Reduce, Recycle, And Feed The Worms
Anna Kondratyeva, an environmental activist in the Russian city of Perm, is trying to reduce her household’s waste to nearly zero. Her family’s tally last year was five kilograms.
VISUAL REPORTS
North Korean Leader Kim Arrives In Vladivostok Ahead Of Talks With Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived by train in Russia's Far Eastern Port city of Vladivostok, a day before he is due to meet there with President Vladimir Putin.
Veterans Say Afghan War Film 'Blackens' Soviet History
Russian veterans want to ban "Leaving Afghanistan," a film by Russian director Pavel Lungin they say is unpatriotic. It depicts the chaotic withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989, following a 10-year war.
What’s Changed? Armenia One Year After Revolution
Eight working Armenians open up about how their country's 2018 "velvet revolution" has affected their lives.
Fighting Fire With Firefox: Imam Uses Internet To Urge Tajiks Not To Use Internet
Tajik imam Eshoni Sirojiddin Abdurakhmonov, who was once jailed for spreading banned Salafist “propaganda,” has plunged into an intense public debate over authorities' doubling of Internet costs. The unofficial leader of the country’s banned Salafist movement has posted an 18-minute video in which he describes the Internet as "the plague of the century."
Kazakh Village Hopes New Nuclear Plant Will Energize Economy
The struggling Kazakh village of Ulken hopes it will be chosen as the site of a new nuclear plant.
OTHER NEWS
New Russian Submarine Could Carry Nuclear Drones
Russia has launched a special-purpose, nuclear-powered submarine that is believed capable of carrying nuclear-tipped underwater drones that could target U.S. coastal cities. State-run TASS news agency said development work on the Belgorod will continue with a goal of deploying the vessel by the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Russian Court Issues First Conviction For Insulting Authorities
An unidentified person in Russia's Novgorod Oblast has become the first person to be convicted and fined under a controversial new law penalizing "disrespect toward the authorities."
Prigozhin-Linked Company Licensed To Mine Diamonds In CAR
Russian media is reporting that a company linked to Putin chef and fixer Yevgeny Prigozhin has received a permit from the Central African Republic to mine diamonds. The company, Lobaye Invest, is headed by Yevgeny Hodotov, a Russian national with a background in the security services and links to Prigozhin. (in Russian, Current Time)
Members of Outlawed Russian Nationalist Group Sentenced In Siberia
A Russian court in Novosibirsk has convicted three members of the outlawed nationalist group Artpodgotovka (Artillery Bombardment) of plotting mass unrest ahead of the centennial of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Hundreds of members of the movement were detained on November 5, 2017 at demonstrations its leader said would mark the start of a "new revolution" to topple President Vladimir Putin's government.
European Commission Candidate Weber Speaks Out Against Nord Stream-2
Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party’s candidate for the post of European Commission President, told Polish media that he will seek to block the construction of the Russian Nord Stream-2 pipeline if he is selected. Weber has said the pipeline would weaken the unity of the European Union, since it would increase dependence on Russian energy resources. (Russian Service)
Hague Tribunal To Hear Case Of Detained Ukrainian Sailors
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has announced that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has granted its petition to hold public hearings on May 10 -11 over the detention of Ukrainian sailors and ships seized by Russian security forces on November 25, 2018 in the Kerch Strait near Crimea. (Ukrainian Service)
NATO Chief Invites Zelenskiy To Alliance Headquarters
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has congratulated Volodymyr Zelenskiy on winning the Ukrainian presidential election, and invited him to visit the Alliance’ headquarters in the nearest future, declaring “NATO will continue to provide strong political and practical support to Ukraine.” (Ukrainian Service)
Ukraine's President-Elect Calls For Talks With IMF To Lower Natural Gas Price
Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on the country's government and the state energy firm Naftogaz Ukrainy to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund to lower the household price for natural gas from May 1.
Ukrainian PM To Make Parliamentary Bid With 'New Political Forces'
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman said he will take part in the October parliamentary elections with a party other than that of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, who was defeated in a run-off election on April 21.
Bosnian Border Police Deny Housing Migrants In Cages After Video Emerges
Bosnian border police have denied mistreating migrants after activists broadcast a video they say shows children and others being held in cages at a border facility in the Balkan nation.
Prominent Bosnian-Serb Businessman Killed In Shoot-Out
A prominent Bosnian Serb businessman was gunned down near his family's home north of Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s ethnic-Serbian entity Republika Srpska, in an incident described by local media as a mafia-style execution.
Tajik President Cancels Decree Doubling Internet Rates
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has canceled a government decision to increase Internet fees in the face of online protests. Earlier in the day, Antimonopoly Service chief Sadi Qodirzoda, who presided over the hike, was dismissed from his duties "due to his transfer to another job."
‘Thieves-In-Law’ Syndicate Crowns New Crime Boss From Uzbekistan
A notorious criminal syndicate that brings together mafia bosses from across the former Soviet Union has crowned a new kingpin from Uzbekistan -- bestowing 42-year-old convicted murderer Akhtam Yakubov with the title of "thief-in-law."
MAJLIS PODCAST: The Continuing Torture Of A Tajik Opposition Leader