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In a year of turmoil, Kazakh authorities are taking zero chances with a vote that critics say raises doubts about the president’s reform program.

An obscure blogger claimed to have triangulated the general location from a photograph. On a hunch, a fellow journalist and I followed it -- and found the exact spot from which international investigators later concluded that Russia-backed forces fired the Buk missile that brought down MH17.

At first it was touted as a victory for Russia-backed separatists: a Ukrainian military "birdie" shot out of the sky. But when the downed aircraft turned out to be MH17, the separatists and Kremlin-loyal media changed their tune.

Iranian sports figures and athletes have expressed support for the anti-government protests; some young Iranian demonstrators are knocking off clerics' turbans in the streets; and Tehran is facing mounting pressure over its violent crackdown on protesters.

After the Russian retreat from Kherson, power outages and other problems did not dim the euphoria as Ukrainians celebrated the liberation a key city. Invading forces across the river and bangs of artillery in the background served as reminders that the war is far from over and the danger persists.