VISUAL REPORTS
Austrian Supreme Court: Ukrainian Tycoon Firtash Can Be Extradited To U.S.
Austria's Supreme Court ruled on June 25 to uphold a decision allowing a request by the United States to extradite Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash. A final decision must be made by Austria's justice minister on whether to execute the request.
Georgians Protest For Sixth Night As Opposition Leader Faces Arrest
Thousands of Georgians have continued to rally in the capital, Tbilisi, demanding the resignation of the interior minister and protesting the announcement that an opposition lawmaker is facing prosecution over the anti-government protests.
Russian Tourists In Georgia Unfazed By Putin’s Flight Ban
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree suspending all direct flights between Russia and Georgia from July 8, following nights of protests after a Russian lawmaker gave a speech from the speaker's chair of the Georgian parliament.
Rock Star Gives Voice To Ukrainian Anti-corruption Party
A Ukrainian rock star is moving back into politics. Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, frontman of one of Ukraine's biggest bands, Okean Elzy, has launched a new anti-corruption party called Holos (Voice) ahead of July's parliamentary elections.
OTHER NEWS
Who Is Dmytro Firtash?
Dmytro Firtash, the Ukrainian power broker whom the United States has been investigating since 2006 on suspicion of bribery and forming an organized crime group, built his massive fortune on opaque gas trading with a Kremlin-controlled company.
UN Asks Russia For Answers About Bombed Hospitals In Syria
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator said on June 25 that he had asked Russia to provide details on how it was using the location coordinates of hospitals in Syria. The UN has claimed that more than 23 hospitals were hit by strikes since Russia-backed Syrian forces launched an offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib in late April.
Ukraine President 'Disappointed' In Russia's Reinstatement To PACE
Ukraine's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has walked out in protest over a decision to restore Russia’s voting rights after a three-year suspension.
Two Russian Paratroopers Drown In Crimea
Two Russian paratroopers have drowned during routine parachute jumps at the Stariy Krym training field in the Moscow-annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea.
Russian Cosmonaut, North American Astronauts Return To Earth
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut and two astronauts from the United States and Canada has returned to Earth, touching down on the steppes of southeastern Kazakhstan on June 25 after spending 204 days in space.
Russia's Embalm Squad And The Communists' Cadaver Culture
Vietnam's communist government has formed a special council to assess the state of its most sacred icon: the corpse -- first embalmed by Soviet forensic specialists a half-century ago -- of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. And now Hanoi wants the experts from Moscow to come back and help.
Ukraine To Introduce New 1,000 Hryvnya Banknote
The National Bank of Ukraine will introduce a new 1,000-hryvnya banknote featuring the portrait of prominent 20th century Ukrainian scientist Volodymyr Vernadskiy. The new note, necessitated by “economic factors,” will be put into circulation on October 25.
Polish National Sentenced In Russia On Spy Charges
A Moscow City court, in a closed proceeding, has sentenced Polish national Marian Radzajewski to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of espionage.
Armenian Ex-President Kocharian Back In Custody
Armenia’s former president, Robert Kocharian, has returned to a detention center in Yerevan just hours after the country’s Court of Appeal ordered his rearrest, overturning a lower court ruling.
Bulgarian Oversight Body Says No Conflict Of Interest In Real Estate Scandal
Bulgaria's Anti-Corruption Commission says it has found no conflict of interest in a property scandal that led four senior government officials to resign after they were found to have bought luxury apartments at discount prices.
'Northies' Has Crept Into The Macedonian Debate
Even before their decades-old spat with neighboring Greece was finally resolved earlier this year, the name-calling had begun. Referendum "boycotters," social-media trolls, and other critics were using the epithet "Northies" to belittle Macedonians who supported changing their country’s name.
Death Toll Rises From Kazakh Warehouse Blasts
Kazakhstan’s defense ministry has reported that the death toll from the massive explosions caused by fire at the Arys military ammunition warehouse in southern Kazakhstan has risen to three. The defense minister has said the blasts, which began early in the morning on June 24, would continue for several days.
Switzerland Says $133 Million Belonging To Gulnara Karimova To Be Sent To Uzbekistan
Switzerland said it would send $133 million in seized assets linked to Gulnara Karimova to Uzbekistan, amid a continuing international struggle over the fate of more than a billion dollars tied to the elder daughter of the Central Asian country’s late president.
POLL: Every Tenth Russian Faces Police Torture
A Levada Center poll, commissioned by the Committee Against Torture to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26, has found that one out of ten Russians has faced torture by law enforcement officials. The Center said the poll numbers are a “frightening confirmation that law enforcement officers use violence against detainees, and use it often.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed doubt in the poll findings. (in Russian, Current Time TV)