Macron Ready to Meet Belarus Opposition Leader

French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to meet with Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on a visit to Lithuania, a government spokesman said Monday, in what would be a major show of support for the activist. Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Vilnius after claiming victory in a disputed election, told AFP on Monday she had requested…

5K Recruits Receive Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine

Around 5,000 volunteers including those who are at higher risk of severe infection have received Russia’s coronavirus vaccine as part of final clinical trials for safety and effectiveness, its developer said Monday. Moscow’s state-run Gamaleya research center, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine, has said post-registration clinical trials that began earlier this month would involve more…

Nobel Winner Alexievich Leaves Belarus for Treatment – Friend

Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich has left the country for treatment in Germany, her friend told AFP Monday, after the Nobel Literature Prize winner faced official pressure for supporting the opposition. The 72-year-old author, who has been summoned for questioning by investigators after joining the opposition’s Coordination Council, has gone to Germany for planned treatment, her…

Veteran Russian Human Rights Leader Yury Orlov Dies at 96

Yury Orlov, a Soviet physicist, dissident and founder of Russia’s oldest human rights organization the Moscow Helsinki Group, died at age 96 on Sunday, the rights group said Monday. Orlov co-founded the Soviet branch of Amnesty International before founding the Moscow Helsinki Group with other dissidents in 1976. The organization got its name from its…