TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Arnold Rüütel, the last communist leader of Soviet Estonia and the Baltic country’s second president after the restoration of independence, has died. He was 96.
The office of the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, announced on its website that Rüütel had died on Tuesday.
A trained agriculturalist, Rüütel was almost 50 when, in 1977, he began serving in high-ranking positions within the communist party of the Soviet republic of Estonia. In 1983, he was elected chairman of the republic’s supreme council, becoming the highest-ranking communist official in Estonia.
Soon, however, Rüütel was using his position to prepare for Estonia’s split from the Soviet Union, which had occupied the tiny European country on the Baltic Sea in 1940. In November 1988, Rüütel was a key figure in preparing a declaration of independence, with full sovereignty following three years later.
In the newly independent Estonia, which inherited a sizable ethnic Russian minority as part of its Soviet legacy, Rüütel advocated social democratic policies and support for farmers, and in 1994 he helped form the People’s Union, a left-leaning party that took part in several ruling coalitions.
Rüütel was elected president in 2001, succeeding the highly popular Lennart Meri and serving the next five years while shepherding the Baltic nation into NATO and the European Union in 2004. He sought reelection for a second five-year term but was defeated by Toomas Hendrik Ilves in 2006.
Rüütel will be buried with full state honors, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday. It did not give a date for the funeral.
FILE - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, left, and Estonian President Arnold Ruutel review the honor guard in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, May 11, 2006. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, File)
FILE - Arnold Ruutel stands outside the Estonia Concert Hall where delegates assembled in Tallinn, Friday, Sept. 21, 2001. (AP Photo/Peeter Langovits, File)
FILE - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's wife, Sandra Roelofs, right, greets Romanian President Traian Basescu, left, and Estonian President Arnold Ruutel, center, during celebrations marking the second anniversary of the Rose Revolution in Tbilisi, Georgia, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, File)
FILE - Estonian President Arnold Ruutel listens to a speech during the Vilnius Conference 2006 in Vilnius, Lithuania Thursday May 4, 2006. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)
DALLAS (AP) — Evan Mobley had 34 points and 10 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers ran their winning streak to nine games by beating the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 134-122 on Friday night.
The NBA-leading Cavs improved to 30-4, swept a four-game Western Conference road trip and are now 10-0 against the West. All nine wins in the streak have been by double digits.
The Mavericks played without both of their All-Star guards, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Irving missed the game because of illness while Doncic has been sidelined since suffering a calf strain during the Mavericks’ Christmas Day loss to Minnesota.
Caris LeVert scored 17 off the bench for Cleveland.
Quentin Grimes scored 26 points, 20 in the third period, to lead the Mavericks, who have lost four straight to match a season long losing streak. Jaden Hardy added 17 off the bench and Klay Thompson scored 16, all in the first half.
The Cavaliers used a 20-point run to go from a 21-17 deficit late in the first period to a 37-21 lead early in the second. Their largest lead was 27 points.
Cavaliers: Six players have averaged double figures in scoring this season. They had seven in this game.
Mavericks: The defending West champions went into Christmas Day 4 1/2 games behind first-place Oklahoma City and now trail by 9 1/2.
Back-to-back 3s by Thompson pulled the Mavericks within 64-53 with 44 seconds left in the half. But the Cavaliers closed with five straight points, LeVert getting a friendly bounce on a left-corner 3 with four seconds left, to lead 69-53 at halftime.
The Cavaliers outscored the Mavericks 18-0 in first-half turnover points and matched a season low with seven overall, two in the first half.
The Cavaliers will host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The Mavericks visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
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Dallas Mavericks players line up for a moment of silence honoring former President Jimmy Carter prior to an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, center right, collides with Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber, second from left, while driving to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. Mavericks' Dereck Lively II (2) and Klay Thompson (31) look on. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) drives against Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) drives against Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade prepares to shoot against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) goes up for a basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen dunks on the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber, center, makes a pass as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, left, and teammates defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
