VISUAL REPORTS
VOX POP: Three Years Of President Poroshenko
An overwhelming majority of respondents to an informal street poll in Kyiv said they were dissatisfied with the country’s progress under President Petro Poroshenko. Many said things have changed for the worse; one person said “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” Respondents cited the country’s development on a Western path and the new visa-free regime with the EU as positive changes. (Ukrainian Service)
Tusk Sends Message To Trump To Support Fundamental Western Values
European Council President Donald Tusk said he was "not sure" he and U.S. President Donald Trump had "a common position" on Russia, although they share a position on the conflict in Ukraine. Tusk was speaking after meeting with Trump in Brussels.
Romania’s Buried Village
When copper was discovered in a nearby mountain, the world changed for the living, and the dead, of Geamana.
Kazakh Deputy Proposes To Ban Methadone, Says Addicts Organized Orange Revolution
Kazakh parliamentarian Meruet Kazbekova has proposed banning methadone in Kazakhstan, claiming that heroin users in Ukraine were manipulated by promises of methadone to foment Ukraine’s 2005 Orange Revolution. (Current Time TV, over 61K views on Facebook)
OTHER NEWS
Human Rights Watch Confirms Abuse Of Gay Men By Chechen Authorities
Human Rights Watch says it has confirmed that police in Russia's Chechnya region rounded up, tortured, and humiliated dozens of gay or bisexual men during the spring of 2017 in "an apparent effort to purge them from Chechen society."
Russian Real Incomes On Par With 2009
The Russian state-owned bank Vneshekonombank reports that real incomes of Russians are at a record low, on par with 2009. Consumers have blunted the immediate effects of reduced income through increased borrowing. (Russian Service)
Russia Detains Four Allegedly Planning Attack On Moscow Transport System
Russian authorities say they have detained four people they claim are members of the extremist group Islamic State who were plotting an attack on Moscow's transportation network.
Russian Education Minister Says 70 Percent Of Students Can’t Define Corruption
Russian Minister of Science and Education Olga Vasilieva has commented to local media on a survey showing that over two-thirds of Russian students can’t define corruption, saying that the young protesters are a “romantic part of the public” who are “for everything good and against all bad,” and adding that “children should be outside of politics.“ The ministry conducted the survey after a surprising number of youth turned out for anticorruption protests in March. (Russian Service)
Russian Spokeswoman Quotes Poetic Line About 'Elderly Negro'
The sharp-tongued spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry raised eyebrows again with a comment on former Secretary of State John Kerry’s commencement speech at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
IMF Envisions Continued Cooperation, And Demands Tougher Laws
A new IMF report cites the need for legislation to institute proposed reforms and meet objectives, and predicts that Ukraine’s GDP will grow by more than 2 percent in 2017, and inflation will remain under 10 percent. (Ukrainian Service)
Ukrainians Express Outrage Over U.S. Sculptor's Seated Ballerina
Ukrainians have taken to the Internet to criticize U.S. artist Jeff Koons over his sculpture of a sitting ballerina recently installed in New York, saying it appears remarkably similar to a work by a Ukrainian artist.
Azerbaijani Opposition Party Says Deputy Chief Detained
Azerbaijan's opposition Popular Front party says its deputy chief Gozal Bayramli was detained at a border checkpoint on May 25 while she was en route to Azerbaijan from Georgia.
Chisinau Mayor, City Officials Detained In Corruption Case
Moldovan anticorruption prosecutors have detained the mayor of Chisinau and several other city officials on suspicion of corruption.
Montenegro: Key NATO Ally Or Adriatic Afterthought?
Nestled in the Adriatic coastline between Croatia and Albania, tiny Montenegro may appear to have little military value. Just don't tell that to NATO or its sworn rival, Russia.
BLOGGING THE CAUCASUS: New Abkhaz-Russian Agreement Sows Division
The March parliamentary elections in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia have not assuaged the profound mistrust and antagonism between the various opposition forces and the leadership of the de facto president, Raul Khajimba.
POWER VERTICAL PODCAST: The Not-So-Velvet Divorce