MOSCOW: Russian police on Sunday (Monday in Manila) detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow as thousands rallied across the country against a March election expected to extend Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin term. In Moscow, Navalny chanted “Swindlers and thieves” at a rally in the city centre before several police officers pounced on the 41-year-old opposition politician, knocking him to the ground and dragging him on to a bus. Authorities said Navalny would be charged with organising an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to a police station. Navalny himself served three jail sentences of 15 days, 25 days and 20 days for organising unauthorised protests last year. After 18 years of leadership, both as president and prime minister, Putin fatigue is spreading across Russia.

Source: Manila Times January 29, 2018 03:11 UTC