VISUAL REPORTS
Kelp Is On The Way: A Green Business On Russia's White Sea
There's little work to be found in the dying villages of northwest Russia's Solovetsky Islands. But there's a rich crop of kelp just under the surface of the White Sea, and the farmers who harvest it say it's a tough but viable business.
Metallica Plays Tsoi At Moscow Concert
The American rock band Metallica surprised fans at a Moscow concert by performing Gruppa Krovi (Blood Type), an iconic song by the late Soviet-era rock star Viktor Tsoi. Bassist Robert Trujillo and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett sang the song in Russian.
PHOTOGALLERY: The Long Arc Of A Gorbachev-Era Dream To Map The Universe
When one of the workhorses of Russia's space program took to the sky from Baikonur Cosmodrome this month with a payload of Russian and German space telescopes, it was carrying one of humankind's most daring efforts to map the universe.
OTHER NEWS
Navalny Sentenced Amid Clampdown On Moscow Opposition
The arrest, ahead of an unauthorized protest this weekend, confirms what some observers have called a collision course between Moscow authorities and members of the anti-Kremlin opposition over the September 8 Moscow city Duma elections.
Russian Activist Named On Hit List For Gays And Lesbians Is Killed
The body of Yelena Grigoryeva, an outspoken activist in St. Petersburg, was found on July 21 in her St. Petersburg apartment, stabbed multiple times, according to activists and acquaintances. Her name had been included on the Saw list, which began circulating on Russian websites and social media earlier this year, its name taken from a series of American cult horror films.
U.S. Court Orders Force-Feeding of Russian On Hunger Strike
An Arizona court has ordered a Russian man on hunger strike at an immigration detention facility to be force-fed. Eugenii Glushchenko fled Russia and sneaked into the U.S. from Mexico in September after receiving "repeated government death threats" due to his work with Western charities and refusal to pay bribes.
Ukraine Detains Russian Tanker Involved In 2018 Kerch Incident
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has detained the Russian tanker Nika Spirit, which it says was previously flagged under the name Neyma and was positioned to block the Kerch Strait during the seizure of three Ukrainian ships by Russian border forces in November 2018. (Ukrainian Service)
Ukraine Preparing New Sanctions Against Russia
The Ukrainian government has proposed expanding sanctions against Russia targeting legal entities involved in the construction of a Crimea gas pipeline and the illegal extraction of hydrocarbons. Twenty-four companies are to be affected, including six registered in annexed-Crimea and others in China, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Russian Service)
Yanukovych Ally Placed Under House Arrest
Alexander Efremov, a close ally of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych who was detained by Ukrainian authorities in July 2016, has been placed under house arrest. He is accused of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine, supporting separatists associated with the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, and illegally seizing property belonging to the Luganskugol company. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Georgia, Ukraine Do More With Less For Leading Spots In Global Innovation Index
Ukraine and Georgia, as well as Bulgaria are among the leaders of their respective income groups in the UN’s Global Innovation Index 2019.
Moldovan Prime Minister Secures $45 Million In Aid In Brussels
The three agreements, signed on July 24 by new Prime Minister Maia Sandu and Johannes Hahn, the EU's enlargement commissioner, are for economic development ($26 million), establishing the rule of law ($9 million), and for implementing an Association Agreement ($10 million).
Outgoing Kosovo PM Silent Before War Crimes Court
Appearing before a special court in The Hague investigating alleged war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army two decades ago, outgoing Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said he had been advised by his lawyers “not to answer questions at all.”
Kazakh Telecom Requires Access To Users’ Internet Data
Telecom operators in Kazakhstan have begun requiring subscribers to install a special security certificate in all devices that have Internet access to protect them from “hacker attacks and viewing illegal content,” in accordance with Article 26 of the Law on Communications. An explanation from telecom operators warns that devices lacking the certificate will experience “problems with access to certain Internet resources.” (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Kyrgyzstan's Embattled Atambaev Leaves For Moscow
Former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev, who faces five counts of criminally abusing his office when he held power from 2011 to 2017, has left Kyrgyzstan, departing with several associates from a Russian air base near Bishkek aboard a private jet headed to Moscow.
IRAN: A Tanker For A Tanker: Golnaz Esfandiari On Iran’s Endgame
INFOGRAPHIC: How Many Times Has Alexei Navalny Been In Jail?