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Putin critic Alexei Navalny dead at 47, Russian officials say

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Putin critic Alexei Navalny dead at 47, Russian officials say

Russia’s prison agency announced Friday that prominent Vladimir Putin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died at the age of 47.

The Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness, according to The Associated Press. An ambulance arrived to try to rehabilitate him, but he died, the statement added.

Navalny’s spokesperson said in a post on X that “we have no confirmation of this yet.

“Alexei’s lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp. As soon as we have some information, we will report on it,” Kira Yarmysh added.

FLASHBACK: RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER NAVALNY’S TEAM FINALLY LOCATES HIM IN REMOTE PRISON COLONY AFTER 20-DAY SEARCH

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Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny takes part in a march in memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, Russia on Feb. 29, 2020. (AP/Pavel Golovkin)

Navalny was being held at the IK-3 penal colony, also known as “Polar Wolf,” in Kharp in northern Russia, which is considered one of the country’s toughest prisons.

Previously, Russian authorities had held him at a facility roughly 145 miles east of Moscow. Navalny’s team lost contact with him after he failed to appear in court via video link for a hearing on Dec. 5, kicking off a desperate search until he resurfaced in Kharp around Christmas.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears via a video link from the Arctic penal colony where he is serving a 19-year sentence, provided by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service during a hearing of Russia’s Supreme Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 11, 2024.  (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

In 2021, President Biden, after meeting with Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, was asked about what would happen if Navalny died in Russian custody.

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“I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Biden said.

FLASHBACK: RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS IN PRISON

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks at photographers standing in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, in Feb. 2021. (AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Navalny has previously organized anti-government demonstrations and has run for office to advocate for reforms against what he claims is corruption in Russia. He was the victim of an alleged assassination attempt in 2020, when he suffered poisoning from a suspected Novichok nerve agent. 

He remained in a coma for several weeks while doctors in Germany fought to keep him alive. He accused Putin of being responsible for his poisoning.

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Navalny then returned to Russia in 2021, when authorities immediately arrested him and later sentenced him to 19 years in prison on extremism charges. His team has repeatedly raised concerns about his treatment following his return and Navalny has said the charges were politically motivated.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, with his wife Yulia, right, daughter Daria, and son Zakhar pose for the media after voting during a city council election in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 8, 2019.  (AP/Andrew Lubimov)

The remote region where Navalny was being held is notorious for long and severe winters. Kharp is about 60 miles from Vorkuta, whose coal mines were part of the Soviet gulag prison-camp system.

Whenever Putin spoke about Navalny, he made it a point to never mention the activist by name, referring to him as “that person” or similar wording, in an apparent effort to diminish his importance, according to The Associated Press.

 

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Last August, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group who challenged the rule of Putin, was killed in a plane crash outside of Moscow. The White House then appeared to formally acknowledge that the government believes Prigozhin was assassinated by Putin. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Harry Potter Meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ in Racy SNL Sketch With Ron Romance, Naked Quidditch and Jason Momoa

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Harry Potter Meets ‘Heated Rivalry’ in Racy SNL Sketch With Ron Romance, Naked Quidditch and Jason Momoa

The Wizarding World is taking on “Heated Rivalry.”

On this week’s “SNL,” host Finn Wolfhard starred as Harry Potter in a sketch mocking the new HBO series adaptation of the fantasy novels. But in this version, thanks to being “hastily rewritten after the success of a certain other HBO show,” Harry quickly becomes enamored with Ron (Ben Marshall) and the show is renamed “Heated Wizardry.” It’s also said to be “the first series written entirely by girls who wear tails.”

Of course, wand and broom puns and innuendo arrive quickly, as “the only thing hotter than hockey is Quidditch.” After seeing Harry and Ron’s meet cute, Harry is seen flying away from Ron on the Quidditch pitch without any bottoms and more sexy Hogwarts shenanigans take place.

In the segment, James Austin Johnson plays Severus Snape, Jason Momoa stops by to play Hagrid, Ashley Padilla plays Professor McGonagall and Kenan Thompson takes on Alastor Moody.

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Woman wakes up with 8-foot python coiled on her chest while sleeping: ‘Don’t move’

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Woman wakes up with 8-foot python coiled on her chest while sleeping: ‘Don’t move’

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“Oh baby. Don’t move. There is like a 2.5-meter python on you.”

An Australian woman woke up in the middle of the night to discover a massive carpet python coiled across her chest after the snake slithered into her second-story bedroom in Brisbane, Queensland.

Rachel Bloor said she initially believed the heavy weight on her stomach and chest was her dog lying on top of her. But when she reached out under the covers, she felt something smooth move beneath her hand and realized it was not her pet.

“To my horror, I realized it wasn’t my dog,” Bloor told the BBC.

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550-POUND BEAR FINALLY EVICTED FROM CALIFORNIA HOME AFTER BIZARRE STRATEGY ENDS MONTHLONG ORDEAL

Carpet pythons, while nonvenomous, can be lethal to their prey through constrictions. (WTVT)

The 2.5-meter, or roughly 8-foot, snake had made its way into her bedroom Monday night, according to the report.

Bloor said she immediately woke her husband and asked him to turn on the lights.

“He goes, ‘Oh baby. Don’t move. There is like a 2.5-meter python on you,’” she recalled.

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Her first concern, Bloor said, was getting the family dogs out of the room before anything escalated.

“I thought if my Dalmatian realized that there’s a snake there, it is gonna be carnage,” she said.

After her husband removed the dogs, Bloor carefully worked her way out from beneath the covers.

LARGE BURMESE PYTHON ON VIDEO GETTING PULLED FROM FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD TREE: ‘IT WAS PRETTY DANGEROUS’

Rachel Bloor calmly handled the nearly 8-foot carpet python herself instead of calling professionals in the moment. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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“I sort of side shuffled out,” she said.

Rather than calling a professional snake catcher, Bloor said she stayed calm and ushered the large reptile out of the bedroom herself through a window.

“I grabbed him,” she said, adding that the python “didn’t seem overly freaked out.”

“He sort of just wobbled in my hand,” she said.

Bloor suspects the snake entered through plantation shutters on her window and crawled onto the bed while she slept.

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“It was that big that even though it had been curled up on me, part of its tail was still out the shutter,” she said.

FLORIDA WOMAN WINS ANNUAL PYTHON CHALLENGE WITH RECORD SNAKE HAUL

Bloor said she just ‘sort of side-shuffled out.’ (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The snake was identified as a carpet python, a non-venomous constrictor commonly found in Australia’s coastal regions.

Despite the frightening encounter, Bloor said she was relieved it was not another animal.

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Toads freak me out,” she said.

Snake catcher Kurt Whyte told ABC News that snake activity has increased with breeding season over and eggs beginning to hatch.

“Obviously, with this hot weather, we’re seeing plenty of them getting out and about and basking in this sun,” Whyte said.

Whyte added that while snake populations have not necessarily increased, sightings are becoming more common as housing developments expand into Australian bushland.

“They have got to find places to live, and our backyards are offering the perfect habitat,” he said.

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He warned that common household features could provide easy access for snakes seeking shelter.

“Unfortunately, the gaps in our garage doors… provide the perfect entry points for a snake,” Whyte said.

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US-backed Palestinian committee shares mission statement on Gaza governance

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US-backed Palestinian committee shares mission statement on Gaza governance

The technocratic body will operate under the direction of Trump’s ‘board of peace’, stacked with pro-Israel figures.

The Palestinian committee tasked with overseeing the future administration of Gaza as part of a US-backed ceasefire plan has released what it says is a “mission statement”, laying out its key priorities and goals.

The general commissioner of the National Committee for Gaza Management (NGAC), Ali Shaath, said that the technocratic body would seek to restore core services and cultivate a society “rooted in peace”.

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“Under the guidance of the Board of Peace, chaired by [US] President Donald J Trump, and with the support and assistance of the High Representative for Gaza, our mission is to rebuild the Gaza Strip not just in infrastructure but also in spirit,” Shaath said in a statement.

The NGAC was established as part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza and authorised under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803. The White House has said it will be concerned with the day-to-day rebuilding and stabilisation of the enclave, “while laying the foundation for long-term, self-sustaining governance”.

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Under Trump’s plan, the reconstruction of Gaza would be broadly overseen by a “board of peace” and more closely guided by a “Gaza executive board”.

The NGAC faces enormous challenges. Gaza has been physically destroyed after more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war, and there is widespread scepticism from Palestinians over how much autonomy the body will have.

Those concerns have been compounded by the presence of firm supporters of Israel, and a lack of Palestinians, so far, on the board of peace and the Gaza executive board.

In his statement, Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, said the body would focus on establishing security control of the Strip, more than half of which remains under direct Israeli control, and restoring basic services destroyed throughout the war.

“We are committed to establishing security, restoring the essential services that form the bedrock of human dignity such as electricity, water, healthcare, and education, as well as cultivating a society rooted in peace, democracy, and justice,” he said.

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“Operating with the highest standards of integrity and transparency, the NCAG will forge a productive economy capable of replacing unemployment with opportunity for all.”

In defiance of an existing ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Israel has maintained severe restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, which UN agencies and humanitarian groups have said is necessary to deliver services to Palestinians.

Hundreds of Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza during that period, bringing the death toll to 71,548 since October 7, 2023.

The board of peace was announced as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement, but letters from Trump inviting foreign leaders to join the body have suggested the US president may see it as a model for bypassing traditional international forums, such as the UN.

In mid-December, Israel announced it was banning more than three dozen international aid organisations from operating in Gaza.

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Some Palestinians also worry that the NGAC’s technocratic approach may circumvent key political questions, such as the creation of a future Palestinian state and an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territory, in favour of a focus on economic development and outside investment opportunities.

In his statement, Shaath said the committee will “embrace peace, through which we strive to secure the path to true Palestinian rights and self determination”.

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