In the past 24 hours, 2,088 samples were registered with the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 447 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.

New cases have been registered in all cantons in the Federation of B&amp;H, except Canton 10.
So far, a total of 489,207 samples have been tested in the FB&amp;H, and SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in 94,513 individuals.
As of today, 81,189 patients have recovered in the Federation of B&amp;H. In the past 24 hours, 661 patients have recovered.
Currently, there are 10,307 cases of SARS-CoV-2 positive in the FB&amp;H. In the past 24 hours, 43 new deaths were reported to the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H.
As of today, the number of deaths in the Federation of B&amp;H is 3,017, according to the entity's Institute of Public Health.
In the last 24 hours, at the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Srpska, the University Clinical Center of the Republic of Srpska, the University Hospital in Foča and the Hospital Sv. Vračevi in ​​Bijeljina tested 391 laboratory samples, and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed in 129 people.
In the last 24 hours, 19 deaths were reported to the Republic of Srpska Institute of Public Health, in which the presence of the coronavirus was confirmed.
So far, 46,666 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the entity, and a total of 2,381 people died in whom the coronavirus test was confirmed.
After testing six samples, six new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District of B&amp;H. One person died. Six people recovered.

New cases have been registered in all cantons in the Federation of B&H, except Canton 10

In the past 24 hours, 661 patients have recovered in FB&H

B&H registers 582 new cases of coronavirus, 63 persons died

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina rejected the proposal of the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H that the FB&amp;H Prime Minister Fadil Novalić and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Jelka Milićević be banned from performing the duties of appointed officials.

Senka Nožica, defense attorney of the FB&amp;H Finance Minister Jelka Milićević, confirmed for FENA that they had received a decision from the Court rejecting the proposal.
The Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H requested that the FB&amp;H Prime Minister Fadil Novalić and Minister Milićević be banned from performing the duties of appointed officials until the first instance verdict is rendered in the respirators procurement trial that has begun recently. They also requested a ban on visiting official premises and meeting with certain persons and witnesses.
The prosecution charges Novalić and others with violating the law in the procurement of one hundred ventilators worth 10.5 million KM.

The Prosecutor's Office of B&H requested that both of them should be banned from performing the duties of appointed officials until the first instance verdict is rendered in the respirators procurement trial

Novalić, Solak and Hodžić: Accused of procuring respirators

B&H Court rejects to ban Novalić and Milićević from performing official duties

Director of the FB&amp;H Institute of Health, Davor Pehar, has not signed contracts for the supply of vaccines with the companies MGM Farm Kakanj and Krajinagroup, because these companies, although they sent bids for procurement, did not submit contracts.

The problem arose, as it was reported on Saturday, due to great media and political pressure on suppliers.
As one of them unofficially confirmed to the media, from the moment it was announced that they would be one of the suppliers, they were exposed to numerous calls from journalists accusing them of using the difficult situation to make money off the citizens of FB&amp;H, that vaccines can be purchased at much lower prices, that the Federation of B&amp;H should not procure Russian vaccines ... which is why they decided to give up, while others were exposed to political pressure.
The office of the Prime Minister of the FB&amp;H Government confirmed to FENA that the Institute did not sign contracts with two selected suppliers.
-Since last Friday, when the problems with the selected suppliers started, we have been trying to find a solution. During the weekend, together with the representatives of the Institute, we had meetings with the officials from the Chinese embassy, ​​talks with suppliers from Belgium, Sweden, and we were contacted by some other domestic companies that want to get involved in procurement. We are more than aware of the difficult situation and we are trying in every way to find a solution. We worked all weekend and we will work 24 hours a day until we provide vaccines for the citizens of the Federation of B&amp;H- said Prime Minister Fadil Novalić.
A meeting of the Ad hoc team is scheduled for 1 PM today in order to urgently review the subsequently submitted bids and make decisions on further action.

The problem arose, as it was reported on Saturday, due to great media and political pressure on suppliers

Novalić: Since last Friday, when the problems with the selected suppliers started, we have been trying to find a solution

Novalić: We will work 24 hrs. a day until we secure vaccines for FB&H citizens

The Crisis Staff of the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo (KCUS) declared a state of emergency and unanimously decided to bring back all the employees from vacations and suspend the use of vacations until further notice, it was announced on the official Facebook page of the director of KCUS, prof. dr. Sebija Izetbegović.

Prof. dr. Izetbegović, in a statement for the media yesterday, warned of the critical situation at KCUS.
-All capacities are filled with sick patients to the maximum. The entire old surgery building is being used just for COVID-19 cases. The Podhrastovi clinic is also filled to capacity. For almost a year we have been doing everything in our power, almost without any support.&nbsp;The staff is exhausted. It is a heavy psychological pressure to be among such seriously ill patients. We are working and will continue to do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, but the situation is really critical. More and more of our employees are getting sick- said the director of KCUS.

The Crisis Staff of KCUS unanimously decided to bring back all the employees from vacations and suspend the use of vacations until further notice

Izetbegović: All capacities are filled with sick patients to the maximum

State of emergency declared at Sarajevo’s Clinical Center

Somalia on Monday received its first shipment of 300,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, destined for frontline workers and those most at risk from Covid-19, the government said in a statement.

The conflict-torn nation has seen coronavirus cases soar 77 percent over the past month, to 9,190, while deaths have more than doubled to a total of 367. 
-The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines happens at a critical time as Somalia is now experiencing a new wave of the epidemic- Health Minister Fawziya Abikar Nur said in a statement.
-It can only be contained if all countries stand together, Somalia included.-The AstraZeneca jab, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, was provided under the Covax initiative which is working to facilitate vaccine access for poorer countries.
This particular vaccine only requires standard refrigeration, making it easier to transport and store.
Nur said that Somalia had "strong systems in place" to carry out the vaccination campaign.
-The vaccines have helped other countries reduce the spread of Covid-19 and we are confident they will do the same for Somalis- he said.
Elsewhere in the Horn of Africa and East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have also begun vaccinating against Covid-19.

They are destined for frontline workers and those most at risk from coronavirus

They received first shipment of 300,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine

Somalia receives 300,000 doses of Covid vaccine

Twitter users who used the word "Memphis" found themselves temporarily locked out of their accounts at the weekend because of a bizarre bug.

Several users shared screenshots showing messages from Twitter saying their account was being limited for violating the platform's rules, after they had tweeted a message which included the word "Memphis."
Twitter late Sunday acknowledged the error and said it had been fixed.
Reports of the bug emerged after some soccer fans noticed that posts mentioning Olympique Lyonnais player Memphis Depay were being blocked.
The French soccer club tweeted a picture of their Dutch forward with the message: "Hey, @Twitter -- can we talk about him yet?"
Others joined in with jokes about the apparent taboo.
-When bots flood our comments with 'say the m word'- NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies tweeted with a video of a player blocking a shot.
Some users expressed mock concern about the taboo covering the Tennessee home of rock'n'roll where Elvis Presley grew up.
Others referenced the Monty Python comedy "Life of Brian," with lawyer George Conway, a vocal Donald Trump critic, linking to the scene where a man is about to be stoned for saying the word "Jehovah."
-A number of accounts that Tweeted the word 'Memphis' were temporarily limited due to a bug- Twitter Support said on Sunday.
-It's been fixed and the accounts have now been restored. We're sorry this happened.-Some users noted that Twitter was able to ban a specific term, albeit inadvertently, and called for it to better address abuse on the platform.
-Hello Twitter, Glad you got that fixed. Now ban the nazis, please- one user tweeted.

Reports of the bug emerged after some soccer fans noticed that posts mentioning Olympique Lyonnais player Memphis Depay were being blocked

Several users shared screenshots showing messages from Twitter saying their account was being limited for violating the platform's rules, after they had tweeted a message which included the word "Memphis"

Strange Twitter bug bans users for mentioning 'Memphis'

British Airways’s new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans.Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.
Sean Doyle, appointed BA’s chief executive last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support.
-I think people who’ve been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result- he said.
Doyle said the roll-out of vaccines made him optimistic BA would be back flying this summer, but added the recovery depends on what is said on April 12.
He wants government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person’s negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.
Apps will be key to facilitating travel at scale, the industry has said. Airline staff checking paperwork takes 20 minutes per passenger and is not practical if large numbers of passengers return.
Britain has rapidly rolled out vaccinations and 44% of the adult population, mostly people over 60, have now had their first shot.
The government has said any return to travel must be fair and not unduly disadvantage those who have not been vaccinated.
Doyle expects Britain to bring in a tiered framework with destinations put into categories depending on risk, and that will determine BA’s summer schedule.
Beyond saying there was “huge pent up demand”, Doyle declined to forecast how strong the season could be.
Budget rival Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline, has said it hopes to fly up to 70% of 2019 passenger numbers this summer.
BA has struck a deal with a testing kit provider giving its passengers 33 pound ($46) tests to take abroad.
Travel commentators expect most European airlines to focus on short-haul leisure routes this summer, and Doyle noted France, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain had all sounded positive about welcoming British holidaymakers.
But he said BA was also looking further afield.
-We’re already looking at new destinations over the summer that we haven’t flown to before, and that could be across both long haul and short haul- Doyle said.

Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume

Passengers are seen at the counter of British Airways to check in for their flights to London at the Benito Juarez International Airport, in Mexico City, Mexico December 21, 2020.

British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

Dutch riot police used water cannon and batons on Sunday to disperse a crowd of several thousand anti-lockdown protesters gathered at a field in the centre of The Hague a day before national elections.


The demonstration was broken up after the protesters flouted social distancing rules and ignored police warnings to disperse.
Local media said several arrests were made during the clashes. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Dutch authorities had stopped train services to the city, the seat of government, to prevent more protesters arriving. Police initially told people to go home and announced over loudspeakers that the event was over and warned that they would break up the protest by force if necessary.
Many in the crowd, gathered at the central Maliveld field in the city, were holding yellow umbrellas in a show of opposition and chanted “Love, freedom, stop dictatorship.”
The Netherlands has been under a tough lockdown since late January with gatherings of more than two people banned, restaurants and bars shut and with the first night-time curfew since World War Two.
Voting in the election will start on Monday, with polls open for three days to help to ensure social distancing at polling stations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD Party looks set to get a new four-year mandate after being in power since 2010.
A majority of voters reluctantly support the lockdown, given the Netherlands’ current coronavirus infection rate which is towards the high end of Europe’s range.
But the curfew, which has been extended until the end of March, prompted several days of rioting across the country when it was first imposed on Jan. 23
-You can do some restrictions of course but you can limit it to the people who are vulnerable and weak in society- said Hans van der Arend, who travelled from the nearby port city of Rotterdam.
The country of 17 million has registered more than 1.1 million COVID-19 cases and more than 16,000 deaths in the pandemic.

The Netherlands has been under a tough lockdown since late January with gatherings of more than two people banned, restaurants and bars shut and with the first night-time curfew since World War Two

People protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in The Hague, Netherlands, March 14, 2021.

Dutch police break up anti-lockdown protest ahead of election

Pope Francis called the Syrian civil war one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times on Sunday, saying its 10th anniversary should spur all to seek “a sliver of hope” for a devastated nation.

In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests developed into a multi-sided conflict that sucked in world powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
-I renew my heartfelt appeal so that all sides in the conflict show a sign of good will so that a sliver of hope can open up for the worn-out population- Francis told several hundred people in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing and message.
Syria had seen “every type of violence and enormous suffering by the population, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly,” said the pope, who last Monday returned from a trip to bordering Iraq.
He also called for a “decisive” commitment by the international community to end fighting and help reconstruction and economic recovery.
He then led the crowd in prayer for the “beloved and martyred Syria.”

In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests developed into a multi-sided conflict that sucked in world powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more

Pope Francis gives a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after visiting Iraq, March 8, 2021.

Pope says 10th anniversary of Syrian civil war must spur peace efforts

A leftist Greek militant, serving several life terms in prison for 11 murders, has decided to end a 66-day hunger strike, his lawyer said on Sunday.Dimitris Koufodinas, 63, a member of the dismantled November 17 guerrilla group, is being treated in intensive care in hospital near the high-security prison of Domokos in central Greece. He has refused food since Jan. 8, demanding to be transferred to Korydallos prison in Athens.
In a message posted online on Sunday, Koufodinas thanked supporters for their solidarity, a statement his lawyer Ioanna Kourtovik confirmed meant that he was ending his hunger strike.
-He chooses life- Kourtovik told Reuters.
The decision resolves an increasingly sensitive problem for the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose own brother-in-law was killed by Koufodinas.
Sympathizers and civil rights activists, including members of the leftist opposition, have held a series of protests, accusing the government of intransigent and arbitrary treatment of Koufodinas. The government has rejected the criticism, saying it would not yield to blackmail.
Authorities had rejected Koufodinas’ request for a transfer citing a recent prison reform and a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region of Korydallos, where he served part of his sentence and where other convicted members of the Marxist group are held.
In his statement, Koufodinas, who suffered kidney failure last week, said protests in support of his strike showed the power of resistance.
-Before the force of these struggles, I declare that I’m among you, in heart and mind- he said.
Over three decades, November 17, named for the date of a 1973 student uprising against the then junta, conducted a campaign of assassinations, targeting U.S. military personnel and foreign diplomats as well as Greek politicians and industrialists.
Its leaders were arrested in 2002, two years before the Athens Olympic Games. In a high profile trial, Koufodinas, nicknamed “Poison Hand” for his cold-blooded killings, was convicted along with 14 others of 23 murders and dozens of bomb attacks, which he never denied.

Koufodinas has refused food since Jan. 8, demanding to be transferred to Korydallos prison in Athens

Protesters wear protective face masks during a demonstration on Syntagma square in solidarity with jailed member of the disbanded leftist militant group 'November 17', Dimitris Koufodinas, who is serving multiple life terms for several crimes, including a series of murders and is currently on hunger strike, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Athens, Greece, March 3, 2021.

Greek militant in jail for life to end hunger strike, lawyer says

Italy’s northern region of Piedmont said on Sunday said it would temporarily suspend AstraZeneca coronavirus shots after a teacher from the town of Biella died following his vaccination on Saturday.The decision, following similar moves elsewhere in Europe, was precautionary and the region was awaiting the results of checks which will verify the batch that was used and whether there is a connection between the death and the vaccination, the regional government said in an online statement.
It did not say how the teacher died.
-It is an act of extreme prudence, while we verify whether there is a connection. There have been no critical issues with the administration of vaccines to date- Luigi Genesio Icardi, head of regional health services, said in the statement.
Italy’s medicine authority Aifa on Thursday banned the use of one batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Sources told Reuters the decision had been taken after the deaths of two men in Sicily.
Aifa had said that the ban was precautionary, adding that no link had been established between the vaccine and subsequent “serious adverse events”.
Authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine over clotting issues, while Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots last week while investigating a death from coagulation disorders.
The regulatory European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organisation on Friday. AstraZeneca also said it had found no evidence of increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis.
Ireland also temporarily suspended AstraZeneca’s vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” on Sunday, citing reports from the Norwegian Medicines Agency regarding a cluster of serious blood clotting in some recipients there.
Earlier on Sunday, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said vaccines in Italy and Europe were “effective and safe”, with all checks being carried out, when asked in an interview about the ban.

The decision, following similar moves elsewhere in Europe was precautionary

Italy’s medicine authority Aifa on Thursday banned the use of one batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine

Italy's Piedmont region temporarily suspends AstraZeneca shots

London police faced a backlash from the public and politicians on Sunday for their heavy-handed tactics in breaking up an outdoor vigil for a woman whose suspected killer is a police officer.The disappearance of Sarah Everard, 33, as she walked home on the evening of March 3, has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.
Police had denied permission for a vigil on Saturday evening at London’s Clapham Common, near where Everard was last seen alive, citing regulations aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus.
But hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park in defiance of the ban to pay their respects to Everard throughout the day, including Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Late on Saturday dozens of police officers marched into the crowd to shouts of “shame on you”. Scuffles broke out and officers dragged women away from the scene.
“Last night people were very, very upset, there was a great deal of emotion, completely understandably, and the police, being as they are operationally independent, will be having to explain that to the Home Secretary,” safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins told Sky News.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, the minister in charge of policing, described footage of the incident as “upsetting”. The BBC reported she had ordered an independent inquiry after an initial police report left some questions unanswered.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also said he was not satisfied with police chiefs’ explanation of the events and officers’ conduct must be examined.
An image of officers handcuffing a woman as she lay on the floor was widely shared and condemned on social media.

The woman, Patsy Stevenson, told LBC radio: -The main point that everyone was trying to get across when everything happened is that women don’t feel safe, they don’t feel safe walking down a street and that’s the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do.-
She said she was fined 200 pounds for breaching COVID regulations.Everard’s murder has resonated with woman across the country, prompting thousands to share on social media their experiences of violence and sexual assaults perpetrated by men, and vividly describe the daily fear they feel.
A steady flow of quiet mourners visited the site of the vigil on Sunday, placing flowers around a bandstand.
-I feel very angry that they think that they have the right to dictate how we mourn and how we react- 24-year old student Lilith Blackwell told Reuters at the bandstand.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball defended the officers’ actions and said they were faced with a very difficult decision.
-Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19- she said.
A police officer charged with Everard’s murder appeared in court on Saturday. Police discovered her body on Wednesday in woodland about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London. The court heard that her body was found in a builder’s refuse bag, and identified using dental records.

Hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park in defiance of the ban to pay their respects to Everard throughout the day, including Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge

People clash with police during a gathering at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 13, 2021.

London police face backlash after dragging mourners from vigil for murdered woman

France's government said Sunday it plans to evacuate around 100 Covid-19 patients from intensive care units in the Paris region this week as hospitals struggle to keep up with a surge in cases.

With the transfers, officials hope to avoid a new lockdown for the roughly 12 million people in and around the capital as they race to step up a vaccination drive that got off to a slow start.
-By the end of this week, probably around 100 patients will have been evacuated from the Ile-de-France region- encompassing Paris, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said at Orly airport, where two patients -- aged 33 and 70 -- were airlifted to the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
Later this week, two specially equipped trains will transfer "several dozens of patients to regions that today are under less strain" from the pandemic, Attal added.
Asked if Paris would avoid a new lockdown, Attal said -we are doing everything we can to not have to take more difficult, more restrictive measures.-However, "we will always take whatever decisions are necessary."
The government has already ordered weekend shutdowns for the northern Pas-de-Calais region -- where transfers of Covid patients to less crowded hospitals began earlier this month -- and in the Mediterranean region surrounding Nice.
Of the nearly 4,100 Covid patients currently in intensive care nationwide, around 1,100 are in Paris-area hospitals. 
A 6 pm curfew remains in place across France and restaurants, cafes, cinemas, theatres and large shopping centres have been shut, but the average daily number of new Covid cases has continued to climb steadily in recent weeks.
On Saturday, France's public health agency reported nearly 30,000 new cases over the previous 24 hours and 174 fatalities, bringing France's total death toll to 90,315.

With the transfers, officials hope to avoid a new lockdown for the roughly 12 million people in and around the capital

Of the nearly 4,100 Covid patients currently in intensive care nationwide, around 1,100 are in Paris-area hospitals

France to evacuate around 100 COVID patients from Paris

A joint naval exercise carried out by Israel, France, Greece and Greek Cypriot administration in the Mediterranean Sea concluded on Friday, the Israeli military said. 

Helicopters as well as naval vessels participated in the weeklong exercise, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement.
Search and rescue trainings were held as part of the exercise, Adraee said.
The purpose of the annual exercise is to increase cooperation between the fleets of participating countries and to deepen professional knowledge, he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Weeklong joint naval exercise with 3 countries concludes on Friday, says Israeli army

The purpose of the annual exercise is to increase cooperation between the fleets of participating countries and to deepen professional knowledge

Israel holds drill with France, Greece, Southern Cyprus

Tunisia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Saturday, a month later than planned, with health professionals first in line, AFP correspondents reported.

Around 300 nurses, doctors and other health personnel who are heavily exposed to the virus received shots during the morning at the El Menzah vaccination centre in the capital Tunis. 
The country received 30,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine on March 9.
This initial delivery is being used to vaccinate 15,000 health professionals, said Abdelmoumen Samir, a doctor who is part of the country's coronavirus taskforce. 
-With the vaccination launch, we are taking a very important step in the fight against this pandemic- he said.
-We will give a message of hope to Tunisians and encourage them to get vaccinated.-A further 94,000 vaccines, this time provided by Pfizer/BioNTech, are due to arrive from next week, while jabs produced by AstraZeneca are also to arrive soon, Samir said. 
-We are going to be much less stressed when we approach a coronavirus patient- said Jalila Khelil, head of the intensive care unit at the Abderrahmen Memmi Hospital. -Even if we catch the virus, we will suffer much less severe symptoms.-A new variant of the virus is circulating in Tunisia, but initial analysis does not show it to be more dangerous or virulent than the original strain, according to the Pasteur Institute. 
Tunisia, which has a population of 11.7 million, is the last country in the Maghreb region to launch its vaccination campaign. 
Morocco and Algeria launched their drives in late January. 
Confirmed deaths from the virus in Tunisia are currently running in the dozens per day, while total detected cases since the start of the pandemic stand at over 240,500, of whom more than 8,300 have died.&nbsp;

Around 300 nurses, doctors and other health personnel who are heavily exposed to the virus received shots during the morning at the El Menzah vaccination centre

A nurse inoculates a fellow health worker against Covid-19 at a hospital in Tunisia's capital on Saturday

Tunisia starts Covid vaccinations month behind plan

Russian police detained around 200 people, including several prominent opposition figures, at a meeting of independent and opposition politicians in Moscow on Saturday, the interior ministry said.The detentions come amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin sentiment, following the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny who returned to Russia in January after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning in Siberia.
The Moscow forum, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, was a gathering of municipal deputies from all over the country, Andrei Pivovarov, the event’s organiser and executive director of Open Russia, a British-based group founded by exiled former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told radio station Echo Moskvy.
As the forum got underway, police entered the building and began detaining attendees and taking them to police vans waiting outside, video footage from TV Rain and Russian news agencies showed.
The Moscow branch of Russia’s interior ministry said around 200 people had been detained and that an investigation was underway.
Police said those detained were not following the appropriate anti-coronavirus health measures even though footage showed most of them wearing masks. They said some of those attending the forum had links to an “undesirable organisation”.
-A significant portion of participants lacked personal protective equipment- the police said. -Members of an organisation whose activities are considered undesirable on Russian territory were among the participants.-OVD-Info, which monitors the detention of political protesters and activists, put the number of detainees at more than 170.
-The finale of the short forum was very symbolic: deputies in police vans and masked police twisting people’s arms- one detainee, opposition politician Ilya Yashin, wrote on Facebook.
-But no one promised us freedom on a silver platter. Russia will still be free.-Vladimir Kara-Murza, vice-president of the Free Russia Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit organisation, shared a picture from the inside of a police van after he was detained.
TV Rain said Yevgeny Roizman, the former mayor of Yekaterinburg, and Moscow city councillor Yulia Galyamina were also detained.
Open Russia is one of more than 30 groups that Moscow has labelled as undesirable and banned under a law adopted in 2015.

The detentions come amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin sentiment, following the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny

Former Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky poses for a pictured after an interview with Reuters in central London, Britain, January 18, 2021.

B&H registers 582 new cases of coronavirus, 63 persons died

B&H Court rejects to ban Novalić and Milićević from performing official duties

Novalić: We will work 24 hrs. a day until we secure vaccines for FB&H citizens

State of emergency declared at Sarajevo’s Clinical Center

Somalia receives 300,000 doses of Covid vaccine

Strange Twitter bug bans users for mentioning 'Memphis'

British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

Dutch police break up anti-lockdown protest ahead of election

Pope says 10th anniversary of Syrian civil war must spur peace efforts

Greek militant in jail for life to end hunger strike, lawyer says

Italy's Piedmont region temporarily suspends AstraZeneca shots

London police face backlash after dragging mourners from vigil for murdered woman

France to evacuate around 100 COVID patients from Paris

Israel holds drill with France, Greece, Southern Cyprus

Tunisia starts Covid vaccinations month behind plan

Russian police detain around 200 people, including leading opposition figures, at Moscow meeting

News

B&H registers 582 new cases of coronavirus, 63 persons died

B&H Court rejects to ban Novalić and Milićević from performing official duties

Novalić: We will work 24 hrs. a day until we secure vaccines for FB&H citizens

State of emergency declared at Sarajevo’s Clinical Center

Somalia receives 300,000 doses of Covid vaccine

Strange Twitter bug bans users for mentioning 'Memphis'

British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

Dutch police break up anti-lockdown protest ahead of election

Pope says 10th anniversary of Syrian civil war must spur peace efforts

Greek militant in jail for life to end hunger strike, lawyer says

Italy's Piedmont region temporarily suspends AstraZeneca shots

London police face backlash after dragging mourners from vigil for murdered woman

France to evacuate around 100 COVID patients from Paris

Israel holds drill with France, Greece, Southern Cyprus

Tunisia starts Covid vaccinations month behind plan

Russian police detain around 200 people, including leading opposition figures, at Moscow meeting