VIDEO REPORTS
As Azerbaijan prepares to host its first Formula 1 Grand Prix in June, the race route is bringing changes to the city's historic center.
Kyiv Residents Protest Chaotic Construction
Activists gathered in front of Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s office on March 3 to protest the destruction of green areas, unpermitted construction of high-rises, and the demolition of the city’s Volodymirskiy market to make way for new buildings. (Ukrainian Service)
They live amidst sewage pipes and in abandoned houses and basements, fleeing broken families, economic instability, and war. (Current Time TV)
Tajikistan Reportedly Banning Beards
Tajik men report being forced by authorities to shave their beards, amid rising concerns about religious extremism in the Central Asian country.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Paris Talks On Ukraine Peace Fall Flat
Progress was seen but no breakthrough made during talks aimed at jumpstarting a fragile peace deal in Ukraine, ending with Moscow and Kyiv failing to agree to hold elections in eastern Ukraine this year.
Ukraine Told To Wait 20 Years To Join EU, NATO
"Ukraine will definitely not be able to become a member of the EU in the next 20 to 25 years, and not of NATO either," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told an audience at The Hague on March 3.
Savchenko Threatened Hunger Strike As Trial Drags On
Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko was deprived of the opportunity to make a closing statement after a Russian military court on March 3 adjourned her trial until March 9, and said she would wage a hunger strike in protest.
Ukraine’s Foreign Currency Reserves Increase
Ukraine’s National Bank announced on March 3 that the country’s foreign currency reserves have risen by 1.8 percent in the first two months of 2016, reversing a negative growth rate this time last year, bringing total reserves to $13.538 billion. (In Ukrainian)
Ukraine Experts Credit Weather, Not Government, For Energy Gains
Ukrainian energy experts disputed claims that the country has achieved energy independence, contending that mild winter weather and diminished industrial production kept energy consumption low, allowing the country to avoid buying Russian gas and amass its largest gas reserves in five years. (In Ukrainian)
Pipeline Deal To Link Azerbaijan to Italy Via Greece
The European Commission on March 3 approved a deal with Greece to construct the 878-kilometer Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), meant to reduce Europe's energy dependency on Russia.
Russia’s Electoral ‘Magician’ Leaves The Stage
Vladimir Churov ended his controversial nine-year tenure as head of Russia’s Central Election Commission on March 3, ahead of parliamentary elections planned for September.
Russian World With A German Accent
German historian and writer Dmitry Belkin says that Russian propaganda portrays Germany as an American puppet, part of a Kremlin strategy to promote divisiveness in the country, but not unrest. (In Russian)
PHOTOGALLERY: Funeral Held For Russian Mine Explosion Victims
Mourners attended the funerals on March 4 of five rescue workers and one miner killed in an explosion at the Severnaya coal mine in the Arctic city of Vorkuta