Move over, social studies. Russian 9th graders need to study loans and the federal budget

Meanwhile in Russia, on Monday, February 15, 2016

• Russia's Attorney General is going to let its Chechen branch investigate concerns that Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov broke the law when he vowed to “punish” the liberal opposition.
• Federal censors, meanwhile, say Kadyrov didn't break any laws when he penned an aggressive opinion piece, vowing to punish the liberal opposition.
• With the economy struggling, Russian education officials plan to cut back on social studies lessons, in order to offer a new course on finance to ninth graders.
• The Zika virus has arrived in Russia.
• The first deputy chairman of the Bank of Russia is concerned that Russian consumers aren't being prudent enough in the face of recession.

Chechnya's prosecutors got this

The Attorney General's Office told a St. Petersburg city councilman that it has passed the buck to local Chechen prosecutors, regarding his request that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's recent public comments be investigated for extremism. “Your appeal has been directed to the attorney general of the Chechen Republic for review. You will be informed of the office's conclusions,” the official response said.

In mid-January, Kadyrov published several harsh statements against Russia's “non-systemic opposition,” calling its members “traitors” and “enemies of the people.” He later explained that he was talking about liberal activists who work to weaken Russia in cooperation with Western intelligence agencies.

Not all jackals will be punished

The results are already in regarding another review of Kadyrov's animosity toward liberal oppositionists. Roskomnadzor, Russia's state censor, says it found nothing illegal about an opinion piece Kadyrov authored in the January 18, 2016, edition of the newspaper Izvestia. A journalist filed a complaint with Roskomnadzor, alleging that the article, “The Jackals Will Be Punished According to Russian Law,” qualifies as an abuse of press freedoms. Officials say the text does not.

Move over social studies, Russian 9th graders need to know about loans and the federal budget

Russian education officials want the nation's schoolchildren to be equipped for the real world, and in that spirit they're developing a new program to promote financial literacy, teaching kids about loans, mortgages, pensions, and taxes, as well as the formation of the federal government's budget. The new course is being designed for ninth graders, and it's expected to occupy about 30 percent of the time currently allotted to social studies lessons.

Throughout Russia, overdue debts rose 30 percent in 2015, according to the National Bureau of Credit Histories.

The Zika virus comes to Russia

Health officials have confirmed the first case in Russia of a person infected with the Zika virus, the mosquito-transmitted disease that's been linked to thousands of cases of birth defects in the Americas. The patient is a woman who returned from a vacation in the Dominican Republic. She began showing symptoms several days after coming back to Russia. No one aboard her return flight nor any members of her family have reported symptoms.

Heads up, you TV-splurgers

Sergei Shvetsov, the first deputy chairman of the Bank of Russia, is calling on Russians “not to buy a bunch of TVs” in the midst of a recession. “[People] need to understand that they could lose their jobs tomorrow,” Shvetsov explained. “So the inclination to save money should take precedence over the desire to consume.” He encourages Russians to keep their heads, as the economy tumbles, saying, “If there's an economic downturn, the population should react rationally, and not go buying a bunch of TVs and washing machines.”

Last year, for the first time in roughly 17 years, Russians on average spent more money than they earned, though overall spending on goods and services is declining. The Ministry of Economic Development estimates that average salaries will remain below 2014 levels for another two years, at least.