VISUAL REPORTS
Hundreds Attend Anti-Migrant March In Belgrade
Hundreds of people joined a protest march against migrants in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. The main organizers were the People's Patrols, informal groups that have been threatening migrants.
Attacks On Women On International Women's Day
Rallies over the weekend to mark International Women's Day came under attack in several countries, including Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan.
INFOGRAPHIC: Depopulation Disaster: The Balkans And Its Creeping Demographic Crisis
Some of the best and brightest have been fleeing life in the Western Balkans in droves in recent decades. And there's no end in sight.
INFOGRAPHIC: Infectious Diseases: How Do They Compare?
More than 110,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed since the virus appeared for the first time in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. This is how the latest coronavirus compares to other infectious diseases.
OTHER NEWS
BREAKING: Putin Agrees To Proposal To Lift Presidential Term Limits
Russian President Vladimir Putin, appearing before the Russian Duma, said he agrees with a proposed constitutional amendment allowing him to seek another term if it is approved by the Constitutional Court. Lawmaker Valentina Tereshkova had proposed the amendment, stating “If the situation requires it, and, most importantly, if people want it,” the law should provide for the re-election of the incumbent president. A proposal by Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky would provide for early parliamentary elections to follow a constitutional referendum, possibly in September. (Current Time TV and Russian Service)
Names Of 298 MH17 Victims Read Out As Dutch Court Opens Murder Trial
The trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen over the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine has opened in the Netherlands. The four suspects on March 9 were not present in the dock at the court located near Schiphol Airport, but judges ruled that the hearing could continue in their absence.
Russia-Saudi Oil Spat Sends Shock Waves Through Moscow Markets
Russian stocks were down sharply across the board in early trading on March 10 after a public holiday, following a crash in oil prices that saw the ruble tumble to a four-year low and global markets plunge.
U.S. Cements Position As Largest Arms Exporter, With Russia In Second Place
The United States has supplied more than one-third of global arms over the past five years, cementing its position as the world's top weapons seller, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Russia was the world's second-largest exporter, with 21 percent of global arms deliveries, but Russian exports were 18 percent lower than in 2010-14.
Trump Administration Envisions Expanded New START Treaty
An extension of the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia is set to expire on February 2021, and Washington has said a new accord should include "slightly exotic new” weapons systems that Moscow is developing, and include China.
Patriotic Activist Flees Russia After Being Charged With Possessing 'Secret' Maps
For more than 30 years, Anton Kolomitsyn has traveled the remote corners of Russia looking for the remains of Soviet soldiers killed in the area during World War II. But on January 21, agents of the Federal Security Service presented him with a search warrant and an arrest warrant on charges of possessing state secrets.
Whooping Cough Cases Register Dramatic Increase In Russia
Russia recorded nearly 14,500 cases of whooping cough in 2019, an increase of almost 40% over the previous year. In January 2020 alone, an additional 1,758 people, overwhelmingly children, were diagnosed with the infection. Russian chief epidemiologist Nikolai Briko attributed the increase to parents’ refusal to vaccinate their children, or their failure to vaccinate them on time. (Russian Service)
Kadyrov Awards Daughter With A Medal Of Merit
On March 8, International Women’s Day, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov awarded his daughter Aishat Kadyrova a medal of Merit to the Chechen Republic for “impeccably diligent work” and contributing to art and culture in Chechnya. Kadyrova’s Firdaws fashion house was recently showcased as part of the Russian Seasons festival in Paris, held in parallel with Paris Fashion Week, (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russia-Backed Separatists Open Fire, Killing One Soldier And Injuring Others
Ukraine’s military reports that Russia-backed separatists opened fire using “weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements,” including 120mm mortars and grenade launchers. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and four injured. The location was not disclosed. (Ukrainian Service)
Georgian Parties Sign Election-Reform Memorandum After Months Of Talks
Leaders of Georgia’s ruling and opposition parties have agreed to a deal on election reforms after months of foreign-brokered talks and sometimes violent public unrest.
Azerbaijani Police Detained Dozens At Rally For Women’s Rights
Police in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, detained several women and men taking part in a rally by the Feminist Movement of Azerbaijan on March 8 before taking them to a remote area far from the capital and releasing them. One of the activists reportedly sustained a head injury while being taken into custody.
Azerbaijan Thwarts Attempt To Smuggle One Million Medical Masks
Azerbaijan says it has confiscated more than 1 million medical masks from smugglers who planned to illegally take them out of the country, as nations around the world scramble to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Interior Ministry said on March 9 that the smugglers, who were detained by police, included Iranian, Chinese, and Azerbaijani nationals.
Uzbek President Orders Abolition Of Cotton Quotas
President Shavkat Mirziyoev ordered on March 6 the abolition of a decades-old state quota system for cotton crops, a major change that rights activists said should help end the Uzbekistan's longtime problem with forced labor. On March 7, Uzbekistan said it will become an observer of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union before deciding whether to join.
IRAN: As Many As 70,000 Prisoners Released Over Coronavirus Fears
AFGHANISTAN: ‘Tremendous Uncertainty’ As Competing Presidential Oaths Plunge Country Deeper Into Crisis
MAJLIS PODCAST: The Challenges Still Faced By Central Asia's Women