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Middle East Crisis  Houthi Rebels
Houthi rebels force Riyadh workers to work from home

One of the tallest skyscrapers in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, is partially closing following repeated attacks on the city by Houthi rebels, news agencies report.

People who work in the 302-meter-tall Kingdom Centre building have been instructed to work remotely for the time being.

"Please refrain from visiting the offices during this period," states an email seen by AFP.

The Iran-backed Houthi movement has recently escalated its attacks against both Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and Saudi Arabia itself, including the capital, Riyadh.

Political Situation in Albania
Cobblestones removed ahead of protests in Albania

Over the past week, large-scale demonstrations have broken out in the Albanian capital, Tirana. Ahead of Sunday’s protests, authorities have decided to dig up and remove all cobblestones outside the parliament building and the presidential residence, reports SVT Nyheter.

"It is a potentially lethal weapon," says the country’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in a video posted on Facebook.

Tirana resident Elton Prendi is critical of the decision. He believes the intent is to strip demonstrators of their only means of protecting themselves against the police.

However, once today’s protests got underway, the demonstrators managed to find other cobblestones. 

Putin’s Russia
Russian disability pensioner sentenced to prison for donation

Sergey Yevstigneyev, a 59-year-old disability pensioner, has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for donating just over 11,000 rubles—equivalent to slightly less than 1,300 Swedish kronor—to the opposition movement Artpodgotovka, reports the independent Russian outlet Mediazona.

In the 1980s, Yevstigneyev served time in a prison camp after being convicted of “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” He reportedly contracted tuberculosis during his time in the camp, which is the reason for his current status as a disability pensioner.

The new verdict classifies him as a “political activist” who has financed a terrorist organization.

The Artpodgotovka movement is designated as a terrorist organization. Its founder, Vyacheslav Maltsev, gained significant attention around 2015 when he promised a revolution in Russia. Instead, he and many of the movement’s followers were thrown into prison.

The situation in North Korea
Luxury vessel with a 50-meter-long pool spotted off the coast of Kim Jong-un’s summer residence

An 80-meter-long vessel is visible in satellite imagery near North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s summer residence in the resort town of Wonsan, the BBC reports.

What stands out about the vessel is that it features a 50-meter-long swimming pool and several large water slides.

It cannot be stated with certainty that the vessel belongs to the Kim family. Yet, few people in this desperately poor communist nation could afford anything of the sort. The BBC estimates that luxury yachts of a similar size can cost as much as one billion Swedish kronor. Moreover, this vessel is just one part of the dictator’s personal fleet.

“Kim Jong-Un is supposed to be a ‘leader of the people,’ yet he possesses four such luxury vessels, while ordinary citizens struggle to secure even one meal a day,” says Ri Jong Ho, a former North Korean official.