QUICK HITS

1 Russian election officials reject antiwar politician’s

bid: Antiwar politician Boris Nadezhdin was rejected as a candidate in next month’s presidential balloting by Russian election officials, a strong signal from the Kremlin it won’t tolerate any public opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. The Central Election Commission’s move provides an even smoother path for President Vladimir Putin to win a fifth term.

2 Mojo Nixon, singer who mixed roots and punk rock, dies at

66: Mojo Nixon, the psychobilly musician and radio host who gained cult status for his rabble rousing and celebrity spoofs such as the 1987 hit “Elvis Is Everywhere,” died Wednesday aboard a country music cruise he was co-hosting. He was 66. His death was confirmed by Matt Eskey, director of a 2020 documentary film about Nixon. He said Nixon had a “cardiac event” while he was asleep as the Outlaw Country Cruise was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

3 Hershey says ‘historic’ cocoa inflation could push prices

higher: Cocoa prices are climbing fast, and Hershey Co. may continue raising prices to keep up. Prices for the all-important ingredient are reaching “historic” levels, Chief Executive Officer Michele Buck said in the company’s earnings statement Thursday. While the company says its marketing plans, innovation and productivity efforts will help soften the blow, the higher costs are “expected to limit earnings growth this year,” she said.

4 Google releases Gemini, an AI-driven Chatbot and voice

assistant: On Thursday, Google introduced Gemini, a smartphone app that behaves like a talking digital assistant as well as a conversational chatbot. Responding to voice and text requests, it can answer questions, write poetry, generate images, draft emails, analyze personal photos and take other actions, like setting a timer or placing a phone call.

5 Volcano in Iceland is

erupting again: A volcano in southwestern Iceland has erupted for the third time since December and sent jets of lava into the sky. The eruption Thursday morning triggered the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa that is one of the island nation’s biggest tourist attractions. Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water as a river of lava engulfed a supply pipe.