VISUAL REPORTS
Protesters Force Cancellation Of Armenian Ex-President's Press Conference
Dozens of protesters have disrupted plans for a press conference by former Armenian President Robert Kocharian, a day after his release from a detention facility where he was awaiting trial on charges of "overthrowing Armenia's constitutional order."
Talk Of Border Changes Raises Anxiety In Kosovo, Serbia
The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo have said they may consider changes to their borders as a way out of a diplomatic impasse, two decades after fighting a war. Some local residents in the area worry it might actually exacerbate ethnic tensions.
In Kazakhstan, Returning Aral Sea Brings Fish And Hope
The shrinking of the Aral Sea -- a man-made environmental disaster that started in the 1960s -- devastated fishing communities that were left far from the retreating shore. But a dam completed in 2005 has allowed water to refill and revive part of the sea in Kazakhstan.
OTHER NEWS
Russian Military Says It Will Help UN Restore Patrols On Syrian-Israeli Border
The Russian military says that its forces in Syria will help UN peacekeepers fully restore patrols along the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko told reporters on August 14, "The Russian flag is the guarantor of peace and security on that land."
Putin Says Ready To Meet With North Korea’s Kim Jong-un
North Korean state media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to North Korean President Kim Jong-un on the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula, affirming his willingness to meet to discuss “urgent” bilateral and regional issues. The letter referred to “friendly and constructive” relations between the two states. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Bolton To Meet Russian Official In Geneva Next Week
The Kremlin says preparations are under way for a meeting next week between a Russian official and White House national-security adviser John Bolton.
Kremlin Rejects Sentsov's Mother's Request For Pardon
The Kremlin has rejected a request by the mother of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov to pardon her son and release him from a Russian prison, citing a Russian law requiring that "a convicted individual must ask for clemency personally."
Russian Opposition Activist Jailed Over Pension-Reform Protests
The leader of Russia's opposition Levy Front (Left Front) movement, Sergei Udaltsov, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail over protests in July against the government's proposal to raise the retirement age.
Russians Loan Applications At Record High
Russian financial aggregator Unicom24 reports that 91.5 million people have applied for micro-loans in the first seven months of 2018, up from 75 million for the same period in 2017, 57.8 million in 2016 and 38 million in 2015. 81 percent of applicants are first-time borrowers. (Russian Service)
Kyiv Reports Fatality Amid Tens Of Cease-Fire Violations In East
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on August 15 that one of its soldiers has been killed and three wounded in clashes with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, and that separatist fighters violated a cease-fire 46 times during the previous 24 hours by firing artillery, machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars.
Crimea Stops Issuing Visa And Mastercards
In a move further isolating the peninsula, Genbank, the only bank in Russia-annexed Crimea that issues Visa and Mastercards, has reportedly switched to a new payment system called “Mir” and will no longer issue the international credit cards. Crimean residents wanting the cards must obtain them on mainland Russia. (Ukrainian Service)
Romanians Gather Again To Demand Government's Resignation
Scores of Romanians on August 14 gathered for a fifth night in a row outside the government building in Bucharest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's cabinet and calling for those responsible for the violent repression of an August 10 protest to be held accountable.
Bosnian Serb Lawmakers Reject 2004 Srebrenica Report As Biased
Lawmakers from Republika Srpska, Bosnia-Herzegovina's predominantly Serbian entity, have voted to annul a 2004 report on the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that acknowledged Bosnian Serb forces violated humanitarian law by killing thousands of Muslim Bosniaks.
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Agree To Work On Land Swap Near Border
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are working on a possible land swap near the border between the two Central Asian states, some parts of which have not been formally delineated since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.