The prosecutor's office accused the former head of the Serpukhov district, Alexander Shestun, who is under arrest , of intending to stage a suicide and organize provocations against officials.

Petersburg "Zenith" lost to the Turkish club "Fenerbahce" in the first match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League. The match ended 1-0, Zenit midfielder Robert Mack did not score a penalty. “Nothing is lost, everything will be decided here, in St. Petersburg,” said Zenit head coach Sergei Semak. The return match will be held on February 21 in St. Petersburg. In addition to Zenit, Krasnodar plays in the playoffs of the Europa League. He will play with the German "Bayer" on February 14 and 21.

The first trailer for the film “Yesterday” was released - the comedy of the British director Danny Boyle about the musician Jack, who suddenly ended up in a world where no one knows about The Beatles group.

Louafi Larbi / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA Children have asked for advice online to get around anti-vaxxer parents In late January, the writer Andrea Phillips pointed out that children in the United States had been posting frequently on Reddit to ask how they could receive immunizations without their parents’ permission. U.S. law on the matter varies from state to state, but it typically prohibits children under 18 from requesting health care on their own. In some cases, exceptions can be made.

The social network "VKontakte" said that "to protect the interests of users" will sue the site SearchFace, which allows you to find people on the social network by photo. The service collects and uses data without the prior consent of users, which is a "gross violation of the rules" of VK, the company's press service told Meduza. In addition to the lawsuit, VKontakte will also prepare updates that will restrict access to data.

The European Union and the United States are working on new sanctions against Russia over the conflict in the Black Sea , during which Russian border guards seized three ships and detained 24 Ukrainians, Sky News and the Financial Times reported on February 12, citing sources. After this news appeared, the ruble fell sharply on the Moscow Exchange, losing 46 kopecks against the dollar and 66 kopecks against the euro in 10 minutes, Vedomosti writes .

A court in Sochi, Russia, has ordered the investigative outlet The Insider to delete a 2018 article that exposed illegal hunting and fishing in a Caucasian nature preserve, Svobodnye Media reported. Fishing, hunting, and gathering are all prohibited in the area, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Insider ’s report accused Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of participating in illegal fishing on the preserve.

A court in Sochi has ordered The Insider to remove a 2018 article that reported on illegal hunting and fishing in the Caucasus Nature Reserve , including with the participation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Svobodnye Media reports. The director of the reserve, Sergei Shevelev, filed a lawsuit to protect his honor and dignity.

A district court in Moscow has ordered Moscow State University graduate student Azat Miftakhov to be held under guard until March 7 or later. Prosecutors said Miftakhov, who is suspected of anarchist activity, participated in a 2018 attack on the Moscow office of Russia’s ruling political party, United Russia. Miftakhov, a student of mechanics and mathematics, was first arrested on February 1 after a raid on multiple Moscow residences.

In the United States, the jury returned a guilty verdict against Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzmán, nicknamed El Chapo ("Shorty"), who was accused of international drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes. Guzman was found guilty on all 10 counts. The jury deliberated 34 hours over six days. What kind of punishment will be assigned to El Chapo is still unknown. He faces a life sentence.

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation "removed from the agenda" the idea to limit the possible number of screenings of a foreign film to 35 percent of all screenings per day. This was stated by the director of the department of cinematography Olga Lyubimova. Whether the Ministry of Culture is considering the possibility of returning to this proposal in the future, she did not specify.

The Chair of Russia’s Supreme Court, Vyacheslav Lebedev, argued today that the country’s ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses is not motivated by religious animus. His statement came several days after an elder in the organization was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of organizing an extremist group. Lebedev said, “No one is persecuting anyone else for their religion here.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animator Nick Kondo revealed a hidden cameo from Stan Lee , the creator of the legendary superhero. In one scene of the film, Miles Morales (the black teenager who became Spider-Man) flies over the streets of New York City while speeding past a train. The passenger on this train is Stan Lee. In the frame, it can be seen that he shows the signature gesture of Spider-Man.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called for renaming the country, which was named in the 16th century after King Philip II of Spain. Duterte believes the Philippines should be called "Maharlika," a name widely used by dictator Ferdinand Marcos . "Marcos was right. He wanted to change the name to Maharlika because it is a Malay word," Duterte said.

Meduza summarizes the latest features on LGBTQ issues in and near Russia Stanislav Dolzhnitsky Yan worked with a journalist to document his life as a trans man in Russia for ‘Meduza.’ The first month of 2019 was a busy and often frightening one for journalists who write about LGBTQ life in the Russian-speaking world.