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Europe's oldest person survives Covid just before 117th birthday

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Having battled coronavirus, French nun Sister Andre will celebrate her 117th birthday this week.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that it is time to stop calling associates of Alexey Navalny the 'opposition', with its spokeswoman insisting they are better described as agents of NATO than conventional political figures.

"We should stop calling them the opposition. The opposition is something else," Maria Zakharova said on Thursday to Russia's Channel One. "They are agents of influence, and I will prove it to you now."

Zakharova recalled how key Navalny ally Leonid Volkov revealed last week that they would no longer hold demonstrations in the winter and planned to wait until spring and summer. Then, on Tuesday morning, the Lithuania-based Volkov announced a change of heart, proposing a different form of protest.

"What happened between February 4 and 9? It's trivial, simple and, unfortunate," she said. "Volkov and [Vladimir] Ashurkov [another close Navalny ally who lives in the UK] had an online meeting yesterday with the Polish Permanent Representation to the EU, which was also attended by other EU member states, as well as the United States and Britain."
"One small nuance. This format - the EU countries, plus the US, plus Britain - it's a not the EU, it's NATO." Also on rt.com Call from Navalny allies for international pressure to get activist out of prison proves he is a foreign agent, says Kremlin
In Zakharova's opinion, these countries told Volkov not to wait until spring, and protests must continue immediately.

"No matter how you cover it up, no matter how you call it, this is a meeting with agents of influence to destabilize the situation in a sovereign state," she concluded.

Earlier in the day, speaking to Vesti FM, she called the two Navalny allies traitors.

On Telegram, Volkov revealed that he and Ashurkov spoke to the European Union about a package of personal sanctions he wants the bloc to impose on a select few Russians. The Navalny ally made sure to note that he does not advocate "sanctions against Russia," but "sanctions against the purse strings and propagandists."

"These are sanctions - in the name of Russia, in its interests," he wrote.

Last week, Volkov announced there would be no more protests in support of the activist until later this year. Large rallies were held around the country on January 23 and January 31, but falling attendances amid mass arrests and a heavy police crackdown have caused his team to reassess. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the decision of Navalny's allies to focus on foreign pressure to seek his release from jail is a "complete demonstration" that he deserves to be labeled as a foreign agent.
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'Stop calling them the opposition': Russian Foreign Ministry says Navalny team are 'agents of NATO,' not legitimate politicians

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The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that it is time to stop calling associates of Alexey Navalny the 'opposition', with its spokeswoman insisting they are better described as agents of NATO than conventional political figures. "We should stop calling them the opposition. The opposition is something else," Maria Zakharova said on Thursday to Russia's Channel One.

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This year, even those who usually go all out on Feb. 14 are reconsidering.

Credit... Ashleigh Corrin

Even if he had a partner, Ryan Bailey wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day whipping up an elaborate five-course meal or scattering rose petals over a box of marzipan. Nor would he be whisking his beloved out for a dreamy candlelit dinner.

First of all, Mr. Bailey can't cook. And he lives in Los Angeles, where the Covid-19 situation seems to change daily. As of this writing, outdoor restaurants are open. But who knows what it will look like on Feb. 14?

"I hate to politicize Valentine's Day, but we're still in a pandemic and Fauci said we're not supposed to be touching people," said Mr. Bailey, 39, an acting teacher and host of the "So Bad It's Good" podcast.

The way he sees it, the last thing the world needs right now is a mass-market holiday that pressures people to spend money they don't have on pink-and-red objects they don't need.

So Mr. Bailey is vetoing Valentine's Day this year. Actually, he'd like to eradicate the day altogether, and he believes now is a perfect time to kick off that campaign. What better way to create harmony and unity than by banding together to eliminate a day designed to make people feel bad?

"It's only for Instagrammable moments," Mr. Bailey said. "Girls are trying to impress their girlfriends to show what guys got them. And guys are trying to show that they're good guys."

If we've learned nothing else these past twelve months, it's that expressing gratitude and affection shouldn't be relegated to one misty day in February. Even Godiva - Godiva! - the chocolate company practically synonymous with Valentine's Day, is folding up its heart-shaped boxes and shuttering its 128 store and cafe locations across North America, albeit not until the end of March.

But we don't need a sanctioned holiday to eat chocolate: according to Nielsen data, in 2020 Americans spent nearly $15 billion on chocolate, a 5 percent increase over 2019. (Godiva's online sales have been fine.) According to the National Confectioners Association, chocolate sales in 2020 were even higher at about $21 billion, up five percent from the previous year.

Still, the pandemic has shot an arrow through the love business.

Event planners, normally barraged with inquiries about engagement parties and weddings this time of year, are noticing the lack of enthusiasm.

"Let's just say, times are really different," said Melissa Rosenbloom, a New York-based event planner. While Ms. Rosenbloom won't go so far as to abolish Valentine's Day altogether.

"But to use a buzz word of the moment, we will say that the Hallmark Holiday is on 'pause,'" she said.

It's worth noting that Feb. 14 is an arbitrary date; there's no clear reason it became the international day of love. According to Annebella Pollen, an art and design professor at the University of Brighton in England, and an expert on Valentine's Day, the date originated as a saint's day, although it's unclear which saint it's really celebrating.

"Dozens of Christians named Valentine were martyred and attained sainthood in the early church, but two third-century St. Valentines were especially revered in the early medieval times and both were apparently executed on Feb. 14," said Dr. Pollen in an email.

The association between St. Valentine and love came in the late 14th century with the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who linked the springtime mating of birds to Valentine's Day.

Sending cards to loved ones across the board has gained favor over the last few years with the arrival of the unfortunately named "Galentine's Day" - which clearly exists to make single women feel that they're just as entitled to plunk down cash as their coupled comrades. With that in mind, more cards have been sent to friends, family, and colleagues, said Nora Weiser, the executive director of the Greeting Card Association. (The nonbinary, presumably, have "Palentine's Day.")

This year, even those who typically go all out on Valentine's Day are reconsidering it. Caitlin Kiernan, 50, and Kenny Kaplan, 46, who are engaged, normally spend Feb. 14 dressing up and having a fancy adult dinner. Not now.

"It's freezing cold," said Ms. Kiernan, a former beauty editor who lives in Freehold, N.J., with Mr. Kaplan, his mother and his two children from a former marriage. "I don't know that I want to go outside with a blanket to eat. I'm happy just ordering pizza and I'll tell them to put the pepperoni in the shape of a heart in the middle of it. We'll open a really nice bottle of wine and sit by the fire and just look at each other and thank each other for being able to make it through this year."

Dr. Carly Snyder, a New York-based psychiatrist specializing in women's mental health, believes that the reality of spending almost every waking moment with your partner has made people want to do anything but that. "No one ever signed up to have truly intertwined lives in the way that we've had, and that's stressful and hard," she said.

Dr. Snyderhas been married almost 15 years. She's planning on giving her three young kids chocolate, and that's pretty much it. "It's kind of a silly holiday for anyone who's in a long-term relationship," she said.

Having said that, she acknowledged that it would be nice to show extra love and support right now. " Maybe it's a good excuse to make a show of it for your partner, because it's not easy and you spend so much time together," she said. "Give your partner a hug. Give your friend a hug." She paused. "Well, no, don't give your friend a hug."

Kate Casey, host of the podcast "Reality Life with Kate Casey," has spent the pandemic quarantining with her husband of 14 years, Dan Rodrigues, and their five children. Cupid won't be visiting their home in Newport Beach, Calif.

"I hate the idea that anyone has an expectation or obligation to buy a present to prove their love," said Ms. Casey in an email typical of her sarcastic wit. "I have pushed those five kids out of my vagina. I should be celebrated 365 days a year, not just on Valentine's Day."

Amy Van Doran, a matchmaker in New York, suggests sharing the love on Feb. 14.

"Send your girlfriends, mom, anyone you love some flowers, or a thoughtful treat," she said. No matter how intellectually dumb we think Valentine's Day is, it never offends anyone to be thought of, especially during a loneliness pandemic."

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This year, even those who usually go all out on Feb. 14 are reconsidering. Even if he had a partner, Ryan Bailey wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day whipping up an elaborate five-course meal or scattering rose petals over a box of marzipan. Nor would he be whisking his beloved out for a dreamy candlelit dinner.

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Jacob Chansley, a Capitol rioter also known as Jake Angeli or the "QAnon Shaman," has been transferred to another jail after a judge ruled that he must be served organic food behind bars. The Washington, D.C. correctional facility that was holding him until his trial said it could not provide the special meals, so he was transferred to a facility in Alexandria, Virginia, that agreed to do so.

Chansley, 33, of Arizona, is facing federal felony charges in connection with the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Well known for attending pro-Trump protests in his home state, Chansley was photographed in the Capitol building wearing face paint and an animal horn headdress.

On Monday, Chansley's lawyer, Albert S. Watkins, filed an emergency motion in the D.C. district court asking for organic food or a pre-trial release for Chansley. Watkins said his client had been refusing to eat the jail food because of his shamanism, a faith he noted is recognized by the U.S. government.

"Based on Mr. Jacob Chansley's shamanic belief system and way of life, non-organic food, which contains unnatural chemicals, would act as an 'object intrusion' onto his body and cause serious illness if he were to eat it," the motion reads.

Watkins said Chansley "lost weight in excess of twenty pounds during the last week."

In a press release on Thursday, Watkins said that after an emergency hearing, the court ordered the District of Columbia Department of Corrections to serve Chansley organic food. At the time of the hearing, Chansley had not eaten in just over nine days, Watkins said.

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Since the D.C. Department of Corrections said it could not comply with the court order, Chansley was transferred to a new facility that could.

In a statement to CBS News, Amy Bertsch from the Alexandria Sheriff's Office said Chansley was transferred and booked into the Alexandria Adult Detention Center on Thursday.

"The Alexandria Sheriff's Office has an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to house federal inmates," Bertsch said. "The Marshals asked if our facility could comply with the court order regarding this inmate's diet. We consulted with Aramark, our food service contractor, and Aramark stated they could meet the court's requirements."

Chansley was ordered to be detained until trial after federal prosecutors said he would pose an "ongoing danger to the community" and a flight risk were he to be released.

He was indicted on January 11 by a federal grand jury on two felony charges of interfering with law enforcement during the commission of civil disorder and obstructing a Congressional proceeding, threatening Congressional officials and disorderly conduct. Chansley was also indicted on four misdemeanor counts.

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Capitol riot suspect transferred to another jail so he can eat organic meals

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Jacob Chansley, a Capitol rioter also known as Jake Angeli or the "QAnon Shaman," has been transferred to another jail after a judge ruled that he must be served organic food behind bars. The Washington, D.C.

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Officials from Germany, Poland and Sweden were ordered to depart, on the same day as the E.U.'s foreign policy chief visited Moscow and the opposition leader AlekseiA.Navalny faced a new trial.

Police officers blocking supporters of the jailed opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny on Tuesday night in Moscow. Credit... Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

MOSCOW - Russia on Friday expelled three European diplomats whom it accused of participating in illegal protests in support of the jailed opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny - a move announced as the European Union's foreign policy chief was visiting Moscow and as Mr. Navalny faced a new criminal trial.

The timing of the expulsions of diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden seemed intended to send a message both at home and abroad. In the West, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles, had been criticized for going ahead with a trip to Moscow this week despite the jailing of Mr. Navalny, and for playing down the possibility of new sanctions against Russia.

The Kremlin's decision to expel diplomats from three E.U. member states on the same day as Mr. Borrell's visit signaled that Russia was not prepared to compromise on the Navalny case. Hours before the Foreign Ministry announced the expulsions, Mr. Borrell called for Mr. Navalny's freedom at a news conference alongside Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.

For Russia's domestic audience, the expulsions served as the latest example of what the Kremlin has described as Western interference fomenting public discontent. The Foreign Ministry said representatives of Germany, Poland and Sweden had been summoned and notified that three of their embassies' diplomats had been identified as participants in unauthorized pro-Navalny rallies on Jan. 23.

"It was underscored that such actions from their side are unacceptable and do not accord with their diplomatic status," the Foreign Ministry said. "They have been ordered to leave the Russian Federation as soon as possible."

Mr. Borrell said he learned of the expulsions during his meeting with Mr. Lavrov and "strongly condemned" them. Sweden called the expulsion of its diplomat "completely unfounded." Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said she had learned of them during a video conference with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Friday.

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The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles, left, and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia at a news conference after talks in Moscow on Friday. Credit... Russian Foreign Ministry, via Reuters

"We consider these expulsions to be unjustified and believe them to be another facet of the detachment from the rule of law that can be observed in Russia at this time," Ms. Merkel said.

Mr. Navalny survived a nerve-agent poisoning in Siberia last summer and recovered in Germany, accusing Mr. Putin of having tried to kill him. Then he returned to Moscow last month despite facing near-certain arrest.

His arrival set off the biggest nationwide anti-Kremlin protests of recent years and brought an enormous crackdown on the opposition, with more than 10,000 arrests in the last three weeks. The Kremlin's show of force suggests that Mr. Putin sees the longtime gadfly as a significant threat - and that the president will not shy away from bringing the government's vast resources to bear on stifling dissent.

The Kremlin denies any involvement in Mr. Navalny's poisoning and says detentions at unauthorized protests are justified and lawful. On Friday, Mr. Navalny faced a new criminal trial - this time on charges of slandering a war veteran - while his supporters geared up for what they expect to be a yearslong battle against the Kremlin.

The start of the new trial came three days after a different court sentenced Mr. Navalny to two years and eight months in prison for violating his parole on a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Europe's top human rights court later ruled was politically motivated.

The trial, in which Mr. Navalny is not expected to face more prison time, appeared to be a vehicle for the Kremlin to tie his team up further in the courts while also giving the state news media a fresh opportunity to tar the opposition leader's image. The slander offense that Mr. Navalny is being tried for was punishable by a fine or community service when he was charged with it last year, though lawmakers have since increased the potential punishment to up to two years in prison.

Prosecutors accuse Mr. Navalny of slandering a World War II veteran in social media posts last year. The posts criticized people who support President Vladimir V. Putin's constitutional amendments approved last July that allow him to remain in power until 2036.

"You're using him and his medals to defend Putin the thief and all of his thieving friends," Mr. Navalny said in court on Friday, according to a recording.

Mr. Navalny can still appeal his prison sentence in the previous trial, and his allies are working to prepare their supporters for a long fight ahead.

One of Mr. Navalny's top aides, Leonid Volkov, said his camp would not be calling for more street protests in the coming weeks because it needed to regroup before nationwide parliamentary elections that are scheduled for September.

"This is a path that could take several years, but this is our plan," Mr. Volkov said. "We need to preserve our candidates for the election, and we need to preserve our campaign offices."

The Navalny camp's strategy is to build up pressure on the Kremlin and chip away at Mr. Putin's legitimacy, with the expectation that sooner or later, his authority will collapse amid discontent in the general public and in the ruling elite.

An image provided by Moscow's Babushkinsky district court on Friday, showing Mr. Navalny inside a glass cell during a court hearing. Credit... Moscow's Babushkinsky district court, via Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

Mr. Navalny's allies abroad, including Mr. Volkov, are also increasingly engaging with Western governments in the hopes of persuading them to impose sanctions on people close to Mr. Putin.

"If we keep going out every week, we'll get thousands more arrested and hundreds more beaten up and the work of the campaign offices will be paralyzed," Mr. Volkov said. "We will get Aleksei out of prison, first and foremost, using foreign-policy methods."

Mr. Navalny, in a letter from jail that his team published late Thursday, called on his supporters to keep up the fight.

"The iron doors slam shut behind me with a deafening clang, but I feel like a free man," Mr. Navalny wrote. "They can hold onto power, using it for personal gain, only by relying on our fear. But we, having overcome fear, can free our homeland from a little bunch of thieving occupiers."

In court on Friday, Mr. Navalny tried to cast the slander case against him as a narrative concocted by Kremlin propaganda specialists who were seeking to take advantage of the Russian public's sympathy for World War II veterans.

Mr. Navalny's offense, according to prosecutors, was a tweet last June in which he described people appearing in a video agitating for Mr. Putin's constitutional amendments as "traitors," "people without a conscience."

One of the people in that video was the veteran Ignat Artemenko, 94, whom prosecutors later picked out as a particular victim of Mr. Navalny's alleged slander.

Mr. Artemenko appeared in court by video link, but the trial was soon interrupted because he was not feeling well and an ambulance had to be called, according to journalists in the courtroom.

"I told you that they'd need to call an ambulance for him!" Mr. Navalny said.

"Let the record show that it was Aleksei Anatolyevich Navalny who brought him to this state," the prosecutor said.

Steven Erlanger contributed reporting from Brussels, and Melissa Eddy from Berlin.

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Russia Expels European Diplomats Over Navalny Protests, Defying the West

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Officials from Germany, Poland and Sweden were ordered to depart, on the same day as the E.U.'s foreign policy chief visited Moscow and the opposition leader AlekseiA.Navalny faced a new trial. MOSCOW - Russia on Friday expelled three European diplomats whom it accused of participating in illegal protests in support of the jailed opposition leader Aleksei A.

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The US Senate has found that the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, allowing full proceedings to begin.

Mr Trump's defence team argued that he could not face trial after leaving the White House.

But a 56-44 majority voted in favour of continuing, with a handful of Republicans backing the measure.

Mr Trump is accused of "inciting insurrection" when Congress was stormed last month.

Thousands gathered in support of false claims that widespread electoral fraud denied Mr Trump victory in the US presidential election.

However Mr Trump is almost certain to be acquitted because only six Republican senators voted to move forward with impeachment, well short of the 17 Republicans whose votes would be needed to convict Mr Trump.

Democrats prosecuting the case opened the proceedings by showing a dramatic video montage of Mr Trump's 6 January speech and the deadly rioting by some of his supporters.

"That's a high crime and misdemeanour," Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland said of the footage. "If that's not an impeachable offence, then there's no such thing."

Lawyers for the former president argued it was unconstitutional to put a former president through the process at all and accused Democrats of being politically motivated.

A two-thirds majority is required to convict Mr Trump in the evenly split 100-seat Senate. Tuesday's vote implies loyalty toward the former president in his party remains high enough to avoid a conviction.

However, if convicted, Mr Trump could be barred from holding office again.

What happened on Tuesday?

Proceedings opened with impeachment managers - the Democrats tasked with leading the prosecution - arguing their attempts were legitimate.

In the 10-minute video used in their presentation, Mr Trump was shown telling his supporters to "fight like hell" before they stormed the US Capitol in violence that resulted in five deaths - including a police officer.

Rep Raskin was brought to tears as he recounted fear for his own family's safety during the riot after he was separated from his visiting daughter.

"This cannot be the future of America," he told senators, who act as jurors for impeachment.

"We cannot have presidents inciting and mobilising mob violence against our government and our institutions because they refuse to accept the will of the people under the Constitution of the United States."

He argued there could be no "January exception" to impeaching outgoing officials without risking a dangerous precedent.

Lawyers for Mr Trump then took the stand to outline their arguments with detailed complaints and allegations about due process and the constitutionality of proceedings.

Former Pennsylvania prosecutor Bruce Castor opened the defence with a meandering presentation that was met with a critical reception by even allies of Mr Trump.

A second lawyer, David Schoen, was more pointed. He showed videos dating back to 2017 as evidence of what he labelled as an "insatiable lust for impeachment" among Democratic lawmakers.

"What they really want to accomplish here in the name of the Constitution is to bar Donald Trump from ever running for political office again, but this is an affront to the Constitution no matter who they target today," he told senators.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, one of the six to vote with Democrats, said after that the House prosecution had "made a compelling, cogent case and the president's team did not".

Reports in US media suggest Mr Trump - whose Twitter account has been banned - expressed anger at his lawyers' performance while watching on television from Florida.

Impeachment: The basics

What is impeachment? Impeachment is when a sitting president is charged with crimes. In this case, former President Trump is accused of having incited insurrection

What has already happened? The House of Representatives voted to impeach Mr Trump for a second time on 13 January, a week before the end of his term. The Senate will now hold a trial

So what does it mean? As he is no longer president senators can vote to bar him from holding public office again

Final outcome all but certain

Donald Trump's Senate trial is just getting started. The final outcome, however, is all but certain.

When the first substantive vote of the proceedings was taken on Tuesday - a vote about whether to have a trial at all - only six Republicans sided with all 50 Democrats to continue. That is well short of the 17 Republicans that will be needed to convict.

The grim reality for Democrats is that making the case for the constitutionality of the trial should have been the easy part. They had precedent on their side. Nothing in the language of the Constitution explicitly said a former president cannot stand trial. But only one senator - Bill Cassidy of Louisiana - appeared to shift from a previous position to join the Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had reportedly been "pleased" that the House was impeaching Mr Trump, voted no. He, more than anyone in the Senate chamber, knows the mood of his fellow Republicans.

Democrats will now proceed with their case. They may make more heartfelt arguments that could resonate with the majority of Americans who polls indicate favour convicting Donald Trump. Inside the chamber, however, it appears minds are already made up.

What will happen next?

Each side now has up to 16 hours to present their case, starting at 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Wednesday. These arguments are expected to run through until the weekend when senators will get a chance to ask both sides questions.

It is unclear if the impeachment managers will then extend the timetable by requesting witnesses be called or subpoenaed - though Mr Trump has already declined to voluntarily testify.

Lawmakers on both sides are said to favour a quick trial, amid an ongoing effort to have President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package approved.

With the speedy timetable, it is thought a Senate vote on whether to acquit or convict Mr Trump could be held as early as Monday.

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Trump impeachment: Senate says trial is constitutional and can go ahead

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The US Senate has found that the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, allowing full proceedings to begin. Mr Trump's defence team argued that he could not face trial after leaving the White House. But a 56-44 majority voted in favour of continuing, with a handful of Republicans backing the measure.