GENEVA (AP) — A U.N. expert monitoring human rights in Russia said Monday that “repression is escalating,” targeting civilians, journalists and even Ukrainian prisoners of war in an attempt to silence dissent and opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Mariana Katzarova, the U.N. special rapporteur focusing on human rights in Russia, presented her latest report that said Russian authorities have stepped up their use of “criminal prosecution, long-term imprisonment, torture and ill-treatment” to quell opposition to the war ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

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“The repression is escalating … and becoming massive,” Katzarova told journalists before presenting the report to the Human Rights Council, which created her post after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“The masterminds of this repression are employing new elaborate tools against a total impunity for their actions: Torture is also part of this equation, as a tool,” she said.

Her report said that over the one year covered, starting in mid-2024, the number of prosecutions increased, “with at least 3,905 individuals convicted on administrative or criminal charges for peaceful dissent.”

Most recently, Katzarova noted that through July, more than 150 children aged 14 to 17 were added to the federal list of “extremists” and “terrorists,” she reported, adding that some were accused of treason and subjected to torture to extract confessions.

By mid-July, a total of 1,040 individuals and organizations — nearly one-quarter of them journalists — had been designated as “foreign agents,” including 133 added since January.

“Torture and ill-treatment in the Russian Federation remain widespread and systematic, affecting not only Russian citizens but also Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees,” the report said. “At least 258 cases of torture by law enforcement, prison staff, and inmates acting under orders of prison authorities were documented in 2024/25.”

Katzarova recounted how one Ukrainian man captured by Russian troops was interrogated and subjected to electric shocks. Then, a Moscow doctor had to operate on him to save his life.

“The surgery was perfect, but when the guy woke up, he saw that there were extra bandages on his stomach. And this Russian doctor has burned, with the medical tool: ‘Victory! Glory to Russia’ on his stomach,” said Katzarova, a Bulgarian who formerly headed investigations on human rights in Russia for Amnesty International.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva declined to comment, referring to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement earlier this month that stated Moscow “does not recognize the mandate of this illegitimate special procedure” — the post held by Katzarova — “and any form of interaction with it is unacceptable for the Russian Federation.”

By Ryan Behr, Tribune News Service

There is much more to do in Europe than visiting landmarks on a fixed schedule with a tour guide who attempts to sound excited about 14th-century architecture. I am not against taking tours when you go to a foreign country, but I am opposed to having a fixed regimen when traveling. From some experience (I am still in high school), I can attest that having everything planned in advance can take away from the sense of freedom and wonder you get when you enter a country that is different from your own.

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I am just back from a European excursion with my father, having visited together numerous destinations across the northern region of the continent. We began in an unusually sunny Hamburg, Germany, where we stayed for five nights before taking the relaxing five-hour train ride to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Before long, an issue presented itself: although we had both been to Germany a few times in the last five or so years, I had never seen Denmark, and my father had last been there before I was born. As a result, aside from some brief online searches, we did not have any prior knowledge of activities to do or places to see, aside from the event the trip was essentially planned around: an FC Kobenhavn football (soccer) match.

The feeling of not knowing what we were going to do was actually liberating. It opened up a myriad of possibilities – except for long walks because my dad was suffering from a leg issue that hampered his ability to manage more than a few city blocks a day. That meant my suggested eight-mile walk around the city was out of the question.

When one looks up “Copenhagen pictures” online, almost all the immediate search results are of the port called Nyhavn, literally meaning “new port.” We decided to take the three-minute, two-stop metro ride to get there from our hotel, the Villa Copenhagen. Upon arriving, one is greeted with a multitude of beautiful canal-front buildings ranging in color from a pale yellow and blue to a dark red and brown. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that there were boat tours available, so I directed my father’s attention to them, and we decided to go on the nearest one, which was leaving in bare minutes.

Ships in Nyhavn, the canal district of Copenhagen. (Alan Behr/Alan Behr/TNS)

The canal boats cannot be much more than about six feet tall above the waterline because of the need to travel under low canal bridges. If a boat were just one foot taller, it would likely collide with a bridge and result in some very tedious paperwork.

Upon entering our canal boat, we were greeted by a polite teenaged Danish boy named Emil. He was not only fluent in both Danish and English – the two languages the tours were usually conducted in – but he also, at the request of two German passengers, provided commentary in their language as well. On the boat there were three seating sections. The bow area, which was not covered, consisted of about ten seats; the main section directly behind that was covered on the sides and on top by durable glass, and a third open section at the stern held only a few people, some in wheelchairs. We tried the bow until spray drove us literally indoors.

The Little Mermaid, from a waterborne view. (Alan Behr/Alan Behr/TNS)

Throughout the trip, Emil made the experience very enjoyable by cracking jokes in three languages and keeping the passengers engaged by insightful commentary about all destinations. We traveled through some of the lesser-known districts and got to see Copenhageners through a lens that someone who booked a walking tour might not have had the benefit of seeing. After disembarking and buying an overpriced seafood lunch, we headed towards the famed Tivoli Gardens, which was thankfully only a block away from our base at the Villa Copenhagen, directly opposite the main train station.

The Tivoli Gardens ended up being a delight; my dad and I rode bumper cars, ate cotton candy and got to shoot air guns side-by-side. I beat him at first — before he got one very lucky quadruple-bullseye round and won us two little stuffed bears. (He does not let me forget he learned to shoot while growing up on a ranch.)

Ryan Behr in the shooting gallery of Tivoli Gardens. (Alan Behr/Alan Behr/TNS)

The next day, however, we found ourselves wondering how to spend our time. Being a big fan of New York City FC (the professional soccer club of my hometown), I decided to look up if there were any football games happening near us. It was then when I happened to remember that, courtesy of a bridge over the Oresund Strait, Copenhagen is a short train ride from the city of Malmo, Sweden. Almost as a joke, I looked up whether Malmo’s top football team, Malmo FF, would be playing that evening. To my shock, it turned out that, within hours, they were to play an important game to qualify for a continental competition.

The polular Hojbro Plads (High Bridge Square) in central Copenhagen. (Alan Behr/Alan Behr/TNS)

After putting on warmer clothes, we embarked upon our unexpected jaunt into another country. Upon arriving, we got to observe the immense pride this city of more than 365,000 inhabitants has for its team. Flags with the team badge were all over the busy Mollevangstorget Square, and restaurants there were serving fixed game-day meals to cater to the fans on their way to Eleda Stadion. We managed to find a restaurant owned by one of the around 2,000 Indians in the city and were treated to a tasty and unique dining experience.

After taking the 20-minute cab ride to the stadium, and speaking with a taxi driver about the pride he felt both for his new team as a longtime immigrant, we reached the stadium with ample time to do some merch shopping. Arriving at our seats just before the start of the game, my newly bought Malmo FF scarf in hand, I noted that Malmo’s ultras, or hard-core supporters, were very impressive. I saw a seemingly endless swarm of flags, drums, pyro and jerseys and scarves with the team logo, the supporters singing, chanting and cheering in unison. I loved that some of their chants were taken from the same South American team songs from which NYCFC fans get theirs, so I knew some of the words. They also sang a team song to the tune of The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B”; my father and I had a good laugh at when we recognized the familiar tune.

FC Kobenhavn vs. Odense Boldklub, Parken. (Alan Behr/Alan Behr/TNS)

Following a win by Malmo FF, I chatted with some fans who were eager to profess their love for their club; what stuck out to me was the immense pride and passion this city has for its football team.

A few days later, after much anticipation, came the main event: FC Kobenhavn vs. Odense in the almost 40,000-seat Parken Stadium, just twenty minutes away from our hotel. My first brush with Danish club fans happened right in front of the map in the metro station. I was asking a man, whose name I later found out was Arne, for directions, but he seemed as lost as I did. I then saw the scarf he was wearing: it was of the rival team, Odense! We eventually found our way, and alongside his Scottish friend, Craig, boarded the crowded train and talked for the whole ride about U.S. Major League Soccer, why my dad and I were there, why we should support Odense (so insisted Arne), how Odense had a rivalry with Copenhagen because the capital’s citizens supposedly look down upon those who live elsewhere — and why we should support Odense (so insisted Arne).

Because Parken is almost twice as large in terms of capacity than the stadium in Malmo, I had high expectations for the enthusiasm of the local team’s ultras. Throughout the game, however, I found myself secretly rooting for the other team, as I felt connected to the city of Odense because of that one very kind man who had shown the heart to talk to me alongside a Scotsman for an entire train ride. For me, wherever in the world I have visited so far and seen games, that connection among supporters is what football is all about.

(Ryan Behr is a junior at Columbia Prep in New York City who often travels abroad with his dad.)

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Ahead of a 50th anniversary screening of “Jaws” this month at the AMC Theatres in Century City, even the trailers were nostalgic.

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Moviegoers saw previews of Marty McFly taking flight in a DeLorean in 1985’s “Back to the Future,” the Von Trapp family sharing a musical picnic in the Austrian hills in 1965’s “The Sound of Music” and Tom Hanks launching into space in 1995’s “Apollo 13.”

And those are just a few of the movies that are returning to theaters this year to celebrate landmark anniversaries.

The box office shows there’s a demand to be met, as many classic titles outearn various new releases during opening weekends.

Over Labor Day weekend, “Jaws” came in as the second-highest-grossing movie with a domestic opening of $8.2 million, behind Zach Cregger’s horror hit “Weapons.” Steven Spielberg’s breakout blockbuster was shown in 3,200 theaters and made around $15 million worldwide. Earlier this year, the 20th anniversary screening of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” also ranked second with $25 million for its opening weekend, under Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” It raked in about $55 million worldwide, bringing the title’s total gross box office to more than $900 million.

It’s almost as if movie studios, filmgoers and theater owners alike are pining for a time when the movie business, now struggling more than five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, was the center of popular culture in the U.S. Before social media and Netflix dominated people’s attention.

David Berger, who owns the Ojai Playhouse, a 111-year-old theater with one screen and 200 seats, finds that when studios come to him with a digitally restored classic, he’ll probably see strong attendance. On Sept. 10, he played a 40th anniversary screening of “The Breakfast Club” and sold 125 tickets.

“It’s about getting away from streaming and taking a break from your phone and the world — really just letting the magic of movies do its thing,” Berger said. “So, we book a lot of nostalgic repertory anniversary films, and they do really well. Sales overall are really up.”

Studio executives and moviegoers offer competing theories about why older titles are getting traction on the big screen. Some see it as an anniversary year coincidence. Others look at it as a way to cushion theaters’ thin movie slates, which have not recovered from the pandemic. Some think it’s a way to keep movie theaters in business, as these screenings tend to happen in the middle of the week and help maintain steady crowds.

By the end of 2025, there will have been roughly 100 anniversary and re-release showings brought to screens around the country, according to Comscore. In 2019, Comscore shows that there were a little over 60 re-release and anniversary screenings.

Before the pandemic, most such screenings were for one or two days and were hosted by specialized distributors, such as Fathom Entertainment. Re-releases and anniversaries weren’t often screened as traditional releases from major studios. That’s been changing ever since.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, says audiences should expect an uptick of re-releases whenever a year ends with a 0 or a 5.

Titles with loyal fanbases, like 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice” ($6 million), 1990’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” ($4 million) and 1975’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” ($1.1 million) have capitalized on this market. These films didn’t have a chance to celebrate in 2020, when theaters were closed because of COVID-19.

The rising interest has boosted the business of Fathom, which for more than 20 years has specialized in bringing oldies back to theaters, as well as various documentaries, performing arts shows and faith-based content. Chief Executive Ray Nutt has also noted an increased interest in the area. Anniversary showings of these “classics” tend to make up between 20% and 40% of Fathom’s annual revenue, equating to $20 million or more.

“I’m proud to say that over the last two years, we’ve increased our revenue by 45% and 48% respectively,” said Nutt. “We’ve had record-breaking years, and classics have been a really important part of that.”

Fathom and Lionsgate are gearing up for the return of the “Twilight” saga to theaters for its 20th anniversary. All five films, along with roundtable footage with author Stephenie Meyer, will be screening around the country from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2. Kevin Grayson, Lionsgate’s head of distribution, said the series is slated to screen in about 1,000 theaters. But with strong presales, he said the footprint will probably expand to 1,500 to 2,000 locations.

“‘Twilight’ has been out for a long time,” Grayson said. “But after seeing the significant ticket sales it has already brought in, you can tell people want that communal experience.”

Executives say these showing are good for business and come with little downside.

Studios can dust off a movie they already own and create hype through marketing. The screenings may appeal to fans who may have never seen the movie on the big screen before. While they’re not as profitable as a massive new blockbuster, the additional revenue makes them worth the effort.

“We make a real business out of [these screenings] every single year,” said Jim Orr, Universal Pictures’ president of domestic theatrical distribution. “Everyone understands that the best way to experience a movie is truly on the big screen.”

Even with re-releases, franchises come out on top.

Disney had a 30th anniversary screening of “Toy Story” over the weekend, ahead of the new “Toy Story 5” hitting theaters next year. The studio is also presenting a re-release of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a few months before the newest installment, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” arrives in December.

“It’s expensive to market a movie on a global basis,” said Andrew Cripps, Disney’s theatrical distribution head. “When you’ve got an established franchise and you’re building on something that’s had an audience in the past, it’s a lot easier to build your campaign on top of that, rather than starting from scratch.”

Last year, there were indicators that demonstrated the audience’s growing demand to see older movies on the big screen. “Interstellar” earned $15.2 million for its Imax re-entry, and “Coraline” achieved $34 million to commemorate its 15th anniversary.

Many moviegoers attending an evening screening of “Jaws” said they wanted to see the movie “the way it was intended,” embracing the communal experience of fear and laughter in the theater.

“I haven’t seen ‘Jaws’ in years, and seeing it on the big screen felt ceremonial in a way,” said Culver City-based Ella Paseua, a recent subscriber to AMC’s Stubs A-List subcription program. “I could watch it at home. But these anniversary screenings are meant for the community. People were applauding when the shark was caught. You don’t get that at home.”

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech giant Oracle will receive a copy of TikTok’s algorithm to operate for U.S. users, according to a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday.

Determining next steps for the algorithm, currently owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance, has been one of the most closely watched issues during negotiations over TikTok’s future.

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The Trump administration official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the emerging deal, said they believe the plan will satisfy national security concerns over a Chinese company potentially manipulating what is being shown to platform users.

Full details on investors have not been released. However, the official confirmed that Silver Lake, a private equity firm, is part of the investment group.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, signed bipartisan legislation before leaving office requiring ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, to sell its assets to an American company or face a ban.

Trump, a Republican, has extended the deadline several times as he worked to reach a deal to keep TikTok available. He spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.