LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) ' She says she was let down at every step. By a partner who abandoned her when she was pregnant. By a health service that denied her a legal abortion. And by a justice system that sent her to a maximum-security prison for illegally terminating her pregnancy on her own.

Violet Zulu, a house cleaner in Zambia earning $40 a month, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024 after representing herself in court with little understanding of the consequences of her actions. She didnt see her two children or other family members for nearly two years.

After word of her case reached international rights groups that helped her file an appeal, Zulu was freed last month. Activists say she represents many women in Africa who take desperate decisions when facing barriers to legal abortion services.

Her story has drawn little sympathy in her southern African nation, where parts of society view abortion harshly. Her own mother said she agreed with her daughters prison sentence, but said it should have been shorter.

Zulu spoke with The Associated Press as she pieces her life together again at the age of 26.

Turned away from care

She said she first attempted to access legal abortion services at a public clinic, which should have given her advice or services but turned her away. She then tried a private pharmacy, which requested 800 Zambian kwacha ($43) for abortion drugs, a months salary for her.

She was already struggling to feed her two young sons, and she sometimes had to beg food from relatives.

She said her decision to drink an herbal concoction she prepared herself, one known for terminating pregnancies, was taken out of despair. She couldnt bear for her boys to have even less food if she had another child.

'I never wanted to abort my pregnancy, but it is the circumstances at home that forced me to do it,' Zulu said in the interview at the two-room rented home with no running water that she shares with her children and parents.

'I was scared (when I took the concoction), but I didnt really care what would happen to me,' she added.

In her court testimony, she explained what happened next: She delivered the fetus in a toilet, placed it in a sack and dropped it in a nearby stream. She said she confided in a friend, but word got out and neighbors reported her to police.

Zulu, who left school in the eighth grade, was never offered free legal counsel despite the right to request it. She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to the offense of procuring her own abortion. She said she didnt understand the legality of abortion and thought she would receive a warning.

A system that failed

'This is a system that failed Violet,' said Rosemary Kirui, a legal adviser for Africa for the abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights, which campaigned for Zulus release and helped with her appeal. 'It is not that she did not try. It is that she could not afford the services, yet she should be able to access them as a citizen of Zambia.'

Zulu should have been eligible for a free abortion under a provision that allows doctors in Zambia to consider risks to the well-being of her existing children, said Sharon Williams, country director for the Women and Law in Southern Africa advocacy group.

But Zulu was not aware of that, largely because of the secrecy, stigma and shame around abortion, which is not advertised by Zambias public health system.

Zambias Health Ministry did not respond to questions about her case.

Part of the problem, Williams said, is that Zambia has legalized abortion while also defining itself in its constitution as a strongly Christian country.

Abortions are still largely restricted in Africa, with few countries allowing them for reasons other than threats to the health of the mother or the fetus. Even in countries where abortion is legal in some circumstances like Zambia, religious beliefs, conservative values rooted in local cultures or a lack of information make access to legal procedures difficult, according to health and rights groups.

Williams said Zulus case ought to lead to a national conversation over whether Zambian authorities should better educate communities over the legal right to abortion.

'I think now that we have this judgment, were ready for the conversation,' she said.

Desperate women, unsafe abortions

Activists say desperate women turn to unsafe abortions. Africa and Latin America have the highest proportions of them, with approximately 75% of all abortions in Africa deemed unsafe, according to the World Health Organization.

The Guttmacher Institute health rights organization estimated in a 2019 report that over 6 million unsafe abortions a year occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. It noted that Zambias abortion law 'tended to be a ‘paper law rather than one that ensures widespread access.'

In South Africa, which claims to have the most progressive laws on the continent, abortion has been legal for nearly 30 years. It is allowed on request before 13 weeks of pregnancy and for several reasons before 21 weeks.

But studies estimate only 7% of public health facilities there offer abortion services.

In 2023, the case of a 14-year-old who was denied an abortion by South African health workers three times for reasons that were not valid prompted a national reality check. After an urgent court case, a judge ordered that the girl be allowed to have an abortion, which was performed on the last day eligible by law.

At the time, a representative of the social justice group that represented the girl said South Africas abortion laws were being undermined by 'the abuse of medical knowledge by health care professionals' in trying to prevent abortions.

In Zambia, Zulu said she still felt bad about what she did but must now provide for her sons. She was looking for work again, she said.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Investigators working on the disappearance of 'Today' show host Savannah Guthries mother are consulting with Walmart management to develop leads because a backpack the suspect was wearing is sold exclusively at the stores, the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff said Monday.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released surveillance videos of a masked person wearing a handgun holster outside Guthries front door in Tucson the night she vanished. A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves.

Pima Count Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a text message to The Associated Press on Monday that the 25-liter 'Ozark Trail Hiker Pack' backpack was the only clothing item that has been 'definitively identified.'

'This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,' Nanos said.

The suspects clothing 'may have been purchased from Walmart but is not exclusively available at Walmart,' the Pima County Sheriffs Department said in a statement Monday. 'This remains a possibility only.'

Investigators on Sunday announced that a glove discovered near the Guthrie home has been sent for DNA testing. The FBI said that it received preliminary results Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation. The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence and as the search for Guthries mother heads into its third week. Authorities previously said they had not identified a suspect.

The FBI said the suspect in the surveillance footage is a man about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build.

Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthries health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriffs dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors:

LOS ANGELES (AP) ' Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two 'Godfather' movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in 'Tender Mercies,' has died at age 95.

Duvall died 'peacefully' at his home Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist and from a statement posted on his Facebook page by his wife, Luciana Duvall.

'To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything,' Luciana Duvall wrote. 'His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented.'

The bald, wiry Duvall didnt have leading man looks, but few 'character actors' enjoyed such a long, rewarding and unpredictable career, in leading and supporting roles, from an itinerant preacher to Josef Stalin. Beginning with his 1962 film debut as Boo Radley, the reclusive neighbor in 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' Duvall created a gallery of unforgettable portrayals. They earned him seven Academy Award nominations and the best actor prize for 'Tender Mercies,' which came out in 1983. He also won four Golden Globes, including one for playing the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries 'Lonesome Dove,' a role he often cited as his favorite.

In 2005, Duvall was awarded a National Medal of Arts.

He had been acting for some 20 years when 'The Godfather,' released in 1972, established him as one of the most in-demand performers of Hollywood. He had made a previous film, 'The Rain People,' with Francis Coppola, and the director chose him to play Tom Hagen in the mafia epic that featured Al Pacino and Marlon Brando among others. Duvall was a master of subtlety as an Irishman among Italians, rarely at the center of a scene, but often listening and advising in the background, an irreplaceable thread through the saga of the Corleone crime family.

'Stars and Italians alike depend on his efficiency, his tidying up around their grand gestures, his being the perfect shortstop on a team of personality sluggers,' wrote the critic David Thomson. 'Was there ever a role better designed for its actor than that of Tom Hagen in both parts of ‘The Godfather?'

In another Coppola film, 'Apocalypse Now,' Duvall was wildly out front, the embodiment of deranged masculinity as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, who with equal vigor enjoyed surfing and bombing raids on the Viet Cong. Duvall required few takes for one of the most famous passages in movie history, barked out on the battlefield by a bare-chested, cavalry-hatted Kilgore: 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didnt find one of ‘em, not one stinkin dink body.

'The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like ' victory.'

Coppola once commented about Duvall: 'Actors click into character at different times ' the first week, third week. Bobbys hot after one or two takes.'

Honored, but still hungry

He was Oscar-nominated as supporting actor for 'The Godfather' and 'Apocalypse Now,' but a dispute over money led him to turn down the third Godfather epic, a loss deeply felt by critics, fans and 'Godfather' colleagues. Duvall would complain publicly about being offered less than his co-stars.

Fellow actors marveled at Duvalls studious research and planning, and his coiled energy. Michael Caine, who co-starred with him in the 2003 'Secondhand Lions,' once told The Associated Press: 'Before a big scene, Bobby just sits there, absolutely quiet; you know when not to talk to him.' Anyone who disturbed him would suffer the well-known Duvall temper, famously on display during the filming of the John Wayne Western 'True Grit,' when Duvall seethed at director Henry Hathaways advice to 'tense up' before a scene.

Duvall was awarded an Oscar in 1984 for his leading role as the troubled singer and songwriter Mac Sledge in 'Tender Mercies,' a prize he accepted while clad in a cowboy tuxedo with Western tie. In 1998, he was nominated for best actor in 'The Apostle,' a drama about a wayward Southern evangelist which he wrote, directed, starred in, produced and largely financed. With customary thoroughness, he visited dozens of country churches and spent 12 years writing the script and trying to get it made.

Among other notable roles: the outlaw gang leader who gets ambushed by John Wayne in 'True Grit'; Jesse James in 'The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid'; the pious and beleaguered Frank Burns in 'M-A-S-H'; the TV hatchet man in 'Network'; Dr. Watson in 'The Seven-Per-Cent Solution'; and the sadistic father in 'The Great Santini.'

'When I was doing ‘Colors in 1988 with Sean Penn, someone asked me how I do it all these years, keep it fresh. Well, if you dont overwork, have some hobbies, you can do it and stay hungry even if youre not really hungry,' Duvall told The Associated Press in 1990.

In his mid-80s, he received a supporting Oscar nomination as the title character of the 2014 release 'The Judge,' in which he is accused of causing a death in a hit-and-run accident. More recent films included 'Widows' and '12 Mighty Orphans.'

Ungifted in school, gifted on stage

Robert Selden Duvall grew up in the Navy towns of Annapolis and the San Diego area, where he was born in 1931. He spent time in other cities as his father, who rose to be an admiral, was assigned to various duties.

The boys experience helped in his adult profession as he learned the nuances of regional speech and observed the psyche of military men, which he would portray in several films.

Duvall reportedly used his Navy officer father as the basis for his portrayal of the explosive militarist in 'The Great Santini,' based on the Pat Conroy novel. He commented in 2003: 'My dad was a gentleman but a seether, a stern, blustery guy, and away a lot of the time.' Bobby took after his mother, an amateur actress, in playing a guitar and performing. He was a wrestler like his father and enjoyed besting kids older than himself.

He lacked the concentration for schoolwork and nearly flunked out of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. His despairing parents decided he needed something to keep him in college so he wouldnt be drafted for the Korean War. 'They recommended acting as an expedient thing to get through,' he recalled. 'Im glad they did.' He flourished in drama classes.

'Way back when I was in college,' Duvall told the AP in 1990, 'there was a wonderful man named Frank Parker, who had been a dancer in World War I. We did a full-length mime play and I played a Harlequin clown. I really liked that.

'Then, I played an older guy in ‘All My Sons, and at one point I had this emotional moment, where this emotion was pouring out. Parker said at that moment he didnt think acting can be carried any further than that. And this guy was a very critical guy. So I thought, at that moment at least, this is what I wanted to do.'

After two years in the Army, he used the G.I. Bill to finance his studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, hanging out with such other young hopefuls as Robert Morse, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. After a one-night performance in 'A View From the Bridge,' Duvall began getting offers for work in TV series, among them 'The Naked City' and 'The Defenders.'

Between his high-paying jobs in major productions, Duvall devoted himself to directing personal projects: a documentary about a prairie family, 'Were Not the Jet Set'; a film about gypsies, 'Angelo, My Love'; and 'Assassination Tango,' in which he also starred.

Duvall had been a tango dancer since seeing the musical 'Tango Argentina' in the 1980s and visited in Argentina dozens of times to study the dance and the culture. The result was the 2003 release about a hit man with a passion for tango.

His co-star was Luciana Pedraza, 42 years his junior, whom he married in 2005. Duvalls three previous marriages ' to Barbara Benjamin, Gail Youngs and Sharon Brophy ' ended in divorce.

Former Associated Press Hollywood correspondent Bob Thomas, who died in 2014, was the primary writer of this obituary

Vienna public prosecutors said in a statement that the unnamed defendant had declared allegiance to the Islamic State group by sharing propaganda material and videos via various messaging services.

Vienna prosecutors also accuse the defendant of having 'obtained instructions on the internet for the construction of a shrapnel bomb based on the explosive triacetone triperoxide' typically used by IS, and of having produced a small amount of the explosive.

Prosecutors also say that the defendant had made 'several attempts' to buy weapons illegally outside the country and to bring them to Austria.

Vienna public prosecutors plan to proceed with a criminal case against the unnamed suspect in Wiener Neustadt, a town near the Austrian capital.

The spokesperson for the Vienna public prosecutors office confirmed to The Associated Press that the defendant is in custody. Austrian media identified the suspect as Beran A. and said he was arrested in August 2024.

Austrian authorities canceled three planned Taylor Swift shows in Vienna in August 2024 after they said they foiled an apparent plot to target the performances.

The U.S. provided intelligence that fed into the decision to cancel the concerts.

'The United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats. And so as part of that work, the United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swifts concerts there in Vienna,' then-White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in August 2024.

Silverblatt died Saturday at his Los Angeles home.

“Bookworm,” which aired from 1989 to 2022, featured weekly 30 minute interviews with authors, poets and other literary figures including the likes of Gore Vidal, Joan Didion, David Foster Wallace and Toni Morrison for what were described as “intellectual, accessible, and provocative literary conversations.”

He came to each session with knowledge of the guest’s entire body of work, not just the latest book they were promoting, a habit that prompted writer Joyce Carol Oates to dub him “the reader writers dream about.”

Others called him the “readers’ reader.”

“His impact on authors and readers was profound,” KCRW noted on its website.

Fans on social media were remembering Silverblatt as someone who got them interested in reading and wanting to know more about the people who wrote their favorite books.

“What I remember most about his show was how often he would make a careful point about an author’s work, resulting in silence from the writer for a moment, inevitably followed by something like, ‘you know that never occurred to me before, but you’re absolutely right,’ Susan Hegarty wrote on Facebook. “I heard this played out over and over. Bless him. What a mind.”

The literary groups on Reddit also shared their memories.

“He was an incredible reader and intellect,” one longtime listener wrote. ” Nobody does it like him in this day and age, and likely no one will again.”

He aspired to a writing career of his own, but a chance meeting with the late Ruth Seymour, KCRW’s founder and longtime general manager, led to the creation of “Bookworm.”

“There are all sorts of other things that you get on radio and television, but I wanted listeners of ‘Bookworm’ to hear words, ideas, but particularly emotions that don’t get discussed in public, if at all, elsewhere,” Silverblatt told Oprah.com. “That is to say, for one reason or another, the show is a crusade that’s much larger than the subject of books.”

Silverblatt’s survivors include his sister, Joan Silverblatt Bykofsky.

The arrival followed a request by the Nigerian government to the U.S government for help with training, technical support and intelligence-sharing, the military said in a statement.

The deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between the U.S. and Nigeria when President Donald Trump said the country wasnt protecting Christians from an alleged genocide. The Nigerian government has rejected the accusation, and analysts say it simplifies a very complicated situation in which people are often targeted regardless of their faith.

Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, spokesman for Nigerias Defense Headquarters, previously has said that the U.S. troops won’t engage in combat or have a direct operational role, and that Nigerian forces will have complete command authority.

In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Islamic State group-affiliated militants in northwestern Nigeria. Last month, following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the head of U.S. Africa Command confirmed a small team of U.S. military officers were in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.

Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed groups increasingly battling for turf, including Islamic sects like the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction Islamic State West Africa Province. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other 'bandit' groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.

Recently, the crisis has worsened to include other militants from the neighboring Sahel region, including the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year. Several thousand people in Nigeria have been killed, according to data from the United Nations. Analysts say not enough is being done by the government to protect its citizens.

While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts and residents say the majority of victims of the armed groups are Muslims in Nigerias Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks occur.

Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16, 2024, while serving a 19-year sentence that many believed to be politically motivated. His death at the age of 47 left the Russian opposition leaderless and divided, struggling to build an effective or united front without one of its most visible and charismatic figures.

On the second anniversary of Navalnys death, we look at the latest investigation into its cause and the continuing political repercussions, both within Russia and beyond.

Across Russia, Navalnys supporters pay their respects

Navalnys mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his mother-in-law, Alla Abrosimova, were among the mourners laying flowers on his grave. A mound of bouquets rose above the heavy drifts of snow that blanketed Moscows Borisovsky Cemetery.

Representatives from several European embassies also paid their respects, watched by a conspicuously high security presence. Later, a small choir gathered to sing by Navalnys graveside.

Addressing the crowd, Lyudmila Navalnaya restated her belief that her son was killed by the Russian authorities, a scenario which has also been backed by several European countries in recent days. 'We knew that our son did not simply die in prison,' she said. 'He was murdered.'

The Kremlin has denied the allegations, saying that Navalny died of natural causes.

Flowers were also laid at the memorial to the victims of political repression in St Petersburg. Access to the site was later blocked with temporary fences, local news outlets reported.

European nations believe Navalny was poisoned

The anniversary coincides with the release of a joint statement by five European countries, which said that Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs.

The foreign ministries of the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday that analysis in European labs of samples taken from Navalnys body 'conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine.' The neurotoxin secreted by dart frogs in South America is not found naturally in Russia, they said.

A joint statement said: 'Russia had the means, motive and opportunity to administer this poison.'

In a written tribute to Navalny on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron also linked the Kremlin with the opposition leaders death.

'Two years ago, the world learned of the death of Alexei Navalny. I pay tribute to his memory,' Macron wrote on social media. 'I said then that I believed his death said everything about the Kremlins weakness and its fear of any opponent. It is now clear that this death was premeditated.

'Truth always prevails, while we await justice to do the same.'

Moscow has vehemently denied its involvement in Navalnys death, saying that the politician had become unwell after going for a walk.

When asked about the allegations by journalists on Monday, presidential spokesperson said that the Kremlin does 'not accept such accusations.'

'We consider them biased and unfounded. In fact, we resolutely reject them,' he said.

Saturdays announcement came as Navalnys widow, Yulia Navalnaya, attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany. She said she had been 'certain from the first day' that her husband had been poisoned, 'but now there is proof.'

'Putin killed Alexei with a chemical weapon,' she wrote on social media, describing the Russian leader as 'a murderer' who 'must be held accountable.'

Navalny was the target of an earlier poisoning in 2020, with a nerve agent in an attack he blamed on the Kremlin, which always denied involvement. His family and allies fought to have him flown to Germany for treatment and recovery. Five months later, he returned to Russia, where he was immediately arrested and imprisoned for the last three years of his life.

Russias opposition is struggling to start a new chapter

Navalnys closest allies, as well as other key members of Russias opposition, now continue their fight from exile.

Many have been handed lengthy prison sentences in absentia in Russia and are unable to return home. Some have been designated 'terrorists and extremists' by the authorities, a designation that was also applied to Navalny in January 2022.

Yet Russias opposition has failed to form a united front and a clear plan of action against the Kremlin. Instead, rival groups have traded accusations that some see as efforts to discredit each other and vie for influence.

In one small victory for opposition activists, Europes leading human rights body, PACE, announced in late January the creation of a new body ' the Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces ' tasked with giving opposition Russians a voice and a formal platform to engage European lawmakers.

It has been heralded as a victory for anti-war Russians, but also attracted criticism as the body was not elected democratically. Members of Navalnys anti-corruption organization are also absent from the group

In a statement to mark Navalnys death, Russian members of the Council of Europes human rights body, PACE, said that Navalnys death was 'an inevitable link in a chain of systemic crimes by the Kremlin regime against its own citizens and the citizens of foreign states.'

'Alexei Navalny gave his life for a free Russia,' the statement said. 'We are obliged to ensure that his death was not in vain.'

VATICAN CITY (AP) ' Fancy a pizza with a view?

The Vatican is marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peters Basilica with a host of visitor-friendly initiatives, including expanding access to its spectacular terrace and its snack bar in the shadow of Michelangelos great dome.

The Vatican on Monday outlined its plans to make better use of St. Peters and better redistribute the millions of people who pass through it each year, while at the same time protecting its artistic treasures.

Among the initiatives are a new online reservation system, to lessen the oftentimes hourslong wait to get into the basilica, and simultaneous translations for Masses in up to 60 languages. In addition, a new permanent exhibition tracing the history of the basilica is opening on the terrace, alongside an expanded snack bar for hungry pilgrims.

Recent reports in the Italian media about a bistro on the basilicas terrace generated no shortage of raised eyebrows, amid questions about whether such a sacred place ' the basilica houses the tomb of St. Peter ' should be serving pizzas to tourists on the roof.

The existing snack bar is being nearly doubled in size.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti insisted Monday it was perfectly acceptable to provide a sandwich or drink, alongside bathrooms, to visitors to the basilica, especially those who have exerted themselves to visit the cupola of St. Peters, which was designed by Michelangelo.

To honor the Renaissance master is a related initiative: a new font available in Microsoft Office, entitled 'Michelangelus,' is styled using his actual penmanship.

The basilica initiatives, sponsored by Italian energy giant ENI, are being rolled out to commemorate consecration in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII of St. Peters, which replaced an earlier basilica.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

This is the week of Ash Wednesday, a solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Lent, the most penitential season of the church calendar for Catholics and many other Christians.

On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.

Worshippers receive ashes, commonly imposed in the shape of a cross on the forehead. The officiant typically says, 'Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,' a stark reminder that death is part of life and that one should focus on things of the spirit. Or the officiant says, 'Repent and believe in the Gospel.'

Ashes in churches, chapels ' and parking lots

Ash Wednesday is considered an obligatory fast day for Roman Catholics between 18 and 59 ' meaning limiting food to one full meal and two smaller-than-normal meals.

Many Protestants ' particularly those in Episcopal, Lutheran and other historic churches ' also mark Ash Wednesday with similar liturgies.

In recent years, many Episcopal and other churches in the United States have begun offering 'Ashes to Go' in parking lots, commuter-rail stations and elsewhere. Clergy offer to impose ashes on busy workers and others who want to participate in the ritual but may lack the time to get to church.

Chaplains of various denominations offer ashes at airport chapels and other sites.

Among other Protestants, such as Baptists and other evangelical groups, traditions vary. Some observe Ash Wednesday and Lent, others dont. But they often have their own penitential and ascetic traditions. Many Pentecostals, for example, fast for a period in January to consecrate the year ahead.

Members of another of the worlds largest religions are also about to embark on their season of prayer and fasting. The start of Ramadan and the start of Lent may fall on the same date ' for sure within the same week ' this year.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, leading up to observances of Jesus death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.

Ash Wednesday is designated by counting backward 40 days from Easter, minus the Sundays.

Different churches have found various ways of calculating the traditional 40 days of Lent, but the number itself is important. It connects to the biblical symbolism of the number 40, typically used for times of testing, judgment, purification or renewal. Most directly, it alludes to the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness after his baptism, in preparation for his public ministry.

During Lent, the faithful devote themselves to prayer and other devotions, as well as charitable deeds, fasting and other forms of self-discipline. People speak of giving up something for Lent ' stereotypically chocolate, but really anything that one finds difficult to do without. These days, that might mean reducing screen time.

Many churches also have extra times of devotions and other activities. Catholics often have group meditations on the Stations of the Cross, marking different events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus.

Observant Catholics also abstain from meat on Fridays ' though not fish.

To that point, Lent is not all solemnity. For many Catholic parishes in the U.S., the Friday fish fry has become a tradition combining food, fundraising and community bonding.

A movable fast

Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday. For most Christians, Easter will fall on April 5 this year.

Easter moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25, following an ancient formula in which Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.

Eastern Orthodox Christians calculate the beginning and end of their 'Great Lent' differently. They begin their observances on a Monday ' this year on Feb. 23 ' which they call 'Clean Monday' or 'Pure Monday.' While they dont use ashes, they do start a period of penance and fasting. The Great Lent continues through the Friday before Holy Week, including Sundays.

The dates for Great Lent are also determined in tandem with Orthodox calculations of Easter (Pascha), which differ from those of Western churches. Orthodox Easter is April 12 this year ' as in most years, falling later than Catholic and Protestant observances.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.