INFOGRAPHIC: The Lives Of Russian Women
VISUAL REPORTS
Undiplomatic Quarters: Russia's Secret Prague Apartment Business
Czech media have discovered that Russia’s state agency for managing property abroad is renting out apartments in Prague that belong to the Czech Republic – but which were supposed to be accommodation for diplomats.
Body Of Bosnian Student Whose Death Sparked Protests Exhumed
The body of a student whose suspicious death a year ago has fueled angry protests across Bosnia-Herzegovina has been exhumed from a local graveyard ahead of his planned reburial in Austria.
Iran: Prison Sentence For Iran Rights Lawyer ‘Beyond Barbaric,’ U.S. Says
“We are outraged to hear reports that the Iranian regime sentenced…[Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said on March 12.
Why Are Russian Drivers In Love With Dashcams?
Horrific crashes, road rage, village drunks. Legions of dashcams reveal life on the roads in Russia. And there’s a very good reason why so many people have them.
OTHER NEWS
European Parliament Says No More 'Business As Usual' With Russia
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to approve a report stating that Russia “can no longer be considered a ‘strategic partner’” and that the EU cannot resume ‘“business as usual” until Russia implements the 2015 Minsk Agreement in Ukraine.
U.S. Lawmakers Overwhelmingly Condemn Kremlin For Nemtsov Killing
U.S. lawmakers on March 12 passed a measure that sharply criticizes Russian President Vladimir Putin for what it says is the Kremlin’s involvement in the killing of opposition activist Boris Nemtsov and the targeting of other political opponents.
Plans For Russian ‘Sovereign Internet’ Get Underway
Russia’s defense ministry has begun to develop a communications network to provide the basis for a “sovereign internet” that is slated for completion in two years. The first stage, to be completed in 2019, entails laying fiber-optic cable under the Arctic ocean. Plans envision a separate search engine, activity log, and user identification system for the network, which will be disconnected from the global internet and have no traffic interfaces with it. Data will be stored on defense ministry servers. (Russian Service)
Putin To Finance Icon For Cathedral Dedicated To Russian Armed Forces
Russian media is reporting that President Vladimir Putin will personally finance the creation of an icon to be placed in a new cathedral dedicated to Russia’s armed forces. The icon will incorporate parts of a 1710 iron cannon that was recovered from the bottom of the Neva river not far from the house of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. (Russian Service)
Mock Putin Gravestone Lands Two Russian Activists In Jail
A Russian court has sentenced two activists to short prison terms for putting up a mock gravestone bearing the name and a photo of President Vladimir Putin in front of state investigative agency offices in Naberezhnye Chelny, a city in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Russia Grapples With 'Whale Jail' Problem As Celebrities Appeal To Putin For Help
Russian officials met in Moscow to decide the fate of nearly 100 ailing beluga whales and orcas caught in the wild and held in a "whale jail" in the Far East, while Hollywood celebrities and animal rights activists continue to urge that the mammals be released.
Saakashvili Moots Return To Ukraine On April 1
Former Georgian President and Odesa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili told Ukrainian media that “he has an electronic ticket for April 1” to return to Ukraine. Commenting on Ukraine’s forthcoming elections, he said he is certain that incumbent President Petro Poroshenko will fail to collect enough votes to proceed to the second round. (Ukrainian Service)
Amnesty Says EU 'Complicit' In Croatian Police Violence Against Migrants
Amnesty International has accused the European Union of being "complicit" in the “systematic, unlawful, and frequently violent pushbacks and collective expulsions” by Croatian police of thousands of asylum seekers to neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Tajik Bill Would Tax Foreign Internet Firms
Tajik legislators are reviewing a bill that would require foreign companies selling digital content in Tajikistan, with clear references to Google, to submit reports to tax authorities and pay a value added tax. The bill is modeled on Russia legislation enacted in 2017. (in Russian, Tajik Service)
Tajikistan Says No IS Kids Left Behind
Tajikistan’s ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait has announced that her country is soon expected to send a plane to Baghdad to repatriate 75 children whose Tajik mothers are imprisoned in Iraq under charges of belonging to the militant group Islamic State.
MAJLIS PODCAST: Another Tajik Government Narrative Falls Apart
PRESSROOM: Twelve RFE/RL Women Who Make Headlines