MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Saturday as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported. Smartphones, laptops and video cameras were seized, while clubgoers had their documents inspected by officers, Russia’s Tass news agency said, citing sources in law enforcement. The raids come exactly a year since Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “LGBTQ+ movement” should be banned as an “extremist organization." Its decision followed a decades-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted “traditional family values” as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power. Footage shared on social media appeared to show partygoers being ordered by police to lie on the floor as officers moved through Moscow’s Arma nightclub. The capital’s Mono bar was also targeted, Russian media reported. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, the club’s management didn't directly reference an incident with law enforcement, but wrote, “Friends, we’re so sorry that what happened, happened. They didn’t find anything forbidden. We live in such times, but life must go on.” Police also detained the head of the “Men Travel” tour agency on Saturday under anti-LGBT laws, Tass reported. The news agency said that the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for “the supporters of nontraditional sexual values” to visit Egypt over Russia’s New Year's holidays. The raids mirror the concerns of Russian activists who warned that Moscow’s designation of the “LGBTQ+ movement” as “extremist” — despite it not being an official entity — could see Russian authorities crack down at will on groups or individuals. Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those that the Russian government believes aren't in line with the country’s “traditional values.” On Nov. 23, Putin signed into law a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender-affirming care is legal. The Kremlin leader also approved legislation that outlaws the spread of material that encourages people not to have children .Caribbean Princess Arrives in Port Canaveral for First-Ever Season of Cruises
Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. —Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP ALTOONA, Pennsylvania — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted Tuesday while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania, a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible referring to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people” while deputies pushed him inside. Prosecutors were beginning to take steps to bring Mangione back to New York to face a murder charge while new details emerged about his life and how he was captured. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family was charged with murder hours after he was arrested in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company. At the brief hearing, defense lawyer Thomas Dickey informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. He has 14 days to challenge detention. Mangione, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead at the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of his hand-written notes and social media posts. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, according to police bulletin. Mangione remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors have obtained an arrest warrant, a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania — about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City — after a McDonald’s customer recognized him and notified an employee, authorities said. Officers found him sitting at a back table, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to a Pennsylvania police criminal complaint. He initially gave them a fake ID, but when an officer asked Mangione whether he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the complaint says. When he pulled his mask down at officers’ request, “we knew that was our guy,” rookie Officer Tyler Frye said. Images of Mangione released Tuesday by Pennsylvania State Police showed him pulling down his mask in the corner of the McDonald’s while holding what appeared to be hash browns and wearing a winter jacket and beanie. In another photo from a holding cell, he stood unsmiling with rumpled hair. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used to kill Thompson and the same fake ID the shooter had used to check into a New York hostel, along with a passport and other fraudulent IDs. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione also had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America.” A law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the document included a line in which Mangione claimed to have acted alone. “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official. It also had a line that said, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” Pennsylvania prosecutor Peter Weeks said in court that Mangione was found with a passport and $10,000 in cash, $2,000 of it in foreign currency. Mangione disputed the amount. Thompson, 50, was killed Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police quickly came to see the shooting as a targeted attack by a gunman who appeared to wait for Thompson, came up behind him and fired a 9 mm pistol. Investigators have said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on ammunition found near Thompson’s body. The words mimic “delay, deny, defend,” a phrase used to criticize the insurance industry. From surveillance video, New York investigators determined the shooter quickly fled fled the city, likely by bus. A grandson of a wealthy, self-made real estate developer and philanthropist, Mangione is a cousin of a current Maryland state legislator. Valedictorian at his elite Baltimore prep school, he went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesperson said. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Maryland Del. Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” From January to June 2022, Luigi Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. “There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, from surfing to romance, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back,” Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. —APNone
WASHINGTON (AP) — The grinding war between Ukraine and its Russian invaders has escalated ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration, with President Joe Biden rushing out billions of dollars more in military aid before U.S. support for Kyiv’s defenses is thrown into question under the new administration. Russia, Ukraine and their global allies are scrambling to put their side in the best possible position for any changes that Trump may bring to American policy in the nearly 3-year-old war . The president-elect insisted in recent days that Russia and Ukraine immediately reach a ceasefire and said Ukraine should likely prepare to receive less U.S. military aid. On the war's front lines, Ukraine's forces are mindful of Trump's fast-approaching presidency and the risk of losing their biggest backer . If that happens, “those people who are with me, my unit, we are not going to retreat," a Ukrainian strike-drone company commander, fighting in Russia's Kursk region with the 47th Brigade, told The Associated Press by phone. “As long as we have ammunition, as long as we have weapons, as long as we have some means to defeat the enemy, we will fight,” said the commander, who goes by his military call sign, Hummer. He spoke on condition he not be identified by name, citing Ukrainian military rules and security concerns. “But, when all means run out, you must understand, we will be destroyed very quickly,” he said. The Biden administration is pushing every available dollar out the door to shore up Ukraine's defenses before leaving office in six weeks, announcing more than $2 billion in additional support since Trump won the presidential election last month. The U.S. has sent a total of $62 billion in military aid since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. And more help is on the way. The Treasury Department said Tuesday it would disburse $20 billion — the U.S. portion of a $50 billion multinational loan to Ukraine , backed by Russia's frozen central bank assets — before Biden leaves the White House. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the funds “will provide Ukraine a critical infusion of support.” And the State Department said Tuesday it had approved the sale of a $266 million package to help Ukraine with the long-term operation and maintenance of F-16 fighter aircraft from the U.S. and other allies. Biden also has eased limits on Ukraine using American longer-range missiles against military targets deeper inside Russia, following months of refusing those appeals over fears of provoking Russia into nuclear war or attacks on the West. He's also newly allowed Ukraine to employ antipersonnel mines , which are banned by many countries. Biden and his senior advisers, however, are skeptical that allowing freer use of longer-range missiles will change the broader trajectory of the war, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. But the administration has at least a measure of confidence that its scramble, combined with continued strong European support , means it will leave office having given Ukraine the tools it needs to sustain its fight for some time, the officials said. Enough to hold on, but not enough to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces, according to Ukraine and some of its allies. Even now, “the Biden administration has been very careful not to run up against the possibility of a defeated Putin or a defeated Russia” for fear of the tumult that could bring, said retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former supreme allied commander of NATO. He is critical of Biden’s cautious pace of military support for Ukraine. Events far from the front lines this past weekend demonstrated the war's impact on Russia’s military . In Syria, rebels seized the capital and toppled Russia-allied President Bashar Assad . Russian forces in Syria had propped up Assad for years, but they moved out of the way of the rebels’ assault , unwilling to take losses to defend their ally. Biden said it was further evidence that U.S. support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was wearing down Russia’s military. Trump, who has long spoken favorably of Putin and described Zelenskyy as a “showman" wheedling money from the U.S., used that moment to call for an immediate ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. And asked in a TV interview — taped before he met with Zelenskyy over the weekend in Paris — if Ukraine should prepare for the possibility of reduced aid, Trump said, “Yeah. Probably. Sure.” Trump's supporters call that pre-negotiation maneuvering by an avowed deal-maker. His critics say they fear it shows he is in Putin's sway. Zelenskyy said Monday that Russian forces’ retrenchment from outposts worldwide demonstrates that “the entire army of this great pseudo-empire is fighting against the Ukrainian people today.” “Forcing Putin to end the war requires Ukraine to be strong on the battlefield before it can be strong diplomatically,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media, repeating near-daily appeals for more longer-range missiles from the U.S. and Europe. In Kursk, Hummer, the Ukrainian commander, said he notices Russian artillery strikes and shelling easing up since the U.S. and its European allies loosened limits on the use of longer-range missiles. But Moscow has been escalating its offensives in other ways in the past six months, burning through men and materiel in infantry assaults and other attacks far faster than it can replace them, according to the Institute for the Study of War. In Kursk, that includes Russia sending waves of soldiers on motorcycles and golf carts to storm Ukrainian positions, Hummer said. The Ukrainian drone commander and his comrades defend the ground they have seized from Russia with firearms, tanks and armored vehicles provided by the U.S. and other allies. Ukraine’s supporters fear that the kind of immediate ceasefire Trump is urging would be mostly on Putin’s terms and allow the Russian leader to resume the war when his military has recovered. “Putin is sacrificing his own soldiers at a grotesque rate to take whatever territory he can on the assumption that the U.S. will tell Ukraine that U.S. aid is over unless Russia gets to keep what it has taken,” Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, wrote on his Substack channel. Putin's need for troops led him to bring in North Korean forces . Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use longer-range missiles more broadly in Russia was partly in response, intended to discourage North Korea from deeper involvement in the war, one of the senior administration officials said. Since 2022, Russia already had been pulling forces and other military assets from Syria, Central Asia and elsewhere to throw into the Ukraine fight, said George Burros, an expert on the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the Institute for the Study of War. Any combat power that Russia has left in Syria that it could deploy to Ukraine is unlikely to change battlefield momentum, Burros said. “The Kremlin has prioritized Ukraine as much as it can,” he said. Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Mark Few likes No. 3 Gonzaga's toughness after win over future Pac-12 'partner' SDSULehigh advances to a second-round game at eighth-seeded Idaho on Dec. 7. The Mountain Hawks trailed 16-7 early in the fourth quarter after Richmond's Sean Clarke scored on a 7-yard pass from Camden Coleman. Green dashed 65 yards for a touchdown on the next play from scrimmage and Lehigh trailed 16-14 with 10 1/2 minutes remaining. The Mountain Hawks (9-3) forced a three-and-out, then Jamiel and Hayden Johnson connected on a 56-yard pass play for the go-ahead touchdown. The Spiders were stopped short of midfield on their final drive but nearly came up with a huge play when Lehigh's Quanye Veney muffed the punt at his own 14-yard line. Ignatious Williams recovered the loose ball for Lehigh to preserve the win. Johnson completed 14 of 18 passes for 199 yards. Jamiel caught 10 for 137 yards. Coleman was 24-of-37 passing for 199 yards. Zach Palmer-Smith had 107 yards rushing for Richmond (10-3). Richmond had 249 yards of total offense in the first half but managed only three short field goals by Sean O'Haire. The scoring drives were 76, 70 and 64 yards and Richmond controlled the ball for nearly 21 minutes in the first half. Lehigh took a 7-6 lead on Johnson's 7-yard TD pass to Logan Galletta, but the Spiders answered with O'Haire's third field goal for a 9-7 halftime lead. This is 13-time Patriot League champion Lehigh's first playoff appearance since 2017. Lehigh and Richmond will have a rematch in the 2025 season opener at Lehigh. It will be Richmond's debut as a member of the Patriot League. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is going to have to write a big check after the NFL slapped the young passer with a hefty fine. During the Week 12 loss against the Detroit Lions , Richardson ran the ball and wound up lowering his shoulder into a tackle from Brian Branch. After reviewing the play throughout the week, the league seemingly felt Richardson initiated contact with his helmet, which led to a $22,511 fine for unnecessary roughness — specifically lowering his helmet. The NFL fined #Colts QB Anthony Richardson $22,511 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet) — lowering his head into #Lions DB Brian Branch last week. pic.twitter.com/mJF5NuqiM7 While there was certainly some helmet-to-helmet contact, it's a bit interesting the league decided to fine Richardson for this when there have been far more egregious plays that have been swept under the rug. That includes this one from Week 1 when Richardson was slammed to the ground by a Houston Texans defender. There was no penalty or fine afterward. Reminder: Not a penalty, or fine. https://t.co/UrkG1PgJEI pic.twitter.com/dF7gvZIc9r Either way, Richardson will have to open up the checkbook before the Colts visit the New England Patriots in Week 13. MORE NFL: Could Colts GM Chris Ballard be on the hot seat?Maverick McNealy Birdies the Last Hole at Sea Island to Finally Become PGA Tour Winner
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Anthony Albanese has been accused of responding “too slow” to a surge in anti-Semitism after yet another incident in Sydney. A crime scene was established in the east Sydney suburb of Woollahra after “Kill Israiel” was scrawled onto a wall behind a torched car in the early hours of Wednesday. Another car and two buildings were also vandalised, authorities said. The second high profile anti-Semitic incident in a major Australian city in less than a week, senior Coalition MP Sussan Ley said she wanted “to see strong leadership from the Prime Minister”. “This is not a peaceful protest. This is thugs and hooligans going to where Jewish people live, to their homes, and conducting these sort of awful, awful acts of intimidation, harassment, and who knows what next,” she told Sky News. “I want to see arrests, I want to see action, I want to see strong leadership from the Prime Minister, and I’m not sure that we’re seeing that now.” Mr Albanese and several senior ministers have condemned the latest incident in Sydney. “Overwhelmingly, Australians are respectful people,” he told the ABC. “Australians want to live peacefully, side by side, and Australians reject this abhorrent criminal behaviour.” Mr Albanese said the incident was “not a political act”, in that it would “not change anything that is occurring in the Middle East”. “This is an attack against their fellow Australians,” he said. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has pledged that those behind the incident in Woollahra “will face the full force of the law”. “This latest attack is an abhorrent attempt to intimidate our Jewish community, but it will not be successful,” Mr Burke said in a statement. “Officers from Operation Avalite will brief the government this morning. Home Affairs officials are engaging with NSW police. “We will continue to stand with the Jewish community against hatred and violence which has no place in our country. Those responsible for this will face the full force of the law and the condemnation of our community.” The Albanese government on Monday announced Operation Avalite, a special taskforce to tackle anti-Semitic attacks after a synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed last week. But many in the Jewish community have questioned why it took so long for any concrete action. On Tuesday, security rushed Mr Albanese into his car after he was heckled while visiting the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. The incident overnight in Woollahra, which has a high Jewish population, is the second such incident in the suburb in less than a month. In late November, several buildings were vandalised with anti-Semitic graffiti and a car set alight. Two men have been charged in relation to that incident. Originally published as ‘Too slow’: PM under fire after latest anti-Semitic incident in Sydney
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