Tbilisi Protesters Warn Rallies Will Resume If Demands Not Met
Georgians who mounted weekend protests over police antidrug raids say they will be back on the streets for a new demonstration on May 19 if their demands are not met.
VISUAL REPORTS
Czech Foreign Minister Says Government Benefited From Skripal Meetings
Czech Foreign Minister Martin Stropnicky says he believes his country's intelligence services benefited from being briefed six years ago by Sergei Skripal, the Russian former double agent poisoned with a nerve toxin in England in March.
Pashinian Assures Putin 'Strategic Partnership' Not In Doubt
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's "balanced position" amid the political upheaval that brought him to power in Yerevan, and reassured the Kremlin that the "strategic alliance" between the countries is secure.
Moscow Rally Demands Internet Freedom
Hundreds protested in Moscow on May 13 against government attempts to curtail Internet freedom after authorities blocked the Telegram messaging service last month.
OTHER NEWS
7:40am -- Good Morning!
[Excerpt from Current Time TV’s daily, first-read for Russian-speaking audiences.]
Today, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expected to present the new government to President Vladimir Putin. The cabinet will have no drastic changes: Lavrov, Shoigu and Medinskiy will retain their seats. Former Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will now lead Roskosmos, and Aleksei Kudrin has agreed to lead Russia's Audit Chamber.
White House To Push Uzbek Leader On Rights, Economic Reform
The NSC official who oversees Central and South Asian affairs, Lisa Curtis, has said that Uzbekistan “has made great strides” under its new leadership, but that the White House will urge Uzbek President Shavkhat Mirziyoev to continue reforming the economy and improving human rights when he visits Washington this week.
Uzbekistan And The U.S. Plan To Sign $4 Billion In Contracts
The chairwoman of the American-Uzbek chamber of commerce Carolyn Lamm told journalists on May 14 that Uzbekistan intends to sign investment contracts worth $4 billion during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s trip to the United States this week. (in Russian, Uzbek Service)
Lavrov, Zarif, Meet In Moscow On Iran Nuclear Deal
Meeting in Moscow on May 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have agreed to remain in "close contact" in the wake of Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear pact.
New Bill Would Jail Russians For Adhering To Western Sanctions
A new bill submitted to Russia’s State Duma on May 14 would enable a court to impose a prison term of up to four years on any individual or representative of a legal entity in Russia who refuses to supply services or do business with a Russian citizen due to U.S. sanctions.
MI5 Chief Says Russia Risks Becoming An 'Isolated Pariah'
Russia is seeking to undermine European democracies and sow doubt in the West through malign activities and a "fog of lies," Britain’s MI5 chief Andrew Parker said at an address in Berlin on May 14.
EU Sanctions Five In Connection With Russian Presidential Election In Crimea
The European Union on May 14 sanctioned five people who, according to the bloc, helped organize the Russian presidential election in the annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea in March. They include Natalya Ivanovna Berzruchenko, who was the deputy chairwoman of the Crimea Electoral Commission, and the secretary of the commission, Inna Nikolayevna Guzeyeva.
European Court Rules Against Russia On Navalny Passport Claim
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to pay opposition politician Aleksei Navalny 2,000 euros ($2,400) in compensation for what it ruled was the unlawful refusal to issue him a passport.
Moscow Theater Director Released From Custody After Hospitalization
Russian investigators have decided to free Aleksei Malobrodsky, the hospitalized former director of Moscow's embattled Gogol Center theater, who has been held in pretrial detention in a case that has sent a chill through the cultural elite.
Ahead Of World Cup, Rights Watchdog Points To Repression In Russia
The upcoming football World Cup organized by Russia will take place amid "the worst human rights crisis in Russia since the Soviet era," Human Rights Watch said on May 15.
Ukraine Goes After Russian Ria Novosti In Kyiv
Ukrainian Security Service officers have searched the office of Russian state news agency RIA Novosti's branch in Ukraine, and detained Kirill Vyshinsky, a journalist with the agency, accusing the media outlet of participating in a "hybrid information war" against Kyiv.
Georgia Hosts NATO Naval Exercises
Naval exercises involving ships from NATO member countries have begun in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, although Georgia will send only Coast Guard cutters to the drill, since its other ships were destroyed by Russia during the 2008 war. (Russian Service)