VISUAL REPORTS
Flags And Flowers But Little Fanfare As Russia's Neighbors Mark Revolution -- Or Don't
The 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution was marked in different ways in different former Soviet republics -- and in some cases, it was hardly marked at all.
Russians Stage 1941 Red Square Parade
Columns of soldiers dressed in World War II-era uniforms marched through Red Square in Moscow to commemorate a 1941 parade which sent Soviet soldiers into battle against Germany.
Pakistan’s Running Of The Bulls
Near the border of the northern provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local villagers gather every few months to race. Bulls run the 100 meter distance with their owners and handlers hanging on for dear life. (Radio Mashaal)
OTHER NEWS
Stoltenberg Says NATO To Revamp Command Structure Amid Tensions With Russia
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on November 7 that the alliance is set to create two new command centers, as it revamps its structures to better counter threats posed by Russia.
Russia Throws Doubt On Renewal Of UN Inquiry Into Syrian Gas Attacks
Russia has rejected a UN report blaming the Syrian government for a deadly sarin-gas attack, casting doubt on whether it will agree to extend the investigation's mandate before it expires next week.
U.S. Charges Rolls-Royce Employees With Bribing Kazakh, Azerbaijani Officials
The United States has unveiled criminal charges against five people accused of involvement in a bribery scheme to help British defense giant Rolls-Royce win energy-related contracts in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and other countries.
Head Of Russian Rights Group Confirms She Has Fled Russia
Olga Romanova, the director of Rus Sidyashchaya, a Moscow-based NGO that defends the rights of prisoners, has confirmed that she has fled Russia after criminal charges were brought against her.
Kadyrov Provokes Insult Campaign Against Putin
A promise by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to give an iPhone X to the author of the best poem about Russian President Vladimir Putin has elicited as much derision as praise. In a counter to the campaign’s hashtag #OurPresidentPutin, an,alternative hashtag, #OurUsurpatorPutler, has been circulating. (Caucasus Realities website)
Russian, Israeli Libraries Ink Deal To Digitize Vast Hebrew Manuscript Collection
Russian and Israeli libraries have signed an agreement to digitize and publish online a major collection of ancient Hebrew manuscripts and books seized by Soviet authorities 100 years ago.
RFE/RL Journalists, Ukrainian TV Crew Attacked At Kyiv Airport
Journalists with RFE/RL’s investigative program Schemes were attacked by masked bodyguards at Kyiv's Zhulyany Airport while reporting on the arrival from Russia of Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the pro-Russian Ukrainian Choice organization.
Ukrainian Parliament Votes For Electoral Reform
In a surprise vote, Ukraine’s parliament has voted to allow for preferential voting in party lists for the country’s regional and city elections, a measure that experts say ensures greater transparency and is an important element of electoral reform. (Ukrainian Service)
Saakashvili Says Ukraine Confirms He's In The Country Legally
Mikheil Saakashvili wrote in a Facebook post on November 7 that he “finally received a document from the Migration Service, which certifies that I am legally in the territory of Ukraine.”
French Court Rejects Baku Defamation Case Against Journalists
A French court has rejected a lawsuit by Azerbaijan’s government against two French journalists it accuses of defamation in a case described by the defendants and media freedom activists as an attempt to export censorship beyond the country's borders.
Struggling Turkmenistan Lowers Limit For ATM Withdrawals Abroad
Authorities in Turkmenistan have reduced the limit on cash withdrawals from ATMs abroad for the third time this year, an apparent attempt to keep more money in the Central Asian country amid an economic downturn.
MOST READ/RUSSIA: Suicide Victim Says Tortured To Confess
On October 19, 22 year-old Ilnaz Pirkin, a resident of Tatarstan, committed suicide, allegedly after spending the day before in police custody, where he was tortured and forced to confess to stealing 47 vehicles. Pirkin described the torture he endured in a video he recorded before ending his life. (over 70k views on Russian Service website)
PHOTOGALLERY: Before The Murders: Rare Photographs Of Russia's Last Royal Family
7.40am -- Good Morning!
[Excerpt: Current Time TV’s daily, first-read for Russian-speaking audiences.]
Russia continues to mark events from 100 years ago. In Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk, and Irkutsk, Communists carried red banners and portraits of Lenin, Stalin and Che Guevara, chanting "Lenin is alive" and "Militia with the people," and demanding regime change and a solution to the issue of Lenin’s body.