Day: November 23, 2020
-
Ice Storm in Russia’s Far East Linked to Climate Change
A freak snowstorm that has battered parts of the Russian Far East and left 100,000 residents without electricity for several days is linked to climate change, analysts and activists say. The storm that hit the Primorye region and its capital of Vladivostok last Thursday brought down trees and power lines and covered outdoor surfaces in…
-
Russia Fines Pussy Riot Activists for Hanging Pride Flags
Russian courts on Monday fined two Pussy Riot activists for hanging rainbow flags on several government buildings last month to mark President Vladimir Putin’s birthday. On Oct. 7 — Putin’s 68th birthday — members of the anti-Kremlin punk group draped the flags associated with LGBT pride on buildings in Moscow including Russia’s Supreme Court and the…
-
Russian New Music Gets a Reboot
A man dressed in all black mimes scrambled Brodsky verses while a cellist rakes her instrument with plastic wedges…thundering drum beats are inspired by the latest protests in Belarus… musicians in virtual reality goggles clatter on mechanical typewriters. These are just some of the images and sounds that the audience at “Russian Music 2.0” was…
-
Putin Signs Law Raising Income Tax for High Earners
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law on increasing income tax for high earners in the first move away from a flat tax system in place since 2001. Starting next year, the tax rate will rise from 13% to 15% on incomes over 5 million rubles (about $65,800/55,370 euros at the current exchange…
-
Bashneft Water Treatment Facilities Process 65 mil m3 of Wastewater
Bashneft (an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company) has treated approximately 65 million cubic metres of wastewater at the Ufa Refining Complex’s biological waste treatment facilities since their launch and brought them to the full process mode.
-
Siberian Schoolkids Charged With Terror Over Minecraft Plot – Reports
Three Siberian schoolchildren have been charged with terrorism over an alleged plot to blow up a virtual security building in the popular block-building game Minecraft, according to reports. Investigators in the Krasnoyarsk region announced the arrest of three 14-year-old “anarchists” over the summer on suspicion of training at abandoned sites to commit acts of terrorism.…
-
NYT’s Russia Job Posting ‘Russophobic,’ Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Says
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has slammed The New York Times’ job posting for a Russia correspondent, criticizing it for “political bias” and “Russophobia.” In its description for the job posted early last week, The New York Times lists its requirements for an ideal candidate along with a description of the job’s location, “Vladimir Putin’s Russia.” …
-
7 Die From Drinking Hand Sanitizer at Party in Russia
At least seven people in the Far East Russian republic of Sakha have died from drinking hand sanitizer at a party, authorities and news reports have said. Nine people consumed the hand rub from a five-liter container that they purchased from a local store, the regional branch of consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a…
-
Russia Plans Biometric Database for Citizens, Foreigners – TASS
Russia plans to create a national biometric database to identify both citizens and foreign nationals via face recognition and fingerprints, state media reported Sunday. Russia’s Interior Ministry told the state-run TASS news agency it plans to develop the centralized biometric database in 2021-23. The database will allow the authorities to identify individuals or bodies through…
-
Russia Confirms Record 25K Coronavirus Cases
Russia has confirmed more than 25,000 new coronavirus infections in a single day for the first time since the pandemic hit earlier this year. Health officials reported 25,173 new infections across Russia’s 85 regions Monday, bringing the national total to 2,114,502 cases. The country surpassed 2 million cases three days ago. Over 23% of those…