Main news of December 12

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours.

Anti-government protests staged in Russia over the weekend are a “positive sign” for democracy in the former Soviet republic, Washington said

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov announced that he would challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the upcoming presidential elections next March

A new-look Lokomotiv Yaroslavl took to the ice competitively for the first time since September’s plane crash that wiped out the entire team and coaching staff