A Prison Death Highlights Russia’s LGBTQ Crackdown

[ad_1] The travel agency offered tours aimed solely at men, and that was enough to attract the attention of the police enforcing new Russian laws that restrict the rights of gay people. One night in December, officers stormed the apartment of the agency’s owner and tied him up, he later told a court. “Fifteen people … Read more

Putin Keeps Pushing, With Trump and in Ukraine War

[ad_1] The White House, for two months, has warmly embraced the Kremlin. But President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has given little in return, despite his professed willingness to cooperate. His forces have carried on bombarding Ukraine, both on the front and deep into the Ukrainian heartland. He has barely budged in peace negotiations, freighting … Read more

A NATO Plane Tracks and Dodges Russia in the Baltic Sea

[ad_1] The French naval patrol plane descended rapidly through the clouds, leveling off at 900 feet above the Baltic Sea, practically skimming the waves. The target was a Russian warship, which came into view off the plane’s port side, dark gray against a light gray horizon. The aircraft, an Atlantique 2 of the French Navy, … Read more

Sofia Gubaidulina, Composer Who Provoked Soviet Censors, Dies at 93

[ad_1] Sofia Gubaidulina, a Tatar-Russian composer who defied Soviet dogma with her openly religious music and after decades of suppression moved to the West, where she was feted by major orchestras, died on Thursday at her home in Appen, Germany. She was 93. Carol Ann Cheung, of Boosey & Hawkes, Ms. Gubaidulina’s publisher, said the … Read more