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Moscow court extends arrest of jailed WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, reports state news agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — The arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges has been extended to Nov. 30, Russian state news agency Tass said. Gershkovich arrived at the Moscow court Thursday in a white prison van and was led out handcuffed, wearing jeans, sneakers and a shirt. Journalists outside the court were not allowed to witness the proceedings. Tass said they were held behind closed doors because details of the criminal case are classified.The prosecution had asked to extend his arrest from Aug. 30. He has appealed against the extensions to his detention.A 31-year-old U.S. citizen, Gershkovich was arrested Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip in late March. Russia’s Federal Security Service said Gershkovich, “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the...

Pirates start 4-game series against the Cubs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Chicago Cubs (66-60, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-70, fourth in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Thursday, 7:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Justin Steele (0-0); Pirates: TBDBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Chicago Cubs on Thursday to open a four-game series.Pittsburgh is 31-33 in home games and 57-70 overall. The Pirates are 28-51 in games when they have given up at least one home run.Chicago has gone 31-30 on the road and 66-60 overall. The Cubs have gone 32-18 in games when they did not give up a home run.Thursday’s game is the seventh time these teams match up this season. The Cubs have a 6-0 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has a .267 batting average to lead the Pirates, and has 26 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs. Ke’Bryan Hayes is 12-for-41 with a home run and three RBI over the past 10 games.Nico Hoerner has 22 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 61 RBI for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki is 12-fo...

Reds bring road win streak into matchup with the Diamondbacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (67-61, third in the NL Central) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (66-61, second in the NL West)Phoenix; Thursday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Brandon Williamson (4-3, 4.36 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 76 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (10-5, 3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 134 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -164, Reds +139; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds will try to keep a four-game road win streak going when they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks.Arizona is 32-31 at home and 66-61 overall. The Diamondbacks have a 47-15 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Cincinnati has gone 36-27 in road games and 67-61 overall. The Reds have hit 148 total home runs to rank eighth in the NL.The matchup Thursday is the fourth meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with 28 home runs while slugging .528. Tommy Pham is 13-for-43 with five doubles, a triple, two home runs and...

Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia have been invited to join BRICS economic bloc

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia have been invited to join BRICS economic bloc.Source

Police investigation underway in Miami neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Police are investigating an area in Miami after a situation unfolded Thursday morning. Several Miami Police officers were at the scene of 69th Terrace just off 17th Avenue. Although details of the incident are limited, it appears that authorities attempted to get someone out of a home. Live video footage showed fire rescue crews taking a man out on a gurney and into an ambulance to transport him to a hospital. His injuries are unknown. Officials have been contacted for more information. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

6 new countries to join BRICS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Leaders of the BRICS group have decided to invite six more countries to join their alliance.Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all been invited to become members of BRICS, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who hosted a three-day summit of the emerging markets group in Johannesburg this week.Their membership will take effect January 1, 2024.“We value the interest of other countries in building a partnership with BRICS,” Ramaphosa said. “We have tasked our Foreign Ministers to further develop the BRICS partner country model and a list of prospective partner countries and report by the next Summit.”The decision to broaden the grouping reflects a lack of progress in deepening the existing BRICS alliance, which despite representing a third of global GDP has diverging interests — ranging from China’s rise as a global superpower, to India’s nonalignment, to Brazil’s status as a farm exporter. Some of the new m...

Wagner allies react: OMG, they killed Yevgeny! You bastards!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Who’d shed a tear for Yevgeny Prigozhin? Well, the apparent death of the belligerent leader of the notorious mercenary Wagner Group in a plane crash Wednesday night has created an unexpected outpouring of grief inside Russia.In the 62-year-old oligarch’s home city of St. Petersburg, a candlelit vigil was set up outside one of the group’s now-shuttered recruiting centers. Well-wishers lay red roses, while others placed badges featuring Wagner’s macabre skull and crosshairs logo.Meanwhile, the office lights of Prigozhin’s former headquarters, a glass and steel tower in the heart of Russia’s second city, were switched on in the shape of a crucifix in mourning, photos posted online show.Online, Wagner’s social media mouthpieces were quick to suggest the light aircraft’s sudden crash — en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg with many of the group’s leadership on board — was no accident.“The fact that our best soldiers died in battle is the will of God,” wrote the pro-Prigozhi...

US Republican presidential candidates show deep divide over Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

The GOP divide on Ukraine was on full display during the debate, with Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis saying they would cut off funding to Kyiv while others defended U.S. aid to the embattled nation.“I find it offensive that we have professional politicians who will make a pilgrimage to Kyiv, to their pope, Zelenskyy, without doing the same for the people in Maui or the south side of Chicago,” he said, referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.DeSantis was more hedging, saying that he would stop aid to Ukraine unless European governments stepped up to “pull their weight.”Those calls to stop Ukraine funding earned applause in the room, but were not shared by all candidates. Nikki Haley accused Ramaswamy of wanting to “hand Ukraine to Russia” and “let China eat Taiwan.”“You are choosing a murderer” over an ally of the U.S., Haley said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.“I wish you success on your future career on the boards of Lockheed and Raytheon,” Ramaswamy...

Movie tickets are just $4 on National Cinema Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Moviegoers won’t find a better discount than National Cinema Day, when they can see a movie in a theater for a bargain-basement $4.The movie theater celebration happens Sunday, Aug. 27. At participating theaters, the $4 price is good for all movies, all formats – even IMAX and 3D screens – and all showtimes, including post-midnight screenings.More than 3,000 theaters across the nation are participating in National Cinema Day, which was launched last year by the Cinema Foundation, the nonprofit affiliate of the National Association of Theater Owners. The inaugural National Cinema Day saw an estimated 8.1 million moviegoers buy discounted tickets on Sept. 3, according to Cinema Foundation. The movie theater holiday set a single-day attendance record for 2022, according to Cineworld Group CEO Eduardo Acuna.Major movie theater chains are also joining in by offering concession deals. Regal is offering a $4 small popcorn and soft drink combo that day, while AMC Theatres is offering a simi...

A plane crash believed to have killed mercenary chief Prigozhin is seen as the Kremlin’s revenge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:41 GMT

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and top officers of his private Wagner military company were presumed dead in a plane crash that was widely seen as an assassination, two months after they staged a mutiny that dented President Vladimir Putin’s authority.Russia’s civil aviation agency said that Prigozhin and six top lieutenants were on a business jet that crashed Wednesday, soon after taking off from Moscow, with a crew of three. Rescuers found all 10 bodies, and Russian media cited sources in Prigozhin’s Wagner company who confirmed his death.Police cordoned off the field where the plane crashed a few hundred kilometers (miles) north of Moscow, as investigators studied the site. Vehicles were seen driving in to take the bodies for forensic examinations.At Wagner’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, lights were turned on in the shape of a large cross. Prigozhin’s supporters brought flowers to the building in an improvised memorial. U.S. and other Western officials l...