Day: July 21, 2020
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Madonna Says Russia Fined Her $1M for Gay Rights Speech
Pop icon Madonna said Monday that Russia had fined her for speaking in support of LGBT rights during her last concert there. Russian courts, however, said there was no such ruling. At her Aug. 8, 2012, show in St. Petersburg, Madonna told the cheering crowd that “gay people here and all around the world have…
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Russian Priest Compares IVF to Nazi Experiments
A senior Russian Orthodox Church official known for making controversial sexist remarks has compared in vitro fertilization (IVF) to notorious medical experiments that Nazi doctors conducted during World War II. Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov was granted the dubious title of “Sexist of the Year” by feminist bloggers this spring for comparing common-law wives to prostitutes, urging…
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Armed Man Holds 20 Bus Passengers Hostage in Ukraine
Ukrainian police were holding tense negotiations on Tuesday with a man armed with explosives who took 20 people hostage in a bus and claimed to have planted a remote-controlled device in the western city of Lutsk. Police cordoned off the center of the city of over 200,000, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the capital Kiev, and…
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UK Govt Criticized for ‘Lack of Curiosity’ About Russian ‘Meddling’
British lawmakers on Tuesday slammed the government for failing to look into any Russian meddling into UK politics, despite evidence of the country posing a credible threat. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC’s) long-awaited report had been expected to shed light on whether the Kremlin interfered in the landmark 2016 Brexit referendum. But MPs said…
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Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine ‘Ready,’ Military Says
The Russian military has said its experimental coronavirus vaccine which has not yet completed Phase II trials and is yet to begin Phase III is “ready.” The Defense Ministry, which says it has worked with government researchers to develop the vector vaccine, on Monday released the last group of volunteer soldiers testing the experimental shot…
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 21
Russia has confirmed 777,486 cases of coronavirus and 12,427 deaths. July 21: 3 things you need to know today Russia has come through the coronavirus pandemic with far fewer infections and deaths than many other European countries, President Vladimir Putin said Monday while visiting Moscow-annexed Crimea. The Russian military has said its experimental coronavirus vaccine which has not yet…
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Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Pass 780K as New Infections Lowest Since Late April
The last time Russia reported fewer than 6,000 cases was on April 29. The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began…
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Russian Tech Exec Sues Steele Dossier Author in UK Court
A Russian tech entrepreneur on Monday began a defamation claim against the British author of a controversial report at the heart of 2016 U.S. election meddling allegations first leaked to BuzzFeed. Alexej Gubarev said in documents released in London’s High Court that former UK intelligence officer Christopher Steele was responsible for the U.S. news site’s…
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Moscow’s Museums Welcome Back Visitors With New Exhibitions
As Moscow’s museums have slowly begun to reopen in the past month, the Russian capital’s cultural life has also reawakened with a series of new exhibitions. In addition to requiring masks, most museums require visitors to reserve tickets online for a specific time slot in an effort to keep crowding down and curb the potential…
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Moscow Transgender Activist ‘Faces Rape’ in Men’s Prison
A Russian transgender activist jailed for protesting new anti-LGBT legislation faces humiliation and possible rape in the men’s cell she’s been placed in, activists said Monday. A Moscow court found Polina Simonenko guilty of repeatedly violating protest rules and sentenced her to 14 days in jail. Simonenko and around 30 activists had been detained over…