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.
A newly declassified cable from the British Ambassador to China at the time, Sir Alan Donald, describes the civilian deaths at the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre as at a "minimum estimate" of 10,000, The Independent reports. The document was reportedly written on June 5, just about 24 hours after the massacre.
Why it matters: That's much higher than previous estimates and disclosures; the Chinese government claims between 200 and 300 were killed and the Chinese Red Cross claims about 2,700 were killed. The document also provides more gruesome details than previously disclosed. In 2014, NTDTV reported that a Chinese informer reported 10,454 fatalities. The Chinese government has said the response to the protests at Tiananmen Square was a legitimate defense against a riot or rebellion.
North Korea called the United Nation's latest sanctions against the regime an "act of war" Sunday, and warned that those who supported the strict measures will "pay a heavy price."
Get smart: The foreign ministry statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, isn't the first time Pyongyang described foreign actions as an act of war, but serves as another reminder of escalating tensions in the region.
