Politics

Michigan Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has chosen former state Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron as her running mate in her bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hernandez served two terms in the Michigan House ending in 2020, when he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House. He chaired the powerful budget-writing House Appropriations Committee for one term. Dixon said in a statement Friday that “Hernandez as lieutenant governor will help to improve our schools, create safer communities and improve our economy.” Hernandez said Dixon’s “vision is the right one for Michigan."

A fire at a munitions depot inside Russia forced the evacuation of two villages near the border with Ukraine, while two civilians were reported wounded by Russian shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as both sides traded accusations about fighting near the facility in southern Ukraine. The fire late Thursday struck the munitions storage building near the village of Timonovo in Russia’s Belgorod region on Ukraine’s northeastern border. About 1,100 people live in Timonovo and Soloti, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the border. No one was hurt, said Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov on Friday.

Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom says a key pipeline conveying natural gas to Europe will shut down for three days at the end of this month to undergo “routine maintenance.” In a statement Friday, Gazprom said the only operational turbine at a key compressor station along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which links western Russia and Germany, will shut down from Aug. 31 to Sept 2. Gazprom said once work is completed, the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1 will resume at its prior level, which is just 20% of the pipeline’s capacity. Germany has called previous gas reductions a political move by the Kremlin to sow uncertainty and push up prices amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Nicaraguan police have raided the residence of a Roman Catholic bishop, detaining him and several other people holed up inside for two weeks. Friday's pre-dawn raid came after Nicaraguan authorities accused Matagalpa Diocese Bishop Rolando Álvarez of allegedly “organizing violent groups” and inciting them “to carry out acts of hate against the population.” President Daniel Ortega’s government has moved systematically against voices of dissent. Dozens of political opposition leaders were arrested last year, including seven potential candidates to challenge him for the presidency. He has also increasingly clashed with the Catholic church, Nicaragua's predominant religion and the main independent institution.