• 'Unjustified and irrational': Marseille's Mayor 'astonished' by new French lockdown rules
• Paris bans daytime outdoor exercise
• French chef leads noisy protest against COVID-19 restrictions
• Threats, attacks, break-ins: French union chief sounds alarm over spike in violence against pharmacy staff amid Covid-19
• Pasteur Institute study: 'French coronavirus may be local, likely spreading BEFORE arrival from China'

• How addressing so-called 'unconscious bias' and 'unwitting racism' could be the first step to brainwashing
• NYC's schools 'implicit bias' training a 'catalyst for hate and division'
• Putting the Chill on Free Speech: Universities are encouraging students to report 'offensive' speech to Bias Response Teams

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has accepted an invitation from Moscow to send experts to Russia. They will cooperate with their Russian counterparts in investigating the Alexey Navalny case.

Last month, the OPCW offered technical assistance to the German government, after Berlin announced that the Russian opposition figure, and well-known anti-corruption activist, had been attacked with a nerve agent from the so-called "Novichok group." The Germans cited an analysis of samples conducted by their military specialists.

In the OPCW's press release, the organization explained that it is "ready to provide the requested expertise" to Moscow, thanking Russia for "its trust in the Technical Secretariat's independence and expertise."
...
On Monday, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations accused the OPCW of being politically motivated. "Let us say frankly: the Technical Secretariat is becoming a tool that the West uses to exert informational and political pressure on 'unwanted' countries," Vasily Nebenzya said. "Involvement of the Technical Secretariat in anti-Russian campaigns also supports this conclusion."

Last month, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov complained that Moscow was not getting the desired level of cooperation from the OPCW. Russia also claims to have requested information from Berlin about Navalny's condition, such as toxicology reports, but officials say that, thus far, they have received nothing.

• Is Belarus a color revolution? The real problem is that ANY protest these days may be
• Eurasian free trade zone may adopt single currency and 'best aspects of the EU' - President of Kyrgyzstan

"Due to numerous violations [reported] during the vote and the pre-election period, a decision was made by members of the Central Election Commission [CEC] to invalidate the elections," the government body's press service told Russia's TASS news agency on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, sitting MPs have called an emergency meeting scheduled for Tuesday, a parliamentary spokesman announced. Lawmakers will not be able to convene at the parliament building, and will instead use a Bishkek hotel as an interim venue. Scores of protesters have amassed overnight around the government complex that houses both the parliament and the presidential office.

On Tuesday, President Sooronbay Jeenbekov called on the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) to "carefully" review any possible violations in the contested race, suggesting the government could still void the result, while also urging a return to calm and the rule of law amid ongoing protests, which erupted on Monday evening.

"Calmness in the state, [and the] stability of society are more valuable than any deputy's mandate," the president said in a televised address. "I suggested that the Central Election Commission carefully investigate the violations and, if necessary, annul the election results."

I urge the leaders of political parties to calm their supporters and move them away from their places of concentration. I call on all my compatriots to keep the peace and not give in to the calls of the provocative forces. The peace of our country and the security of our society are the most important things.

Opposition activists have accused the government of vote-buying and intimidation during last weekend's parliamentary election, taking to the streets to protest over what they've deemed a stolen race, demanding a new vote. The preliminary results showed only four parties (out of 16) passing the seven-percent threshold, two of them considered pro-government.

The White House in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, has caught fire, with videos showing black smoke billowing from its facade. The blaze broke out shortly after it was stormed by protesters, alleging fraud in weekend parliamentary elections.

The blaze ignited shortly after the government headquarters were taken over by protesters, denouncing last weekend's parliamentary election as stolen and accusing the government of vote-buying and intimidation.

The protesters demanded the results of the vote - which showed only four parties passing the 7-percent threshold, two of them considered pro-government - be annulled and that new elections take place.

Footage has emerged showing the building, which is the seat of both presidential and parliamentary power, as it was consumed by flames overnight in the early hours of Tuesday.

The fire has enveloped several floors of the 7-story building, and plumes of thick black smoke could be seen swirling in the air. Fire crews were filmed arriving at the scene.

Shortly after storming the White House, protesters freed former Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev, sentenced to 11 years for corruption, as well as his former chief of staff and ex-PM Sapar Isakov, who was serving a lengthy prison sentence on an array of corruption and embezzlement charges.