VISUAL REPORTS
What Do Russians Think About The Plan To Raise The Retirement Age?
People across Russian reacted to a government proposal to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 for men and from 55 to 63 for women.
Protesters Clash With Police, Seek Entry Into Ukraine Parliament
Crowds of protesters including coal miners, Chernobyl cleanup workers, and Soviet Afghan war veterans have clashed with police outside the Ukrainian parliament during demonstrations on June 19.
Armenian Lawmakers Strip Retired General Of Immunity After Security Raid
Lawmakers have stripped a prominent retired general of his parliamentary immunity, after security agents raided his homes and found vast quantities of weapons, food, and other supplies meant for Armenia's soldiers.
PHOTOGALLERY: Voices From Macedonia
Photographer Marko Djurica traveled The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia to discover that not everyone there is inclined to vote yes to a "historic" name change.
OTHER NEWS
U.S. Quits ‘Hypocritical’ UN Human Rights Council
The United States says it is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling it a “cesspool of political bias” that "makes a mockery of human rights."
Macedonia’s Lawmakers Ratify ‘Historic’ Name Change With Greece
Macedonian lawmakers on June 20 voted 69-0 to ratify an agreement with Greece to change the country’s formal name to the Republic of North Macedonia.
Russia Rebuilding Key Weapons Storage Bunker in Kaliningrad
Newly published satellite photographs suggest that Russia has rebuilt a weapons storage bunker in its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, suggesting that Moscow could be considering placing nuclear weapons there, according to a U.S. think tank.
Sports Commentator Who Named Navalny To Leave Post
Prominent sports commentator and former coach of the Russian national soccer team Leonid Slutsky, who a few days ago broke a taboo for state-run broadcasters by mentioning the name of opposition politician Alexei Navalny on air, will no longer work for Russia’s main TV channel, Pervyi Canal. The channel’s press service has stated that Slutsky’s contract has expired. (Russian Service)
Navalny Plans July 1 Protests Against 'Crime' Of Retirement-Age Increase
Opposition politician Aleksei Navalny is urging Russians to protest on July 1 against the government's plan to raise the retirement age, calling it "robbery" and a crime against the citizenry.
Rights Group Says Russian Journalist Facing 'Groundless' Charges
Human Rights Watch has called on Russian authorities to drop charges against Viktor Korb, a journalist who faces terrorism charges for transcribing and publishing a 2015 speech that a Kremlin critic gave at his trial.
Crimean Tatar Activists Get Suspended Prison Terms Over 2014 Protest
A Russian court in Crimea has convicted five Crimean Tatar activists of taking part in "mass disturbances" in February 2014, and handed them suspended prison sentences ranging from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years.
Wave Of Attacks, Police Indifference Heighten Fears Among Ukraine's Roma
Longstanding hostility in Ukraine toward its Roma minority has been on stark display in recent months in two major cities, Kyiv and Lviv, where self-proclaimed nationalists have launched attacks on at least four Romany encampments.
Poroshenko Appoints Auditor Of National Anticorruption Bureau
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has appointed Pavlo Zhebrivskiy, former head of the country’s eastern Donetsk Region, as the auditor of Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau. Zhebrivsky will be responsible for conducting an annual audit of the bureau’s work, to include assessing the effectiveness of bureau investigations in supporting criminal proceedings. (Ukrainian Service)
Ukrainian Ombudswoman Denied Permission To Meet With Sentsov
Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova was not allowed to meet with Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko in a Moscow detention center, after being denied permission last week to meet with Oleh Sentsov and Mykola Karpyuk, two other Ukrainian citizens imprisoned in Russia.
Eating Over The Bones At Stalin Killing Field?
Belarus’s national heritage site Kurapaty commemorates up to a quarter of a million people who were shot dead there by the Soviet secret police during Stalin’s Great Terror, from 1937 to 1941. Recently, it has also become a place where people can "Let's Go And Eat," sparking outrage among citizens who see the opening of a nearby restaurant by that name as a disrespectful attempt to erase the past.
Uzbekistan 'Fully Ready' To Host Afghan Peace Talks
Uzbekistan says it’s ready to host direct peace talks between the government of neighboring Afghanistan and the Taliban, after both sides announced cease-fires for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Second Kyrgyz Ex-Premier Jailed As Corruption Case Grows
Kyrgyz authorities have jailed former Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev in an escalating corruption case involving the modernization of a power plant in Bishkek.
Journalists, Activists Summoned By Kazakh Police Ahead Of Planned Protest
Four journalists with the Uralskaya Nedelya newspaper in Kazakhstan's western city of Oral have been summoned for questioning by police about a video on Facebook calling on Kazakhs to take part in rallies planned by the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan on June 23.
BLOGGING CENTRAL ASIA: Turkmenistan's Leader -- Protector Or Loner?
POLL: Narrow Majority Of Russians Want Putin To Stay Past 2024