How This Vienna Suburb Became the Center of the “Raw Art” Movement
Once a psychiatric clinic, the Art Brut Center Gugging now serves as a museum exhibiting the works of some of the world’s best self-taught artists
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Socialite Ksenia Sobchak Announces Bid for Russian Presidency
The former reality television host is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of St. Petersburg and the former boss of President Vladimir Putin
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Every Modern Architecture Lover Should Take This Three-Day Road Trip
In Connecticut, works by some of the most notable architects of the 20th century are hiding in plain sight. Take the wheel for this sightseeing tour
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The Central Bank of Russia Blacklists 120 Otkritie Bankers
The collapse of Otkritie is third most expensive collapse of a Russian bank in modern history.
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Kaliningrad Mayor Says Residents Should Leave City During World Cup Matches
Residents who remain are asked to help foreign visitors and avoid fights with the large groups of fans watching the games in bars
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How Korean Fried Chicken, AKA “Candy Chicken” Became a Transnational Comfort Food
A new Smithsonian Folklife Project, Forklife, traces the journeys of immigrant food traditions taking root in the United States
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Iggy Pop Takes Moscow
The legendary punk musician Iggy Pop is performing in Moscow this week as part of the world tour for his Post Pop Depression album.
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Pavlensky Transferred to Psychiatric Hospital After Setting Bank of France on Fire
Pavlensky’s wife will meanwhile remain in custody.
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Russian Actress Faces Backlash for Harvey Weinstein Comments
“Isn’t it beautiful when a man of such great power sexually harasses you?”
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Moscow’s Fall Restaurant Season: Let the Dining Begin!
Autumn in Moscow is always a time of openings and premieres, on the dining scene as much as on stages and in museums. Here’s a variety of new places, from a spot to grab a cup of Joe to restaurants serving more elaborate cuisines.
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Human Rights Law Firm to Defend Telegram in Government Encryption Row
Pavel Durov said he had received 200 offers, including from famous lawyers who were prepared to defend Telegram pro bono
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Russia Prepares to Blacklist Five ‘Undesirable’ U.S. Media Outlets
CNN, Voices of America, and Radio Liberty are all included in the list. The names of the two other outlets have not been disclosed.
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Theater Director Serebrennikov’s House Arrest Extended in Fraud Hearing
Serebrennikov alleged during the hearing that for several years, he had been tailed by intelligence agents
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Moscow Named World’s Fourth Safest Megacity for Women
It ranked behind Paris, Tokyo and London in terms of overall safety.
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The Minister Who Invented Camping in America
How William H.H. Murray accidental bestseller launched the country’s first outdoor craze
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Russia’s Trade With China Up 22%
Russia is steadily making China into its most important trade partner
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Russian Police May Punish Parents and Teachers for Protesting Children
Teenagers have played a leading role in a series of rallies organized by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and presidential hopeful this year
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Funding This Landmark Hip-Hop and Rap Anthology Will Be a Community Effort
Smithsonian’s nonprofit record label launches a Kickstarter for help with its most ambitious project yet
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This Ambitious Landmark Hip-Hop and Rap Anthology Was Successfully Funded
Smithsonian’s nonprofit record label launched a Kickstarter for help and got it
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Inventing a Vocabulary to Help Inuit People Talk About Climate Change
One team is working with Inuvialuit elders to come up with a renewable energy terminology—and maybe revive a dying language
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European Court Orders Russia to Compensate Navalny Over Yves Rocher Fraud Case
The ECHR on Tuesday ruled that the Navalny brothers’ right to a fair trial was violated and that their convictions fell outside the definition of fraud
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These Never-Before-Seen Photos From “The New York Times” Offer a New Glimpse Into African-American History
The editors of the new book, “Unseen” talk about recognizing the paper of record’s biases
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Worldwide Short Film Festival Opens in Moscow
The Worldwide Short Film Festival, or “shnit,” is an international festival of short films that opens in Moscow on Wednesday.
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Kremlin Troll Factory’s Methods and Figures Revealed
Their orders were to “uncover and highlight existing problems and social issues in the United States”
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Statue Unveiled Commemorating Russian ‘Volunteer’ Fighters in Ukraine
The unveiling was reportedly attended by DNR leader Alexander Zakharchenko and Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov
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Moscow Then and Now
Not since Josef Stalin’s first General Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow in 1935 has the Russian capital changed so radically and so quickly.
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Russian Women Speak Out After Harvey Weinstein Scandal
Former Bolshoi ballerina Anastasia Volochkova told The Daily Beast that she had attended “gala nights” for ballerinas and Russian oligarchs during her career
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The Fraud Scandal Engulfing Russia’s Media Watchdog, Explained
The case has implicated Roskomnadzor’s spokesman, the head of its legal department among other top officials
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Telegram Founder Durov Puts Out Call for Lawyers to Fight Encryption Fine
A Moscow court on Monday fined Telegram for failing to give security services decoding data targeting six phone numbers
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Designing The Moscow Times
The designer of The Moscow Times shares his experience in creating the first newspaper layout
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France Arrests Radical Russian Artist Pavlensky for Bank Arson
France granted Pavlensky and his partner asylum in May, months after Russia fined him for a 2015 arson attack of the Federal Security Service building.
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Home Is Where the Corpse Is—At Least In These Dollhouse Crime Scenes
Frances Glessner Lee’s ‘Nutshell Studies’ exemplify the intersection of forensic science and craft
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Danske Bank Under Investigation for Russian Fraud
A Danish bank is under investigation for helping launder a $230 million fraud committed by the Russian treasury and uncovered by the late Sergei Magnitsky
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Telegram Fined for Failing to Provide Encryption Keys to FSB
The company has 10 days to appeal the verdict
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Kremlin Propagandist Kiselyov: U.S. Threats to End Iran Deal Is ‘Like a Madhouse’
“Doesn’t this mean that for other countries, it is useless to agree on anything [with the U.S.], because they’ll change their minds?”
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Helicopter That Fired on Bystanders at Zapad Drills Was Involved in Second Incident
A source close to the Defense Ministry and another in the aviation industry said a second misfiring occurred 25 minutes after the first
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Kremlin Troll Tells All About Influencing U.S. Elections
The trolls were ordered to watch the hit series “House of Cards” in English and had English lessons to correct their grammar.
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MT Classic: Soviet Sturgeon Nikita Loses Life in Norway
In another ominous sign of the souring relationship between Russia and NATO, a prized sturgeon given to Norway by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev has died in a tragic accident.
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Inside Taiwan’s Craft Beer Renaissance
Once a state-run industry, beer-making in Taiwan is blending globally-minded brewing with local flavors
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Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome Workers Hunger Strike for Third Year
Construction workers at Russia’s Far East spaceport are staging a hunger strike for the third year in a row demanding salaries that they haven’t received in six months
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British Council Launches ‘Science Train’ on Moscow Metro
A science and education-themed train will soon launch in the Moscow Metro
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Russia’s Biggest Cinema Chain Agrees to Screen Controversial Tsar Biopic ‘Mathilde’
Despite arson threats from a vigilante group, a film about Tsar Nicholas II’s affair with a Polish ballerina will be screened by Russia’s biggest cinema chain
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Moscow Extends ‘My Street’ Urban Renewal Program to 2020
Already over budget, Moscow’s infrastructure revamp will now last another three years
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Miss Russia Thanks Putin for Lack of Weinstein-Style Harassment in Russia
Russian women have President Vladimir Putin to thank for the lack of sexual harassment incidents that are coming to light in the United States
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Russian Lawmaker Milonov Gets Slap on the Wrist for Anti-LGBT Rhetoric
The State Duma ethics committee will reprimand ultra-conservative St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov for inciting hatred against the LGBT community
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25 Russian Words For 25 Years: Part Two
This week I begin my trek through time stuck in a traffic jam. The place: Moscow. The year: 2005.
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The Evolution of Homo Sovieticus to Putin’s Man
The tumultuous decades have left their mark on Russians’ inner life
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Russian Man Fined for Taking Car on a Hot Air Balloon Ride
A Novosibirsk man has been fined for taking his automobile for a ride on a hot air balloon
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Russian MMA Union Fights to Ban Underage Bouts
Russia’s mixed martial arts union wants to ban fights involving children under the age of 12 after a recent tournament south of Moscow featured 6-year-old fighters
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Russians’ Trust in Military Grows While Political Parties Falter – Poll
Trust in Russia’s military and intelligence services has grown while trust in government agencies, banks, and big business has faltered over the past four years
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Moscow Approves Installation of Shakespeare Statue Near Kremlin
A monument to the English playwright William Shakespeare will be installed in central Moscow by 2019
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Russia Unveils QR-Coded 200, 2,000 Ruble Bills
Russia’s Central Bank and Goznak, the national mint, unveiled new 200- and 2,000-ruble bills on Thursday
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Take a Tour of the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific Collections this Autumn
Diverse artifacts all across the Smithsonian Institution captivate and confound in equal measure
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U.S. Citizen on Trial in Russia for $7M Bribe
A U.S. citizen is on trial for offering a high-ranking post in Russia’s Far East to a Muscovite in exchange for $7 million
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Condemned Nemtsov Killer Suspected of Insulting Russian Investigator
One of the men found guilty in the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has been accused of contempt of court
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Russian State Watchdog Officials Charged With Fraud
The head of Roskomnadzor, the state agency that oversees media and functions as a censor, and two other officials have been charged with fraud
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Russian State Watchdog Officials Placed Under House Arrest
Officials from the Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor have been put under house arrest and are facing charges of fraud
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Russia Protests Flag Removal at Seized San Francisco Consulate
“We consider such a move as an extremely unfriendly step.”
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‘Putin Burger’ Waitresses Fired in New York City
Two servers have been fired from a New York City restaurant after they created and filmed a “Putin burger” in celebration of the Russian president’s birthday on Oct. 7
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