Dec 25, 2017 - World

Russian opposition leader barred from presidential race

Alexei Navalny (center) at a 2016 march in Moscow marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images

Russia's Central Electoral Commission has barred opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running in March's presidential election against Russian President Vladimir Putin, per the BBC. Navalny was convicted of embezzlement earlier this year after a 2013 verdict on the same charges was overturned by the European Court of Human Rights, which determined that he had received an unfair trial.

Why it matters: Navalny is seen as the only person who can credibly challenge Putin, who is running a fourth term as president, in next year's race. After the decision, he called for his supporters to boycott the presidential vote in protest.

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Zachary Basu

Updated 29 mins ago - World

Protests erupt in Belarus after "Europe's last dictator" claims election win

Protesters and riot police clash in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday during a demonstration against President Alexander Lukashenko's claim of a landslide victory. Photo: Misha Friedman/Getty Images)

Riot police clashed with protesters in Belarus overnight after a government exit poll predicted Sunday President Aleksander Lukashenko, an authoritarian who has ruled the Eastern European country since 1994, had overwhelmingly defeated a pro-democracy opposition candidate.

Why it matters: It's a precarious moment for the former Soviet republic, where decades of repression and a complete disregard for the coronavirus pandemic threaten to topple "Europe's last dictator." Rights groups said at least one protester was killed and dozens more wounded in a "police crackdown," per AP.

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Axios

Updated 42 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 19,909,062 — Total deaths: 732,128 — Total recoveries — 12,138,271 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 5,053,123 — Total deaths: 163,047 — Total recoveries: 1,656,864 — Total tests: 61,792,571 — Map.
Business: Richer Americans are more comfortable eating out.
Public health: How America can do smarter testing.
Sports: The cost of kids losing gym class — College football is on the brink.
🎧 Podcast: Indoor air is the next hotspot.

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Kia Kokalitcheva

2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Twitter jumps into the fray for TikTok

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Twitter is the latest to join the cast of the ongoing spectacle that is TikTok’s battle to stay open for business in the U.S., per a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The saga to keep TikTok available to U.S. users is getting more complicated, with the company already in a President Trump-imposed time crunch and juggling a number of options.