Tuesday Briefing: Navalny’s widow speaks out

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February 20, 2024

By Amelia Nierenberg Writer, Briefings

Good morning. We’re covering a message from Aleksei Navalny’s widow and an Israeli proposal for the Aqsa Mosque compound.

Plus, our critic’s awards for weird and wild performances.

“I am going to continue the work of Aleksei Navalny and continue to fight for our country,” Yulia Navalnaya said. via Alexei Navalny YouTube channel

Navalny’s widow vowed to continue his work

In a video released yesterday, Yulia Navalnaya said she would carry on her husband’s work to challenge President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule and called on his followers to rally alongside her.

“I ask you to share my rage,” she told Navalny’s followers in the video posted to his YouTube feed, “to share my rage, anger and hatred of those who have dared to kill our future.”

She blamed Putin for her husband’s death and suggested that Navalny’s team was investigating the circumstances of his death in prison, which was announced by Russian authorities on Friday.

Analysis: Navalnaya, 47, has long shunned the spotlight. But now, she is poised to emerge as a leader of the fractured pro-democracy movement. The dangers and hurdles she faces in trying to unite the opposition from outside Russia are significant.

Crackdown: At least 366 people have been detained in 39 cities across Russia since Navalny was pronounced dead, according to rights groups. Anton Troianovski, our Moscow bureau chief, told us that rights groups had said many of those detained were just laying flowers.

“Even doing that is a very dangerous statement in today’s Russia,” he said. “And at the same time, on state television, which is the main news medium in Russia today, there is pretty much no reporting on what has happened.”

For more: The Times has obtained some of the letters Navalny wrote in his final months, which show his relentlessly active mind, the depth of his resolve and his signature deadpan wit.

Clashes at the Aqsa compound have often led to wider violence. Afif Amireh for The New York Times

Israel may restrict access to the Aqsa Mosque

Israel’s government is discussing whether to bar some members of Israel’s Arab minority from attending prayers at the Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, which starts next month.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that a decision on the matter had already been reached, without saying what it was. But two officials said a final decision would be made after the government received recommendations from the security services in the coming days.

The move to further restrict access was promoted in the Israeli cabinet by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister for national security, who has long pushed for greater Jewish control over the site. In recent days, he had warned that Muslim worshipers might use access to the mosque to display support for Hamas.

Background: The mosque complex is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, who call it the Temple Mount, and is a chronic flashpoint.

Separately, the International Court of Justice began six days of hearings over the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. It is set to issue an advisory opinion within weeks.

This photo released by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary shows a patrol in the highlands.  Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A gunfight in Papua New Guinea killed dozens

The death toll stood at 26 from a gunfight that broke out Sunday between tribal groups in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea. Limited water and other resources, as well as disagreements over private land, have long set off tensions. The death toll has been rising recently as tribespeople move from using traditional weapons to high-powered firearms, often brought in from overseas.

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The U.S. said a missile launched from Yemen damaged the ship, the Rubymar. Mehmet Caliskan/Reuters

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A Morning Read

The hightops are as shiny as the chandeliers at Mar-a-Lago.  Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Donald Trump is selling $399 gilded hightops: the “Never Surrender” sneakers. Our chief fashion critic, Vanessa Friedman, writes that the shoes are meant to mock the criminal indictments he faces, as part of a dangerous “merching of the moment.”

Lives lived: William Beecher, a Times journalist, in 1969 revealed President Richard Nixon’s secret bombing campaign over Cambodia during the Vietnam War. He died at 90.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

The year’s weird performances

We’re in the middle of the movie award season. So Wesley Morris, our critic at large, decided to give out his own awards for categories that don’t exist at the Oscars. Among his picks:

Best Acting on a Landline: Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Chris Messina, in “Air.” The movie is set in 1984. Wesley celebrates the actors who neck-cradle the handset, hold it at a comical distance, screaming into it, and cuddle it close.

Best Theft of a Movie: Ryan Gosling, in “Barbie.” He goes so hard at the joke that Ken is supposed to be telling on men that the performance is bizarro: Strength is weakness, coolness is lame, knowledge is ignorance, Wesley writes.

Best Gonzo Performance: Emma Stone, in “Poor Things.” The movie — in which Stone plays a willful reanimated corpse — demands a comedian’s sensibility as her character moves from savant to simpleton to sophisticate.

Read Wesley’s full awards list.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook: Rich with pork, this hot and sour soup is a Chinese classic.

Watch: Liked “Saltburn”? Try “The Dreamers,” an Italian coming-of-age drama from 2004.

Read: Our editors recommend these new works of fiction from Congo, Sweden, Bolivia and India.

Decorate: Don’t overdo it with the wallpaper.

Tease: Big bouffants are back.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

P.S. The Times won three George Polk awards, including two for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

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