AFP, Moscow
Russian prosecutors on Thursday asked a court to free a jailed actor and give him a non-custodial sentence in a case that has sparked protests and a star-studded solidarity campaign, in an apparent climbdown for the authorities.
Actor Pavel Ustinov, 23, was this week sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for violence against police at an opposition protest, despite his insistence he was simply a bystander.
US expels 2 Cuban diplomats, citing ‘influence operations’
AP, Washington
The U.S. announced Thursday that it is expelling two Cuban diplomats and restricting travel of members of Cuba’s permanent mission to the United Nations as leaders gather from around the world for the annual U.N. General Assembly.
The Cuban diplomats who are being expelled are attached to the U.N. mission and tried to “conduct influence operations against the United States,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. She provided no details on the allegations and the diplomats’ names weren’t released.
Blast in Yemen kills 6 govt troops, Saudi officer
AP, Sanaa
Yemeni security officials said Wednesday an explosion targeting a government military convoy killed at least six Yemeni troops and one Saudi Arabian officer.
The blast took place in the eastern Hadramawt province, far from the part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, and also wounded at least 13 soldiers, many of them Saudi. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen has carried out similar attacks in the area.
Tropical storm kills two in Houston, halts flights
Reuters, Houston
Tropical Storm Imelda dumped torrential rains over the Houston-area, killing at least two people, while rescuers in boats pulled hundreds from flooded cars, the airport temporarily halted flights and tens of thousands of people lost power.
Heavy rains had abated by Thursday evening, although flash flood watches remained in effect through Friday morning and rescuers were still working to reach stranded motorists and those trapped in homes late into the night as floodwaters were slow to drain off.
Turkish coast guards rescue 15; child missing
AP, Brussels
Turkish coast guards have rescued 14 migrants and their Turkish smuggler after their rubber boat sank off Turkey’s Aegean coast while trying to reach Greece. A search-and-rescue mission is still underway to find a missing infant.
The Turkish Coast Guard said the boat went down Friday off Turkey’s Aegean resort of Yalikavak, on the Bodrum peninsula.
