VISUAL REPORTS
Serbian Opposition's Weekly Antigovernment Marches Continue
Thousands of Serbians in a sixth antigovernment march on January 12 demanded an investigation into a November 23 assault by thugs on Serbian Left party leader Borko Stefanovic, and demanded the resignations of President Aleksandar Vucic, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, and public radio and television head Dragan Bujosevic.
After Deadly Magnitogorsk Blast, Residents Face Shaky Future
Days after an explosion destroyed part of an apartment building in Magnitogorsk, Russia, city authorities declared the adjacent flats safe. But people living next to the demolished section fear that another disaster could come at any time.
Chinese 'Deradicalization' Camps: Education Or Persecution?
China has given foreign journalists a tour of what it calls "vocational education training centers" in the western province of Xinjiang. The tour comes amid continuing reports of mass detentions and persecutions of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other ethnic populations in the province.
OTHER NEWS
FSB Moves To Shutter Hearings On Ukrainian Sailors
Russian media reports that the Federal Security Service has appealed to the Lefortovo Court of Moscow to prohibit public access to a hearing scheduled for January 15 on the arrest of 23 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russian border guards in the Black Sea in November. The sailors’ lawyers believe the order for a closed hearing violates criminal procedure. (Russian Service)
MIT Quietly Untangles Itself From Russian Billionaire
Nine years ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) embraced a Kremlin-backed initiative headed by Russian tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, entering into a $300 million collaboration to found the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology outside Moscow. Vekselberg was elected to MIT’s board of trustees in 2013 but was "suspended" after the U.S. Treasury Department added him to a sanctions list on April 6.
Rotenberg Company Wins State Anticorruption Tender
Granat, a company owned by Russian billionaire oligarch Arkady Rotenberg, has been awarded a state grant to conduct training on civil-society development and combating corruption.
OSCE Monitoring Drone Shot Down Over Eastern Ukraine
A surveillance drone operated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor a snow-removal operation in eastern Ukraine has been shot down near the government-controlled village of Popasna in the Luhansk region.
Russian Justice Ministry Seeks To Expel Crimean Lawyer From Bar Association
The Russian Justice Ministry has sent prominent Crimean lawyer Emil Kurbedinov and the Crimean Bar Association letters requesting he be expelled from the association by March 1 because of alleged involvement in "extremist activities," an act that Human Rights Watch has criticized as a politically motivated effort to increase pressure on him.
'Beglov's Shovel': Memes Pile Up On Russian Snow Clean-Up Order
When a poll this week in St. Petersburg showed that residents thought too little was being done to clear the snow, the city's acting governor decided special measures were needed. Aleksandr Beglov ordered that the heads of every district be given a shovel with their name on it, and pledged to personally inspect the trunks of their cars to make sure the shovels are in regular use. Beglov ordered progress reports, and said the public must be satisfied. And then the memes began.
Far-Right German Journalist Implicated In Firebombing Of Hungarian Center In Ukraine
A Polish man accused of involvement in the firebombing of a Hungarian cultural center in western Ukraine last year says he received instructions on the attack from a German journalist who has worked as a consultant for a German parliament deputy with the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
More Than Half Of Russians Support The resignation Of The Government
A Levada Center poll conducted in December has found that 53% of Russians favor the resignation of the prime minister and other ministers, claiming the government is unable to solve the problems of increasing prices, declining incomes, unemployment, and social protections. (Russian Service)
Azeri Political Prisoners Strike In Support Of Jailed Blogger
Azeri political prisoners Ilkin Rustamzade, Bayram Mamedov, Ahsan Nuruzade, and journalist Elchin Ismaily have announced a hunger strike in support of jailed blogger Mehman Huseynov, who was subject to a new criminal charge in December, just weeks before his expected release from prison. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Pashinian Reappointed Armenian PM After Securing Parliament Majority
Nikol Pashinian has been appointed to a second term as prime minister of Armenia after his political alliance scored a landslide victory in snap parliamentary elections.
Tajikistan: No Country For Bearded Young Men
Authorities in Tajikistan are being accused of stepping up a yearslong campaign against full beards by denying international passports to men who turn up shaggy for their photos. During one recent week, more than a dozen Tajik men told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that passport officials had demanded that they return without beards if they want those essential international travel documents.
MAJLIS PODCAST: Rating Uzbekistan’s Progress In Halting Forced Labor