Day: February 23, 2021
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Thousands Protest in Georgia After Opposition Leader Arrested
Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in Georgia on Tuesday after the arrest of an opposition leader, deepening a political crisis that erupted after disputed elections last year. Hundreds of riot police used tear gas against Nika Melia’s supporters who were camped out at his United National Movement party’s headquarters in the capital Tbilisi before he was arrested…
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Novaya Gazeta Publishes New Torture Videos From Notorious Russian Prison
New video footage claiming to show the brutal torture of Russian inmates, one of whom died shortly after the footage was filmed, has surfaced, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported on Tuesday. Novaya Gazeta says the two videos came from the same prison colony where gruesome leaked footage of guards torturing inmates sparked a national…
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Russians Increasingly Get Their News from Social Media, Internet – Poll
A growing number of Russians get their news from social media and the internet, according to a survey published by the independent Levada Center pollster on Tuesday. Forty-two percent of Levada’s Russian respondents use social media to get their daily news, while 39% get it from the internet. While television remains the primary news source…
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Ukraine Takes Russia to Europe Rights Court Over ‘Targeted Assassinations’
Ukraine has accused Russia of targeted assassinations of “perceived opponents” in a case lodged at the European Court of Human Rights, the latest salvo by Kiev in a barrage of legal complaints against Moscow. The case, which was filed last week, accuses Russia of carrying out “state-authorized” assassinations “in Russia and on the territory of…
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St. Petersburg Ballerina Dances on Ice to Save Local Beach
A ballerina from St. Petersburg’s renowned Mariinsky Theatre has filmed herself dancing on the ice of the Gulf of Finland in a move to save a local beach from development. Ilmira Bagautdinova is one of thousands speaking out against plans to construct a port terminal for grain shipments on Batareinaya Bay, a beach roughly 100…
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Georgian Police Arrest Top Opposition Leader, Use Tear Gas in Party HQ Raid
Georgian police on Tuesday arrested a top opposition leader and used tear gas in a violent raid on his party headquarters, further deepening a political crisis sparked by last year’s disputed parliamentary elections. Live television footage showed Nika Melia, the leader of the United National Movement, the country’s main opposition party, being dragged from his…
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Kremlin-Critical NHL Star Takes Leave Over Assault Allegations
NHL star Artemi Panarin will take a leave of absence from the New York Rangers after a Russian tabloid published assault allegations that his team links to his criticism of the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin. Panarin, 29, was accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman in Latvia in 2011 by his former KHL coach…