Protests are being held against a Russian government move to increase the age for collecting state retirement pensions. The protests were called by Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption activist who is President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent foe. Mr Navalny is serving a 30-day jail sentence connected with an unsanctioned protest in January unrelated to the pension proposal, which was introduced in June. The plan calls for the pension age to be raised five years — to 65 for men and 60 for women. But Mr Putin and government officials say the age hike is necessary because rising life expectancy in Russia could exhaust pension resources if the eligibility age remains the same.

Source: Irish Examiner September 09, 2018 12:00 UTC