VISUAL REPORTS
Historic Name Agreement Faces Protests In Skopje And Greece
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Macedonian capital, Skopje, after the foreign minister signed a landmark agreement with Greece over the country’s name, suggesting a long road ahead before the 27-year dispute is settled.
VOX POP: Are You Glad The FIFA World Cup Is Taking Place In Russia?
Most respondents to an informal street poll in Moscow were thrilled about the tournament, commenting on the prestige, foreign tourists, the opportunity to open the Russian soul, and encounters with foreign cultures the tournament would bring. One said the money could have been better spent on local issues like road construction. Three were completely indifferent and one had exams, saying they weren’t following the games. (Russian Service)
Thousands March For LGBT Rights In Kyiv
Thousands of activists have marched in Ukraine's capital, marking an annual celebration of gay and lesbian rights that has been marred by violence in the past.
'Women Also Guilty' In Bride Kidnappings, Says Former President
Former Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva has spoken out against abduction and forced marriage in Kyrgyzstan, warning that women also take part in coercing other women to marry against their will.
OTHER NEWS
EU Ministers Extend Crimea Sanctions For Another Year
European Union agricultural ministers have prolonged the bloc's investment ban against Crimea for another year. The ministers extended the restrictive measures, which were adopted in 2014 in response to Russia's illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, during a meeting in Luxembourg on June 18.
Thirty-Eight Countries Ask UN To Intervene On Sentsov Case
The United States, France, Britain, and 35 other countries have asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to raise the case of jailed film director Oleh Sentsov and dozens of other Ukrainian prisoners during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
Taxi Driver Who Rammed Moscow Crowd Says He Fell Asleep
Moscow police say a taxi driver whose car plowed into pedestrians and injured soccer fans near Red Square says he fell asleep and mixed up his brake and gas pedals.
The World Cup’s Unfulfilled Promises
Current Time TV has compiled a list of promises made by Russian authorities to host cities ahead of the 2018 World Cup that remain unfulfilled or partially fulfilled, including an unfinished fast road between Moscow and St. Petersburg, a speed rail between Moscow and Kazan, and new metro stations in Moscow. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russia, Saudis Agree To Request Increase In OPEC Oil Output
Russia and Saudi Arabia will ask OPEC to increase oil output by 1.5 million barrels a day in the third quarter of 2018 to counter fears that U.S. sanctions on Iran could disrupt supplies. A reassessment would be conducted in early autumn.
Whistle-Blowing Russian Teacher Threatened With Suit
After St. Petersburg math teacher Dmitry Gushchin reported evidence that questions to a key section of this year's national high-school graduation exam had been published in advance on the Internet, he was notified by the Russian state agency charged with administering the Unified State Examination (YeGE) that he will be sued.
Russian Artist Seeks Asylum Due To Threats
Russian artist Denis Lopatin, who has received threats over works mocking nationalist lawmaker Natalya Poklonskaya, has told RFE/RL he left Russia earlier this year and plans to seek political asylum in France.
KGB Warned About Technical Flaws In Chernobyl Construction
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service has published excerpts from recently declassified KGB documents from the period 1973-1984 indicating that the use and improper installation of low-grade concrete and faulty welding were among the technical flaws accompanying the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that were detected and reported to the country’s leadership in 1973, 1978, 1982 and 1984. (Ukrainian Service)
U.S. Citizen Detained On Visit To Relatives In Uzbekistan
U.S. citizen Zokir Aliev, who was traveling to visit relatives in Uzbekistan, has been detained on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and fighting alongside Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan, authorities say.
For Uzbek Farmers, It’s Like Selling Peppers On The Moon
Uzbekistan’s farmers, who have for decades produced cotton, and cotton only, for sale by the state, have been ordered by President Shavkat Mirziyoev to grow red-hot chili peppers and to find foreign buyers for the crop themselves.
MAJLIS PODCAST: The Road To Family Rule And Riches In Tajikistan
OBITUARY: Noted Russian Conductor Rozhdestvensky Dies At 87
Renowned Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who directed various orchestras in Russia and also in several Western countries, has died at the age of 87.
IRAN: Khamenei Renews Death Wish For Israel