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An ex-convict returned from war and a Russian village lived in fear. Then police say he killed again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — When Ivan Rossomakhin returned home from the war in Ukraine three months ago, his neighbors in the village east of Moscow were terrified.Three years ago, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to a long prison term but was freed after volunteering to fight with the Wagner private military contractor.Back in Novy Burets, Rossomakhin drunkenly wandered the streets of the hamlet 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) east of Moscow, carrying a pitchfork and threatening to kill everyone, residents said.Despite police promises to keep an eye on the 28-year-old former inmate, he was arrested in a nearby town on charges of stabbing to death an elderly woman from whom he once rented a room. He reportedly confessed to committing the crime, less than 10 days after his return.Rossomakhin’s case is not isolated. The Associated Press found at least seven other instances in recent months in which Wagner-recruited convicts were identified as being involved in violent crimes, ei...

Reason the U.S. response to the Russia rebellion has been decidedly cautious

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the surface, the turmoil in Russia would seem like something for the U.S. to celebrate: a powerful mercenary group engaging in a short-lived clash with Russia’s military at the very moment that Ukraine is trying to gain momentum in a critical counteroffensive.But the public response by Washington has been decidedly cautious. Officials say the U.S. had no role in the conflict, insist this was an internal matter for Russia and decline to comment on whether it could affect the war in Ukraine. The reason: to avoid creating an opening for Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize on the rhetoric of American officials and rally Russians by blaming his Western adversaries.Even President Joe Biden, known for straying from talking points, has stayed on script.Biden told reporters Monday that the United States and NATO weren’t involved. Biden said he held a video call with allies over the weekend and they are all in sync in working to ensure that they give Putin “no excus...

Power couple Zooey Zephyr and Erin Reed are spreading hope to fellow transgender people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Zooey Zephyr and Erin Reed walk hand in hand at a Pride parade in the college town of Missoula, Montana, wearing smiles as sunny as the day is rainy. Adoring fans cheer them along the route.Reed stops and raises a small Pride flag. Zephyr cups her hands together in a heart over her chest in appreciation. Zephyr, a transgender state lawmaker, later gives a speech to hundreds attending the event. Tears well in people’s eyes as they speak with the couple afterward. Sage Scarborough hugs a book and grins after getting Zephyr’s autograph. “I feel like it makes us as a generation feel represented when we have people like her in power and up there giving very inspirational, motivational words of wisdom,” says Scarborough, 20. Zephyr and Reed, both 34, have emerged as a vanguard, a power couple spreading hope to fellow transgender people amid a year in which hundreds of bills were proposed or passed that restrict their rights in health care and other realms. The...

Since Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, more than 1,000 civilians were killed in attacks, UN says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations said Tuesday it has documented a significant level of civilians killed and wounded in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover — despite a stark reduction in casualties compared to previous years of war and insurgency. According to a new report by the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, since the takeover in mid-August 2021 and until the end of May, there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 people killed in violence in the country. That compares with 8,820 civilian casualties — including 3,035 killed — in just 2020, according to an earlier U.N. report. The Taliban seized the country in August 2021 while U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war. According to the U.N. report, three-quarters of the attacks since the Taliban seized power were with improvised explosive devices in “populated areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” the report said....

5 takeaways from the AP’s report on Chinese disposable e-cigarettes flooding the US market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

How good a job is the Food and Drug Administration doing in its crackdown on kid-friendly electronic cigarette flavors? The Associated Press sought to answer that question by looking at tightly controlled sales data.The AP obtained the data from the analytics firm IRI, which tracks barcode scanner sales from convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers. A person not authorized to share it gave access to the AP on condition of anonymity.The AP found that the FDA has been unable to keep up with a flood of illegal disposable e-cigarettes from China. Their influx has forced the agency to try to eliminate thousands of illegal products sold by under-the-radar importers and distributors.Here are five takeaways from the AP’s reporting:E-CIGARETTES KEEP FLOODING INTO THE U.S. WITHOUT FDA PERMISSIONThe number of unique e-cigarettes sold in the U.S. has mushroomed to over 9,000 since 2020, when the FDA began restricting vaping flavors and requiring manufacturers to request permis...

Thousands of e-cigarettes are pouring into the US despite FDA crackdown on fruity flavors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of different electronic cigarette devices sold in the U.S. has nearly tripled to over 9,000 since 2020, driven almost entirely by a wave of unauthorized disposable vapes from China, according to tightly controlled sales data obtained by The Associated Press.The surge stands in stark contrast to regulators’ own figures, which tout the rejection of some 99% of company requests to sell new e-cigarettes while authorizing only a few meant for adult smokers. The numbers demonstrate the Food and Drug Administration’s inability to control the tumultuous vaping market more than three years after declaring a crackdown on kid-friendly flavors. Most of the disposable e-cigarettes, which are thrown away after they’re used up, come in sweet and fruity flavors like pink lemonade, gummy bear and watermelon that have made them the favorite tobacco product among teenagers.They are all technically illegal, but their influx has turned FDA’s regulatory model on its head. Ins...

Australia to provide more armoured vehicles to Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

The Australian government will provide a new A$110 million ($73.5m) package to Ukraine including 70 military vehicles to defend against Russia's invasion, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday (26 June).The fresh commitments take Australia's total contribution for Ukraine to A$790m, including A$610m in military support, since the conflict began in February 2022."This additional support will make a real difference, helping the Ukrainian people who continue to show great courage in the face of Russia's illegal, unprovoked and immoral war," Albanese said during a media briefing in Canberra.He said the package was not prompted by events in Russia over the weekend when heavily-armed Russian mercenaries briefly took control of the Russian city of Rostov, in one of the biggest challenges to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power."No, we have been working on this proposal, with a view to taking it to cabinet this morning, for some time," Albanese said.Australia is one of the larg...

Zelenskyy discusses Russian turmoil with Biden, Trudeau, Duda

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his defence minister said they held a series of calls with Kyiv's allies on Sunday (25 June) to discuss the "weakness" of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's next counteroffensive steps.The phone calls took place after an extraordinary failed mutiny by the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that raised questions about Putin's grip on power as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive in its south and east."We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored," Zelenskiy said after a phone call with US President Joe Biden.According to the White House readout, the two leaders "discussed Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support."Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, said he and U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Ukraine's counteroffensive and ...

Injured hiker rescued in Angeles National Forest using Apple iPhone SOS technology

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

An injured hiker in the Angeles National Forest was rescued by first responders Saturday after using her Apple iPhone 14’s SOS satellite feature.  Juana Reyes was visiting a friend in L.A. when the pair decided to go for a hike in Trail Canyon Falls. After taking a crippling fall in an area with no cellphone coverage, the high-tech feature on her smartphone linked her up with emergency personnel almost immediately.  “And we were going down this small hill. There was a lot of dirt and as we were going down all I remember is that the dirt just sort of gave way,” Reyes told KTLA.  Reyes twisted her right foot and felt her ankle throbbing with pain.  “There was that SOS feature that was triggered,” Reyes explained. “I don’t have the exact details because I wasn’t the one doing the communication.”  Juana Reyes, seen here holding up her smartphone, after Apple SOS satellite technology helped contact first responders when she was injured hiking in the Angeles National F...

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, more than 1,000 civilians were killed in attacks, UN says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:41 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations said Tuesday it has documented a significant level of civilians killed and wounded in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover — despite a stark reduction in casualties compared to previous years of war and insurgency. According to a new report by the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, since the takeover in mid-August 2021 and until the end of May, there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 people killed in violence in the country. That compares with 8,820 civilian casualties — including 3,035 killed — in just 2020, according to an earlier U.N. report. The Taliban seized the country in August 2021 while U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of war. According to the U.N. report, three-quarters of the attacks since the Taliban seized power were with improvised explosive devices in “populated areas, including places of worship, schools and markets,” the report said....