “not clear” why Western countries opposed it. Once approved by members of the legislature’s legal affairs committee, which is controlled by Georgian Dream and its allies, the foreign agent bill can proceed to a first reading in parliament. Opinion polls show that Georgian Dream remains the most popular party, but has lost ground since 2020, when it won a narrow majority.

Persons: Mamuka Mdinaradze, Aleko, Elisashvili, Shakh, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kobakhidze, ” Organizations: CNN, Georgian, European Union, EU, NATO, AP, Kremlin, Georgia Locations: United States, Georgia, Russia, EU, Georgia's, British, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, . Georgia

☆ The Masters is about to turn Augusta's airport into 'organized chaos.' Here's how it gears up for an influx of over 1,500 private jets.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementWith an average of 30,000 passengers a month, Augusta Regional Airport usually sees one-hundredth the number of passengers as Newark Liberty International. This year's Masters, played at Augusta National, is set to be the busiest yet for Augusta Regional Airport. "In years past, American has always given an influx of direct flights for Masters week," Smith told BI. But perhaps the most striking change from the usual day-to-day is the expected influx of private jets. Private jetsAugusta Regional Airport has two runways but closes one of them down for the Masters so that the private jets can park there.

Persons: —, Lauren Smith, Smith, It's, Barnwell, Augusta —, Uber Organizations: Augusta Regional Airport, Service, Augusta Regional, Newark Liberty International, TSA, Augusta National, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Delta, Private, Augusta, Atlanta —, New, Bombardier Challenger Locations: Augusta, Georgian, Washington, DC, Boston, Austin, JFK, Palm Beach, Orlando, LaGuardia, Detroit, Atlanta, Aiken, South Carolina, New York City, Toro

☆ One man’s artistic wonderland, created secretly in rented apartment, given protected status
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Gittins surrounded the fireplace in this room with a large minotaur head, above which he painted portraits of Greek philosophers. Together they established the Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust (WACCLT), which launched a crowdfunding campaign through the website Ron’s Place, applied for listed status and eventually bought the building last year. Now, the property has been granted “Grade II” listing by Britain’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of national heritage body Historic England. Ron’s Place is the first example of Outsider Art to be given protected status in England, according to Historic England. There is little to hint at what lies behind the front door of this red-brick house in Birkenhead, England.

Persons: Ron Gittins, Gittins, Jan Williams, “, ”, Williams, Chris Teasdale, Ron, ” Williams, ‘, I’ve, Tate, Jarvis Cocker, Cocker Organizations: London CNN, Historic, CNN, Wirral Arts, Culture, Land Trust, “, Britain’s Department for Culture, Media, Sport, England Locations: British, Birkenhead, Liverpool, England, Egypt, Georgian England, Historic England, Jan Williams . Historic England, Ron’s, Birkenhead , England

☆ Opinion: Despite ISIS threat, Putin’s only concern is the politics of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Opinion Douglas London | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia knows it has a terrorist problem, despite its deflection and spin to preserve Putin’s image, but his priorities are elsewhere. Russian intelligence also suffers from systemic failings in recognizing, penetrating and dismantling terrorist cells, failings that stem from doctrine and a deliberately stovepiped structure that obstructs information sharing and agility. FSB officers will coerce, threaten and intimidate potential sources with diminishing returns that will only fuel ISIS-K recruitment and fundraising, which is no doubt seeing a surge from its Moscow attack. Russian intelligence will be left to depend on the unwilling, ill-informed or duplicitous. At the Islamic State’s height, Tajik Gulmurod Khalimov commanded its Iraqi capital of Mosul.

Persons: Douglas London, ”, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, Douglas, Mike Pompeo, Russia’s, Sergey Naryshkin, Igor Korobov, Donald Trump, Pompeo, Russia Michael McFaul, Barack Obama, Trump, Putin, Gulmurod Khalimov, Khalimov, “ Omar al, “ Omar, ” Batirashvili, Washington, Sergei Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CIA, of American Intelligence, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Global National Security Institutes, CNN, Federal Security Service, CBC, Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Military Intelligence, Trump, White, ISIS, Central, Former, Terrorism, Embassy, K’s, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, Islamic Locations: South, Southwest Asia, London, Khorasan, United States, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Great Britain, Russia, Washington, State, Moscow, Syria, Iraq, Russian, US, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Central Asia, Central Asian, Central, East, Turkey, Turkish, Istanbul, Mosul, Chechen, Georgian, Georgia, Iran, Kerman, Salisbury, England

For Evan Gershkovich, the dozen appearances in Moscow's courts over the past year have fallen into a pattern. Guards take the American journalist from the notorious Lefortovo Prison in a van for the short drive to the courthouse. The periodic court hearings give Gershkovich’s family, friends and U.S. officials a glimpse of him, and for the 32-year-old journalist, it’s a break from his otherwise largely monotonous prison routine. Friends and family say Gershkovich is relying on his sense of humor to get through the days. Every day, Milman said, “I wake up and look at the clock.”“I think about if his lunchtime has passed, and his bedtime," she said.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, He’s, Gershkovich, it’s, “ It’s, ”, Ella Milman, Milman, Nicholas Daniloff, Emma Tucker, ” Milman, Evan, Francesca Ebel, Josef Stalin's, he’s, Polina Ivanova, He's, Pjotr Sauer, ” Sauer, Mikhail Gershkovich, doesn't, “, Biden, Lynne Tracy, Gershkovich “, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, ” Ebel, Journal's Tucker, I’m, Tracy Organizations: Wall, Journal, Federal Security Service, U.S, Associated Press, Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Arsenal, British, Guardian, West Locations: Lefortovo, Yekaterinburg, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, “, New Jersey, Moscow, Russian, Germany, Berlin, Georgian

☆ Navalny was on the verge of being freed in a high-stakes deal with Putin when he suddenly died, his staffers claim
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alexey Navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap at the time of his deathNavalny ally Maria Pevchikh said Putin had Navalny killed to prevent the swap. Navalny, Putin's political foe, died at an Arctic penal colony on February 16. Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin's pollitical nemesis, was close to being freed as part of a prisoner exchange before his death, according to one of his allies. Russian journalist and anti-corruption activist Maria Pevchikh alleged that Putin had Navalny killed because he didn't want the exchange to go through. "Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had received a decision on his exchange," Pevchikh said in the video.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, Putin, Vladimir Putin's pollitical, Navalny, Pevchikh, Vladim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich —, —, Zelimkhan Organizations: YouTube Locations: Russian, Berlin, Moscow, Georgian, Caucasus

☆ Opinion: What is Putin afraid of?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Ksenia, Putin, Karelina, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Chris Van Heerden, didn’t, Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, There’s Navalny, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, —, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, ”, Maxim Kuzminov, Russia “, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Federal Security Service, KGB, Security, US, Wall Street, House, Police Locations: Russia, Russian, Los Angeles, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Germany, Chechen, Alicante, Kuzminov, London, Salisbury, England, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Analysis: Two years of war has been a disaster for Russia with no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Matthew Chance | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Moscow CNN —Two years ago, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I was among the many long-time observers of the Kremlin who got it wrong. Even if the war ends tomorrow, it is likely to take many years for its strength and numbers to recover. And the past two years of brutal war have twisted and distorted Russia internally too. Even President Putin has been indicted for war crimes at the Hague. I was in Chechnya when, in 2000, a newly installed President Putin brought that rebellious Russian region to heel, unleashing a relentless Russian military.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, Inna Varenytsia, Reuters Russia’s, toting Wagner, – Alexey Navalny –, Anna Politikovskaya, Anatoli Stepanov, Putin miscalculated, Rather Organizations: Moscow CNN —, Kremlin, Russian, Reuters, Hague, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Europe, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Chechnya, Russian, Avdiivka, AFP, Georgia, Georgian, Crimea, It’s

☆ Mark Zuckerberg got the meme treatment after an awkward clip of him at UFC 298 was shared online
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Zuckerberg attended UFC 298 on Saturday, and appeared in fighter Alex Volkanovski's corner. X users turned it into a meme, comparing it to meeting new people and trying to fit in in social situations. AdvertisementMost people know by now that Mark Zuckerberg is a big martial arts fan, from the near-endless saga of whether he'd fight Elon Musk, to tearing his ACL while sparring. I was looking at Mark Zuckerberg and I had too much fun. Saturday's UFC trip is not the first time Meta's CEO has found himself on the receiving end of the meme treatment.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Volkanovski's, —, he'd, Elon Musk, Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg's, FdfWsCOvvb, Jules Terpak, Cousin Greg, HBO's, Merab Dvalishvili, Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili Organizations: UFC, Service Locations: Georgian

☆ Putin saw an existential threat in Navalny, the opposition leader whose name he dared not mention
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Alexey Navalny once represented an alternative future for Russia: an optimistic, forward-looking place, free of the one-man rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It would be hard to overstate how profoundly Navalny symbolized Putin’s relentless drive to erase the last remnants of political opposition from Russia. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat followed was a parody of criminal justice, as Russian prosecutors heaped on charges against Navalny, who continued to rail against Putin. Navalny had emerged as the most prominent leader of the Russian opposition following the assassination of outspoken Putin critic Boris Nemtsov in 2015, in plain view of the Kremlin. Putin famously refused to utter Navalny’s name, hinting at the deep unease about the legitimacy Navalny commanded as opposition leader.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Kirill Kudryavtsev, gaunt, “, ” Navalny, –, ”, I’m, Yulia, Vasily Maximov, Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Lyubov Sobol, Mikheil Saakashvili –, Ukraine’s, Saakashvili, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Getty, Putin, IK, Valentine’s, “, Twitter Locations: Russia, Moscow, Berlin, AFP, Kharp, Autonomous Okrug, Ukraine, Russian, Navalny, Kyiv’s

We'll also guide you step-by-step on how to use a VPN to watch UFC 298, no matter where you are. ET / 3 a.m. GMT (Sun) / 11 a.m. AWST (Sun)How to watch UFC 298 in the USUS viewers can watch the main event of UFC 298 on ESPN Plus tonight at 10 p.m. UFC PPV + Annual ESPN+ Membership (Bundle) ESPN+ is the home of UFC PPV events, meaning that fans need to purchase a subscription in addition to buying the one-off cards. Where to watch UFC 298 everywhere elseIf you're not in the US, you still have a few options to watch UFC 298. In Canada, UFC 298 will be available as a pay-per-view through most TV providers and directly via UFC Fight Pass.

Persons: Whittaker, Costa doesn't, We'll, ExpressVPN, Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Geoff Neal, Ian Machado Garry, Merab, Henry Cejudo, Anthony Hernandez, Kopylov, Amanda Lemos, Mackenzie Dern, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Justin Tafa, Rinya Nakamura, Carlos Vera, Zhang Mingyang, Brendson Ribeiro, Josh Quinlan, Danny Barlow, Val Woodburn, Andrea Lee, Miranda Maverick Organizations: Business, Volkanovski, Honda Center, UFC, ESPN Plus, ESPN, TNT Sports, Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, Samsung, BT, BT Sport, League, LG, Elliott Locations: Anaheim, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Asia, Africa, Brazil

Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow's interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Most of the interview, released Thursday, focused on Ukraine, where the war is nearing the two-year mark. It was Putin’s first interview with a Western media figure since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Two journalists working for U.S. news organizations — The Wall Street Journal’s Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva — are in jail. Asked by Carlson whether Russia would release Gershkovich, Putin said Moscow is open to talks but repeated that the reporter was charged with espionage, an accusation Gershkovich has denied.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, “, ” Putin, John Kirby, Carlson, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Krasikov, We’re, Evan Organizations: Fox News, NATO, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Kyiv, Putin, House, Radio Free, Street Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Germany, Poland, Radio Free Europe, U.S, Russian, Caucasus

☆ Long-lost twins who were separated and sold off at birth reunited after finding each other on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewIdentical twins who were separated and sold shortly after birth reunited after finding each other on TikTok, the BBC reported. After traveling to Germany to meet their biological mother, Aza, they were told that hospital staff had falsely informed her that the twins died shortly after birth. Years later, 19-year-old Ano was sent a TikTok Amy had posted of herself and tried to track her down because she found it "cool" how similar they looked. AdvertisementDigging into their past, the twins joined Vedzeb, a Facebook group dedicated to reuniting families separated by suspected illegal adoptions.

Persons: —, Aza, Amy Khvitia, Amy, Ano, she'd, Vedzeb, Tamuna Museridze Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Facebook, United Nations, Human, Georgian Interior Ministry Locations: Germany, Soviet, Georgia

☆ Calista Flockhart Is Back, With a Flock of Venomous Swans
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On a chilly January weekend in Los Angeles, I turned into a truffle pig. I foraged relentlessly all over town, looking for truffle fries. “My sister gave me this for Christmas,” I explained sheepishly to the famously lissome Calista Flockhart as I slid into a booth on the terrace of the Georgian Hotel. “In fact, I just ordered — no kidding — a pair of Spanx jeans. They’re very wide.”

Persons: foraged, ”, sheepishly, Calista Flockhart, “ Organizations: Georgian Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Gallery fire destroys more than 4,000 artworks in Georgia’s separatist region Abkhazia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A fire broke out at the National Art Gallery of Abkhazia — a pro-Russian separatist republic that is officially part of Georgia — in the early hours of Sunday morning, destroying at least 4,000 works of art, local state media has reported. “Everything burned down,” Acting Minister of Culture Dinara Smyr said, according to the region’s Apsnypress news agency. A view of burnt room of the National Art Gallery in Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Stringer/APThe National Art Gallery is in Sukhumi, the separatist republic’s capital city. The National Art Gallery’s Central Exhibition Hall caught fire overnight, and emergency services were called to the scene early Sunday morning, according to state media.

Persons: Georgia —, Dinara Smyr, ” Apsnypress, Alexander Chachba, ”, Stringer, Apsnypress, Robert Dzhpua, Salome Zourabichvili, “ Organizations: CNN, National Art, Abkhazia —, ”, Abkhazian, United Nations, Abkhazia’s, Statistics, Exhibition Hall, National, General’s Locations: Abkhazia, Russian, Georgia, Sukhumi, Russia

The SEALs found cruise and ballistic missile components, including propulsion and guidance devices, as well as warheads, Central Command said. Iran has an anti-ship missile called the Ghadir. The U.S. Navy ultimately sank the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Houthis' attacks. Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.

Persons: Houthis, Jake Sullivan, Yahya Saree, Zografia, Yemen’s, USS Lewis B, Puller, Fabian Hinz, Hinz, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Elena Becatoros, Tara Copp, Aamer, Baldor Organizations: JERUSALEM, U.S, Greek Shipping, Ministry, U.S . Central Command, U.S . Navy, House, SEAL, USS, U.S . military's, Command, Central Command, International Institute for Strategic Studies, United Nations, Iran's, United, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Yemen, Malta, Red, Suez, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Iranian, Gulf of Aden, Gaza, United Nations, Tehran, Gibraltar, Gulf, Aden, Athens, Greece, Washington

☆ Protesters in Georgia demand punishment for woman accused of defacing Stalin icon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A large protest was held in Tbilisi on Saturday to demand harsh punishment for a woman accused of defacing a religious icon depicting Josef Stalin which was recently-installed in the Georgian capital, as tensions over the incident remained high. Thousands of Orthodox believers and supporters of the Alt-Info pro-Russian ultra-conservative movement gathered on Saturday in front of the country’s parliament before matching through the city in the direction of the cathedral. The icon is located at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia. The police opened an investigation into “petty hooliganism” and questioned the woman who had damaged the icon. Flowers were placed by the icon on Saturday as believers lined up to kiss the part of it depicting Stalin.

Persons: Josef Stalin, Irakli Gedenidze, Stalin, St Matrona, ”, Flowers Organizations: CNN, Trinity Cathedral, Reuters, Alliance of Patriots, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Church Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet, Russian, Georgian, Tbilisi , Georgia, Soviet Union, Moscow

That sort of approach resonated in conservative strongholds like Alabama long before Trump. Alabama Democrats, especially, cite deep historical roots involving racism, class and urban-rural divides when explaining Wallace, Trump and the decades between them. Moderate to progressive “national Democrats” were concentrated in north Alabama, Baxley explained, while reactionary “states-rights Dixiecrats” cohered in south Alabama. Wallace won four Deep South states as an independent in 1968. Wallace won his fourth term as governor in 1982 after disavowing segregation and winning over enough Black voters.

Persons: George Wallace, Wallace, Donald Trump, Trump, “ Alabamians, ”, Terry Lathan, ” Trump, Barack Obama, Brent Buchanan, Wayne Flynt, “, Lathan, Ron DeSantis, Reagan, Trump's, ” Wallace, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Baxley, Baxley, Lincoln ”, ” Baxley, Franklin Roosevelt’s, “ Wallace, Johnson, Barry Goldwater, Flynt, Alabama “, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Wallace’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Alabama's, Democratic pollster Zac McCrary, Hillary Clinton’s, Joe Biden’s, ” McCrary, Sen, Richard Shelby's, Shelby, Newt Gingrich, Dan Carter, Jeff Sessions, Trump’s, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Tommy Tuberville, Katie Britt, dealmaker, Britt, Buchanan, Republican pollster, Donald Trump’s, Kim Chandler Organizations: ATLANTA, — Republican, University of Alabama, Civil Rights Movement, Republicans, Party of Lincoln, Party of Trump, Trump, America, GOP, Alabama Republicans, Democratic, Alabama Democrats, “ Party, Democrats ”, Politics, National Democrats, Franklin Roosevelt’s New, Civil, Act, Republican, Reconstruction, Klux Klan, Birmingham's, Baptist Church, Washington, Democrat, “, Democrats, U.S, Senate, Sessions, Alabama, Alabama Legislature, Southern Democrats, Capitol, Shelby, Associated Press Locations: Tuscaloosa, Washington, Alabama, lockstep, Florida, Southern, U.S, Texas, New York, Trump, Jan, Montgomery , Alabama

☆ Dr Pepper Awards Two $100,000 Scholarships to Correct Halftime Blunder
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Big 12 Championship game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday evening delivered the kind of controversy-mired barn burner that inspires legions of college football fans to pack stadiums and jam sports bars every weekend. But the real competition, it turned out, was not between the football teams (Texas won a one-sided 49-21 affair), but between two college students competing in the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway challenge at halftime, a college football tradition. Each student had to lob as many footballs as they could into their respective Dr Pepper-branded bin five yards away within the allotted time. Ryan Georgian, a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, and Gavin White, a junior at Ohio State University, were tied at 10 points each at the end of regulation, forcing overtime.

Persons: Pepper, Ryan Georgian, Gavin White Organizations: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State University

☆ US Navy foils gunmen attempting to hijack an Israel-linked tanker off Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A US Navy warship responded to a distress call and secured the seized ship, an official said. London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. Crew members of the Central Park tanker locked themselves in the ship's safe room for safety, the official told Griffin. Zodiac Maritime has been targeted previously amid a wider yearslong shadow war between Iran and Israel. Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days.

Persons: —, Ambrey, Zodiac, Eyal Ofer's, Ofer, Daniel Guy Ofer, Jennifer Griffin, Griffin, Mason, — Jennifer Griffin, @JenGriffinFNC Organizations: US Navy, Zodiac, Service, Attackers, Liberian, Zodiac Maritime, Associated Press, Reuters, Clumvez Shipping Inc, Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group, Clumvez Shipping, Fox News Chief National, Central, NEW, U.S, US, Navy, Business, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, CMA, AP, Ships, AIS, Israel, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, London, Saudi, Houthi, Gulf of Aden, Japanese, Iran, Oman, British, Yemen's, Djibouti, Somalia, Suez, Red

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, authorities said. The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Ambrey said. London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the seizure of the Central Park.

Persons: Ambrey, Zodiac, ” Zodiac, Eyal Ofer’s, Ofer, Daniel Guy Ofer, ”, — Organizations: United Arab Emirates, — Attackers, Liberian, Zodiac Maritime, Associated Press, Turkish, Clumvez Shipping Inc, Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, Clumvez Shipping, U.S, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, CMA, Central, AP, Ships, AIS, Israel Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Israel, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, London, Saudi, Houthi, U.S, Iran, Oman, British, Yemen's, Djibouti, Somalia, Suez, Palestinian, Red

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