At least 26 people were killed when a speedboat packed with passengers collided with a vessel transporting sand on Monday in the latest maritime disaster to hit Bangladesh.

Police said the speedboat carrying about three dozen passengers from the town of Mawa rammed into the other vessel in the Padma river as it neared the main river station in the central rural town of Shibchar.
-We have so far recovered 26 bodies including a woman. We have also rescued five injured people including three children- police official Amir Hossain told AFP.
Hossain said the bow of the passenger boat was destroyed when the speedboat smashed into the side of the transport vessel, sinking in the river in minutes.
-Police, the fire brigade and army rescue teams are on the spot, conducting search and rescue work- he said.
Witness Abdur Rahman said there was a loud noise when the boats collided and the vessels then overturned.
-When we rushed to the spot we found the speedboat torn into two pieces. Hundreds of villagers immediately started conducting rescue work before they were joined by police and the fire brigade- he said.
Bangladesh is building the country's largest road and railway bridge near the accident spot and police said officers were immediately at the scene.
Construction work has slowed ferry transport on the river, prompting many to take the journey on less safe speedboats, which take only about 15 minutes to make the crossing in contrast to up to two hours on safer ferries.
The government administrator of Shibchar district said up to five people were believed to be missing.
He said the driver of the speedboat would be investigated as he appeared to have hit the transport vessel, which was moored at the time.
-A probe has been ordered into the accident- he said.
Maritime accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers. 
Experts blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for many of the accidents.
Vessels transporting sand sit low in the water and can be hard to see in choppy conditions, particularly when light is poor.
In early April, more than 30 people died when a packed ferry with around 50 passengers hurrying home from the central city of Narayanganj ahead of an impending coronavirus lockdown collided with a larger cargo vessel.
In June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people.
In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo boat.

Maritime accidents are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers

Bangladesh is building the country's largest road and railway bridge near the accident spot and police said officers were immediately at the scene

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said Thursday. 

-NATO Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process- a NATO official told AFP. 
Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington's longest war.
The decision -- which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump -- came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country.
The NATO official said the safety of the alliance's troops "will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm". 
-Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response. We plan to have our withdrawal completed within a few months- the official said, refusing to give any further details on the timeline. 
Biden said the US withdrawal would be completed by September 11, the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America that sparked its military involvement in Afghanistan. 
Germany's defence ministry has said it plans to get its 1,300 troops out of the country by early July. 
NATO's training and support mission, which includes some 2,500 US troops and relies heavily on Washington's military assets, has personnel from 36 alliance member nations and partner countries.
The US has said it is temporarily deploying extra troops to protect international forces as they withdraw and has prolonged the presence of an aircraft carrier in the region to support the pull-out.&nbsp;

Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington's longest war

US, NATO, and Afghan commando forces at a checkpoint during a patrol against ISIS militants at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province.

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

At least one person died and 18 others were wounded after clashes erupted on Thursday between the militaries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at a disputed section of the Central Asian nations' border.

Kyrgyzstan's health ministry said in a statement that there were 17 casualties in the clashes, including "one fatality". 
Tajikistan's security committee said two of its citizens had been injured, with one in serious condition. 
The fighting followed a reported conflict over water infrastructure at the frontier between the two countries, which have had a series of border disputes since gaining independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
More than a third of the border is disputed, with the area surrounding the de-facto Tajik exclave of Vorukh, where Thursday's conflict erupted, a regular point of clashes over territory and access to water.
Kyrgyzstan's national security committee said that the Tajik side "deliberately provoked a conflict" at the border.
-Shooting has begun between the military units of the (two countries). According to preliminary information, the Tajik side is setting up positions for mortar fire- the committee said.
Tajikistan's security committee accused Kyrgyz servicemen of "opening fire on Tajik troops at the site of the Golovnaya water distribution point, located in the upper reaches of the Isfara River." 
Its national security committee said two people had been admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds, one of whom was in a serious condition. 
It said Kyrgyz and Tajik civilians had on Wednesday become embroiled in a conflict over river infrastructure. 
Seven Tajik nationals were injured after Kyrgyz threw stones at them, it said. 
Border disagreements between the three countries that share the fertile Fergana Valley -- Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- have their roots in border demarcations during the Soviet Union. 
The knotting, twisting frontiers left several communities with restricted access to their home countries.

At least one person died and 18 others were wounded

The fighting followed a reported conflict over water infrastructure at the frontier between the two countries

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan armies exchange fire on disputed border

The roof over the most important Aztec temple in Mexico City has partially collapsed in a hailstorm, officials said, just one day after the capital's archaeological zone reopened from pandemic closures.

The modern roof, made of metal and acrylic panels, was installed to protect the ancient ruins underneath. 
The extent of damage on Wednesday to the famed Templo Mayor in the city's historic zone was not immediately clear, though archaeologists said it was not severe. 
-Despite the spectacular nature of the accident, the damage to the archaeological heritage is not great- said Leonardo Lopez Lujan, director of the Templo Mayor Project.
One person was injured but did not need hospitalization after the structure's partial collapse in the torrential storm, according to a local administrative office.
Images circulating on social media showed soldiers guarding the taped-off area where the roof, along with a part of the site's fence, had been damaged.
Built and rebuilt throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, Templo Mayor was the sacred heart of the Aztec capital and believed to be the site of many human sacrifices.
The vast religious building was destroyed when the Spanish conquistadors razed Tenochtitlan in 1521 and rebuilt a colonial city on top of it. 
Archaeologists first uncovered the temple in 1914, but the ruins were not excavated in earnest until the 1970s.
The historic center of Mexico City was named a UNESCO heritage site in 1987.&nbsp;

The extent of damage on Wednesday to the famed Templo Mayor in the city's historic zone was not immediately clear, though archaeologists said it was not severe

Officials in Mexico City said the roof over the famed Templo Mayor had partially collapsed in a storm

Torrential rain collapses roof over famed Aztec temple in Mexico

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday another round of diplomats expulsion.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said it declared seven diplomats -- three Slovak, two Latvian, an Estonian, and a Lithuanian -- persona non grata in a tit-for-tat move.
The heads of the related mission were expressed "a decisive protest" in connection with their "false solidarity" with the Czech Republic.
Czechia accused Russia of involvement in the 2014 explosions at military warehouses in the town of Vrbetice which left two people dead.
Russia protested the decision, terming it “unfounded.” It recalled that earlier, Czech authorities had investigated the case and found the companies that owned the warehouses guilty.
The countries then exchanged diplomats expulsions, while Prague was supported by some countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia.

Moscow announces diplomats, including 3 Slovak, 2 Latvian, 1 Estonian, 1 Lithuanian, persona non grata

In a statement on its website, the ministry said it declared seven diplomats -- three Slovak, two Latvian, an Estonian, and a Lithuanian -- persona non grata in a tit-for-tat move

Russia expels 7 diplomats in retaliatory move

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday will propose that Congress spend $45 billion to provide free meals to millions more low-income children, a move that would expand anti-poverty measures adopted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden wants lawmakers to fund the permanent expansion of a bridge program that gives low-income families cash to pay for food in the months when school is out for the summer and lunches aren’t served. He is also asking to provide more money for free meals in high-poverty areas throughout the school year.
The nutrition program is one component of Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which would raise taxes on wealthy individuals to pay for initiatives shoring up lower-income families.
-The pandemic illustrated the need to address food insecurity- said Kelliann Blazek, a White House aide whose portfolio includes agriculture and rural policy. -Some of these investments are really pulling on lessons learned during the pandemic.-In 2019, 5.3 million children lived in households unable to guarantee food for the whole family throughout the year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The administration is also asking Congress to reward schools that expand healthful food offerings with incentive payments and also to allow individuals convicted of drug-related crimes to continue receiving food stamp benefits.
For the funding to be approved, the proposal will need the approval of a closely divided Congress.

The nutrition program is one component of Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which would raise taxes on wealthy individuals to pay for initiatives shoring up lower-income families

U.S. President Joe Biden hugs a child as he visits the Houston Food Bank in Houston, Texas, U.S., February 26, 2021.

Biden’s families plan includes free meals for millions of low-income children

Kiev said Tuesday it was expelling a Russian diplomat from the port city of Odessa in response to the "unfriendly" removal of a Ukrainian embassy worker in Moscow.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Kiev over an uptick in fighting between Ukraine's army and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
It also added to a wave of diplomatic expulsions that have embroiled Russian and European diplomats recently.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement that due to "unfriendly actions taken against employees of Ukraine's diplomatic missions" in Russia, Moscow's consul in Odessa had been declared persona non grata.
The envoy was given until the end of the day April 30 to leave the country, the statement added.
The ministry said Russia's decision to expel a Ukrainian diplomat amounted to "the continuation of an anti-Ukrainian campaign" and said it would respond to further action from Moscow.
Ukraine last week had expelled a Russian diplomat in response to Moscow's order for a Ukrainian consul in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg to leave the country.
According to Russia's security agency, the consul was trying to obtain sensitive information from a Russian national.
Recent weeks have seen a wave of expulsions of Russian officials from European countries and the United States over claims of hacking and espionage.
The Czech Republic in particular ordered more than a dozen Russian embassy staff from Prague and several other European countries also removed Moscow's diplomats in solidarity.
Kiev has been fighting pro-Russia separatists in its eastern breakaway regions since 2014, following Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
At least 31 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the year, compared to 50 in all of 2020, while the separatists say 22 of their fighters have died.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Kiev over an uptick in fighting between Ukraine's army and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement that due to "unfriendly actions taken against employees of Ukraine's diplomatic missions" in Russia, Moscow's consul in Odessa had been declared persona non grata

Ukraine expels Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Tuesday raising the hourly wages of federal government contract workers to $15, a step towards fulfilling his campaign pledge to raise the minimum wage to the same level for all employees.

The new order will require "federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to hundreds of thousands of workers who are working on federal contracts," the White House said.
The current minimum wage is $10.95 an hour for these workers, who are not civil servants but work for the federal government through contracting firms.
-These workers are critical to the functioning of the federal government: from cleaning professionals and maintenance workers... to nursing assistants who care for the nation's veterans, to cafeteria and other food service workers who ensure military members have healthy and nutritious food to eat, to laborers who build and repair federal infrastructure- the White House said.
However, they will still have to wait a short while, since the measure will apply only from March 30, 2022 to all new contracts and then gradually to each contract renewal.
Hourly wages will then be increased each year based on inflation.
The executive order also harmonizes the minimum wage for all federal contract workers, removing lower wages for workers who receive tips that bring their salaries up to the minimum wage level, currently at $7.65 per hour.
The White House insisted that the wage hike will not be accompanied by increased cost to the taxpayer, and even said the move will improve productivity and reduce turnover as well as related costs. 
And it said the move will ensure that "hundreds of thousands of workers no longer have to work full time and still live in poverty."
The measure is designed to encourage employers to follow suit. Raising the minimum wage for all workers in the country to $15 by 2025 from the current $7.25 an hour was one of Biden's key campaign pledges. 
It was in the first iteration of his economic stimulus package to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but had to be scrapped in the Senate in order for the rest of the plan to pass. 
Several American retail giants have nevertheless already raised their minimum wages to reach or exceed $15 an hour, including Costco, Target and Amazon.

The current minimum wage is $10.95 an hour for these workers, who are not civil servants but work for the federal government through contracting firms

Biden increases minimum wage for federal government workers

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday that if he were to order the military to take the streets and restore order, “the order will be followed,” raising fresh questions about his politicization of the armed forces.

Speaking during a TV interview, Bolsonaro said he would not "go into details into what I'm preparing." But he said that "if we were to have problems, we have a plan of how to enter the field ... our armed forces could one day go into the streets."
The comments by Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who has long praised Brazil's two-decade military dictatorship, will do little to assuage critics who fret about his politicization of the military. Others worry about his commitment to a peaceful handover of power in the event of a tight result in next year's presidential election.
Pressure has grown on the president as Brazil's coronavirus pandemic has spiraled out of control. He has faced widespread criticism for his handling of the outbreak in Brazil, which has the world's second highest coronavirus death toll after the United States.
Last month, Bolsonaro put his former chief of staff in charge of the Defense Ministry and swapped all three commanders of the armed forces as part of a cabinet reshuffle that was met with shock from senior military officers.
Since his 2018 election victory, Bolsonaro has made baseless allegations of voter fraud in Brazil, which critics say could lay the groundwork to challenge upcoming elections in the same vein as his political idol, former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Bolsonaro threw his support behind Trump’s conspiracies of a stolen election last year, which culminated in his supporters’ deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol building in Washington.

Pressure has grown on the president as Brazil's coronavirus pandemic has spiraled out of control

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends a virtual global climate summit via a video link in Brasilia, Brazil April 22, 2021.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro says military would follow his orders to take the streets

Sri Lanka's police Saturday arrested a top Muslim leader and member of parliament in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that killed 279 people as pressure to speed up the investigation mounted.

Detectives took Rishad Bathiudeen, leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Party, into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), police spokesman Ajith Rohana said.
He said Bathiudeen and his brother Riyaaj were arrested in pre-dawn raids on their homes in Colombo. 
-They were arrested under the PTA based on circumstantial and scientific evidence that they had connections with the suicide bombers who carried out the attacks- Rohana said in a statement.
The arrests came three days after the head of Sri Lanka's Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Malcolm, accused the government of allowing investigations to stall.
Nearly 200 people were arrested within days of the suicide attacks on hotels and churches by local Islamist extremists, but no one has yet been charged.
Ranjith, who led commemorations on the second anniversary of the Easter attacks on Wednesday, said he was "deeply saddened" by the lack of progress in the investigation.
He renewed his call for swift action against the perpetrators and said "political posturing and the need to safeguard alliances" was hindering the probe.
MPs from Bathiudeen's party had provided crucial support to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in October to amend the constitution and give him wider powers over the judiciary and the legislature.

Detectives took Rishad Bathiudeen, leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Party, into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)

Bathiudeen (center), leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Party, was taken into custody on Saturday under the Prevention of Terrorism Act

Sri Lanka arrests Muslim leader over Easter attacks

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Friday that he was halting his three-week hunger strike following advice from his doctors and thanked his supporters.

Navalny made the announcement after his personal doctors said in an open letter on Thursday he should "immediately" call off his hunger strike or they will "have no one to treat soon."
-Taking into account the progress and all the circumstances, I am beginning to end my hunger strike- President Vladimir Putin's best-known critic said in an Instagram post.
He said that the process would take him 24 days. 
-They say it's even harder- he added. 
On Wednesday, thousands of Russians took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country, after the West warned the Kremlin that it would face "consequences" in the event of Navalny's death.
Navalny announced a hunger strike in his penal colony on March 31, demanding to see an independent doctor for pain in his back and numbness in his arms and legs. 
Navalny's personal doctors -- who have been unable to examine their patient in the prison -- last week said the results of his blood test showed he was in critical condition and was at risk of going into cardiac arrest at "any minute."
Navalny said that he was guided in his decision by the recommendation of his doctors, whom he "completely trusts", and the fact that some of his supporters also went on hunger strike in solidarity. 
-Friends, my heart is full of love and gratitude for you, but I do not want for anybody to suffer because of me- he said.
Navalny added that he had been twice seen by civilian doctors and is getting medical tests.
He stressed that he still wanted to see an independent doctor, pointing to the numbness in his limbs. 
Navalny was arrested when he returned to Russia in January after months recovering in Germany from a Novichok poisoning he blames on the Kremlin -- an accusation Moscow rejects.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years over an old fraud conviction and has been serving time in a penal colony about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow.

On Wednesday, thousands of Russians took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country

Navalny: Taking into account the progress and all the circumstances, I am beginning to end my hunger strike

Kremlin critic Navalny says halting hunger strike

Over 100 Palestinians and 20 Israeli police were wounded in overnight clashes in annexed east Jerusalem, medics and police said Friday, as tensions mount over a police ban on gatherings and videos of attacks on youths.

The violence broke out outside one of the entrances to the walled Old City where far-right Jews had completed a march, during which participants harassed Palestinians and chanted "death to Arabs". 
There have been nightly disturbances in the area since the start of Ramadan on April 13 with Palestinians complaining that police were blocking access to the promenade around the walls, a popular gathering place for Palestinians after the end of the daytime Ramadan fast.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated at least 105 people, with some 20 of them hospitalised. 
Israeli police said 20 officers were wounded, three of whom were taken to hospital.
They said "hundreds of rioters began disrupting the order violently including throwing stones and objects at forces" stationed near the Old City.
Tensions were high in Jerusalem after a series of videos posted in recent days showing young Arabs attacking ultra-Orthodox Jews, with Jewish extremists taking to the street bullying Arabs in nightly confrontations.
On Thursday night, the Israeli extreme-right group Lehava organised a march ending opposite the Old City attended by hundreds to protest the anti-Jewish violence. 
Videos on social media also showed Palestinians attacking ultra-Orthodox Jews in the early hours of Friday.
Police said more than 50 people detained overnight were taken for a remand hearing Friday morning.

The violence broke out outside one of the entrances to the walled Old City where far-right Jews had completed a march, during which participants harassed Palestinians and chanted "death to Arabs"

Palestinian protesters set rubbish ablaze on the streets of annexed east Jerusalem amid clashes with Israeli police in which more than 120 people are wounded

Over 120 wounded in east Jerusalem clashes

Japan will hold a joint military drill with US and French troops in the country's southwest next month, the defence minister said Friday, as China's actions in regional waters raise concern.

The exercise, running from May 11 to 17, will be the first large-scale exercise in Japan involving ground troops from all three countries, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) said in a statement.
It comes as Tokyo seeks to deepen defence cooperation beyond its key US ally to counter Beijing's growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas.
-France shares the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific- Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters.
-By strengthening cooperation between Japan, the United States and France, we'd like to further improve the tactics and skills of the Self-Defense Forces in defending remote island territories- he said.
Paris has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific where it has territories, including the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
The joint drills will be held at the JGSDF's Kirishima training ground and Camp Ainoura in the Kyushu region and include amphibious operation exercises.
Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden vowed to stand firm together against China and step up cooperation including on technology.
Japan has long said it feels threatened by China's vast military resources and territorial disputes.
It is particularly concerned by Chinese activity after the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyu.
Washington has reiterated in recent months that the US-Japan Security Treaty covers the disputed islands.
China claims the majority of the South China Sea, invoking its so-called nine-dash line to justify what it says are historic rights to the key trade waterway.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all contest parts of China's declared territory in the sea.
An international tribunal in The Hague in 2016 invalidated China's claims in the South China Sea in a first-ever ruling, also saying Chinese reclamation activities in the Spratly Islands are illegal. Beijing rejected the decision.

The exercise will be held from 11 to 17 of May

The joint drills will be held at the JGSDF's Kirishima training ground and Camp Ainoura in the Kyushu region and include amphibious operation exercises

Japan to host first joint military drill with US, France

NATO allies on Thursday said they "stand in full solidarity" with the Czech Republic in its deepening row with Russia, but stopped short of offering joint action against Moscow.

Tensions have spiralled between the two countries after Prague accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a deadly 2014 explosion at an ammunition depot and expelled 18 Russian embassy staff.
Russia retaliated by ordering out 20 Czech diplomats -- sparking an angry ultimatum from Prague for Moscow to let them return or face further expulsions from its embassy. 
The Czech foreign minister briefed fellow NATO members on Thursday that Prague had pinned the blast on two Russian agents suspected of also carrying out the 2018 Novichok nerve agent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Britain. 
-In response to its determination of Russia's responsibility for these actions, the Czech Republic has expelled 18 Russian officials who are members of Russia’s intelligence services, and is considering further substantial measures- a NATO statement said. 
-Allies express deep concern over the destabilising actions Russia continues to carry out across the Euro-Atlantic area, including on Alliance territory, and stand in full solidarity with the Czech Republic- it said. 
Prague on Tuesday called on fellow EU and NATO countries to expel Russian diplomats in a coordinated show of support similar to one that happened with Britain after the attack on Skripal. 
Allies in the two blocs have however so far shied away from taking joint punitive measures against Moscow at a time of rising tensions with the Kremlin over its troop buildup on the border with Ukraine and the health of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.&nbsp;

Tensions have spiralled between the two countries after Prague accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a deadly 2014 explosion at an ammunition depot and expelled 18 Russian embassy staff

The Czech foreign minister briefed fellow NATO members on Thursday that Prague had pinned the blast on two Russian agents suspected of also carrying out the 2018 Novichok nerve agent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Britain

NATO 'in full solidarity' with Czechs over Russia standoff

More than 1,700 people were detained by police at rallies in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in dozens of cities across Russia, an independent monitor reported on Thursday.

Thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday evening to demanded freedom and proper medical attention for Navalny, who has been hunger strike for three weeks in a penal colony outside Moscow.
The opposition staged demonstrations in dozens of Russian cities, with the largest rallies taking place in Moscow. 
The OVD-Info monitoring group, which tracks detentions at opposition protests, said that by Thursday morning police had detained "more than 1,783 people in 97 cities".
In Russia, participation in unauthorised demonstrations can lead to a fine or several days in jail.
The majority of detentions -- 805 -- took place in Saint Petersburg, where police violently dispersed crowds with shock sticks.
Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh was among those detained. She was given a 10-day stint behind bars for calling on people to join unauthorised rallies.
Key Navalny aide Lyubov Sobol was also taken into police custody ahead of the rally in Moscow and is due to appear in court later Thursday.
Wednesday's rallies did not match in size those held in the winter when Navalny was arrested after returning to Russia from Germany.
Tens of thousands took to the streets despite freezing temperatures while more than 11,000 people were detained.
Navalny, 44, was arrested when he returned to Russia in January after months recovering in Germany from a near-fatal nerve agent poisoning he blames on the Kremlin -- an accusation it rejects.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years over an old fraud conviction and has been serving time in a penal colony about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow.
His health has been failing since he launched his hunger strike to demand proper medical care for a range of ailments, including back pain and numbness in his limbs.

Thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday evening

In Russia, participation in unauthorised demonstrations can lead to a fine or several days in jail

Over 1,700 detained at pro-Navalny rallies across Russia

A son of Chad's slain leader Idriss Deby Itno is to take over as president in place of his father, according to a charter released by the presidency on Wednesday.

It said General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, 37, who on Tuesday was named transitional leader as head of a military council following his father's death, will "occupy the functions of the president of the republic" and also serve as head of the armed forces.
The charter repeals the preceding constitution and will be implemented as the "basic law of the republic," according to its terms.
The younger Deby has also been named "supreme head of the armed forces," it said.
Deby's son had overseen his father's security as head of the elite presidential guard and had often appeared alongside him.
He signed a decree Tuesday setting out a military council with 15 generals, including himself and 14 others known to have been part of the late president's circle of loyalists.
The council is tasked with an 18-month transition toward "free and democratic elections."
Mahamat Idriss Deby also chairs the "military transition council, the council of ministers, the councils and superior committees of national defence," according to the charter.
The new head of state will promulgate legislation adopted by the 69 members of the national transition council, who are named directly by Mahamat.
The Transition Charter, which contains 95 articles, also guarantees "freedom of opinion, conscience and worship."
A transition government has been set up, whose members are named by the new president.
-The members of the army who are called to the transition government are discharged from all military duties- the charter said.

General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno had overseen his father's security as head of the elite presidential guard and had often appeared alongside him

Mahamat Idriss Deby was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan armies exchange fire on disputed border

Torrential rain collapses roof over famed Aztec temple in Mexico

Russia expels 7 diplomats in retaliatory move

Biden’s families plan includes free meals for millions of low-income children

Ukraine expels Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

Biden increases minimum wage for federal government workers

Brazil’s Bolsonaro says military would follow his orders to take the streets

Sri Lanka arrests Muslim leader over Easter attacks

Kremlin critic Navalny says halting hunger strike

Over 120 wounded in east Jerusalem clashes

Japan to host first joint military drill with US, France

NATO 'in full solidarity' with Czechs over Russia standoff

Over 1,700 detained at pro-Navalny rallies across Russia

Deby's son named 'president of the republic' of Chad

World

26 killed in Bangladesh boat accident

NATO says Afghanistan withdrawal has begun

Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan armies exchange fire on disputed border

Torrential rain collapses roof over famed Aztec temple in Mexico

Russia expels 7 diplomats in retaliatory move

Biden’s families plan includes free meals for millions of low-income children

Ukraine expels Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

Biden increases minimum wage for federal government workers

Brazil’s Bolsonaro says military would follow his orders to take the streets

Sri Lanka arrests Muslim leader over Easter attacks

Kremlin critic Navalny says halting hunger strike

Over 120 wounded in east Jerusalem clashes

Japan to host first joint military drill with US, France

NATO 'in full solidarity' with Czechs over Russia standoff

Over 1,700 detained at pro-Navalny rallies across Russia

Deby's son named 'president of the republic' of Chad