Putin Will Be Forced to Act on Chechnya’s Anti-Gay Purge
Reports of at least three deaths and hundreds of arrests of gay men in Chechnya have shocked the world. International pressure is the key to saving lives.
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Rosneft Pledges Investment in Chechnya After Kadyrov Meeting
Russian oil giant Rosneft has pledged massive investment in Russia’s southern Chechen Republic amid reports that the company could sell its regional assets to local government.
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Makers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to visit Moscow
The movie will be released in Russia on May 4 The makers of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 movie based on the Marvel comics are expected to visit Moscow on April 27, the Russian distributors told TASS. “Director and screenwriter James Gunn as well as actors Pom Klementieff and Michael Rooker will visit…
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Activists reveal deal with authorities to install bust of Stalin in West Siberia
The place to install the bust will be chosen at a meeting of the Commission on Toponymy on April 27 The Russky Dukh (or Russian Spirit) public organization and the administration of the city of Surgut, Western Siberia, have struck an agreement on installing a bust of Joseph Stalin, the organization’s chairman Denis Khanzhin told…
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A ‘Breaking Bad’ Writer and Producer Is Behind a New Anne of Green Gables
You might not recognize this Anne—and that’s exactly what showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett intended
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The Unsavory History of Sugar, the Insatiable American Craving
How the nation got hooked on sweets
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A Paean to PBS’ “Mercy Street”: The One Show That Got the Civil War Right
The short-lived show offered the best screen portrayal of the war the country has ever seen
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Quiet Riot: The New Politics of Russia’s Youth
If Russia’s recent political demonstrations are any indication, the new spirit in Russia’s youth could breed a new era of nonconformity, where youth people’s quiet refusal to follow old rules transforms into vocal insubordination.
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The Ceramicist Who Punched His Pots
Influenced by avant-garde poets, writers and Pablo Picasso, Peter Voulkos experimented with the increasingly unconventional
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The Ceramicist Who Punched His Pots
Influenced by avant-garde poets, writers and Pablo Picasso, Peter Voulkos experimented with the increasingly unconventional
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These Photos Offer a Glimpse Into the Racial Politics of the 1950s South
Before he became a sports photographer, John G. Zimmerman captured a past that feels all too present
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Learn the Secret History of Your State With These Addictive Podcasts
Use this indispensable guide to find out which podcast will be next on your listen list
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Google Caves to Russian Antitrust Regulators
Google finally submitted to Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service this week, agreeing to pay 438 million rubles ($7.8 million) for violating antitrust laws.
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The U.S. Is Too Ornery for Totalitarianism, According to Margaret Atwood
The author of The Handmaid’s Tale discusses the continued impact of the bleak 1985 novel, now being adapted into a series on Hulu
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Airbnb Checks Out of Russia
The San Francisco rental site Airbnb came to Russia in 2012. It promised to usher in the era of the sharing economy—replacing Soviet-era kommunalkas with hipster apartments. Less than 5 years later, it’s gone.
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Belarus Signs Up to Russian-Led Customs Union Amid $1Bln Credit Deal
Belarus has signed the Eurasian Economic Union’s (EEU) controversial Customs Code after months of legal wrangling.
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A Russian All-Righty
Лад is a nice little word. No one seems to know its origins, but it contains notions of order, harmony, and accord – all those good emotions and behaviors that make life not only livable, but peaceful.
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Russian Corruption Is Among the World’s Worst — And It’s Here to Stay (Op-Ed)
Just over a month ago, opposition leader Alexei Navalny released an investigative documentary making major allegations of corruption against Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev.
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Russian News Outlet RBC Confirms Sale Amid Fears of Kremlin Censorship Crackdown
Negations are underway to sell Russia’s independent RBC media outlet.
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A Smithsonian Historian Wanders the “Bardo,” Exploring the Spiritual World of the 19th Century
George Saunders’ new novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo” recalls the melancholy that hung over a nation at war
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A Smithsonian Historian Wanders the “Bardo,” Exploring the Spiritual World of the 19th Century
George Saunders’ new novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo” recalls the melancholy that hung over a nation at war
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How Director James Gray Discovered the Insanity Behind the Search for “The Lost City of Z”
A story of Victorian-age madness and exploration in the South American jungle is coming to a theater near you
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How Director James Gray Discovered the Insanity Behind the Search for “The Lost City of Z”
A story of Victorian-age madness and exploration in the South American jungle is coming to a theater near you
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AirBnb Shutters Russian Subsidiary
Global rental site AirBnb has closed its Russian subsidiary, leading analysts to speculate it is trying to avoid new Russian internet regulations.
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‘Russia Is No Place for Dreamers:’ Meet the Rocket Entrepreneurs Battling Bureaucracy to Conquer Space
Russian rocket scientists with a bold vision of the future struggle against bureaucratic red-tape and a conservative investment climate to build Russia’s first private sector rockets.
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Russia Has Backed Itself Into a Corner in Syria
The chemical attack in Idlib changed everything. Trump’s personal position on Syria and Assad has shifted radically, military action is now on the table. And Russia’s actions have been self defeating.
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An Earful of Russian
When I grow up — or retire, whichever comes first — I want to get a Ph.D. in linguistics by writing a dissertation on The Role of Body Parts in Russian Expressions. This week I’m all ears.
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Russia’s Generation Z: In Search of a Future
The survival of the authoritarian Russian regime into the 2020s will depend on whether Putin is able to offer the young people a clear vision of the future. So far there is none.
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After the Blast, St. Petersburg Shows a Unique Civic Spirit (Op-Ed)
When a bombing killed 14 people in St. Petersburg, a spirit of solidarity electrified the city. Locals organized to help others get home and support one another. That’s new in Russia.
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It’s Official: Russia’s Recession Is Over (Thanks to Some Creative Statistics)
A change in reporting methodology has magically ended Russia’s recession.
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Terror in Russia and the West: A Need for Compassion
Feed the Kremlin love, feed the Kremlin so much love it chokes. Do it either because it is right or do it because it is smart, but do it either way.
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Kremlin’s Reply to Anti-Corruption Demonstrations: We Can Deal With It Ourselves
The Kremlin’s answer to accusations of corruption are as follows: Russian civil servants’ income reports are transparent for the Secret Service and that is enough.
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Russia Is a Political Hazard Zone
The rift between the elites and the masses in Russia is as real today as it was six or 26 years ago. Neither the annexation of Crimea, nor symbolic gestures aimed at exciting nationalistic pride have been able to bridge it.
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Trouble Translating Trump
Translating Donald Trump has not been smooth sailing for my Russian colleagues. They are sometimes clearly befuddled by Trumpese and make wild guesses about the meaning of his tweets.
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Trump, Le Pen and Other Fleeting Relationships: Is the Russian Scare Real?
With Putin, when it comes to serious business there is only one sure way to know that agreements are going to be respected: a publicized friendship.
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Defects Found in Almost Every Russian Proton Rocket Engine
Russia has 71 rocket engines stockpiled for its Proton space rockets. Almost all of them have been found to be defective.
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Russian Cinemas Furious After Culture Ministry Pulls a Fast One
After the Culture Ministry bumped the release of The Fast and The Furious 8 in favor of a state-sponsored movie on the Soviet space program, some of Russia’s largest movie theater chains are fighting back.
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Russia’s Sberbank to Sell Ukrainian Subsidiary Amid Sanctions
Russia’s largest state-owned bank is set to sell its Ukrainian subsidiary weeks after being hit with sanctions from Kiev.
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‘Loads of Love’: Apple Engineer Converts Van Into Mobile Laundromat for Homeless
Ron Powers, a mechanical engineer at Apple, turned a used van into a mobile laundromat and made it available for free to the homeless of Santa Cruz, California. He said he spent many years focused on studying…
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Red iPhone 7s Will Soon Hit Apple Stores
The palette of colors that iPhones come in is increasing this week, as Apple releases a red special edition of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Photo Credit: Apple
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At Facial Recognition Hearing, Congress Attacks FBI
Democrats and Republicans alike hammered the FBI on Wednesday for its use of facial recognition software to identify potential suspects, saying the technology fosters racial bias, leads to arrests of innocent… Photo Credit: National Science Foundation
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Puerto Rico Downs Netherlands to Advance to WBC Final
Puerto Rico came into Monday’s World Baseball Classic semifinal game against The Netherlands with an undefeated record, and they’ll carry that unblemished mark into Wednesday’s title contest as they notched… Photo Credit: Denis Poroy/Getty Images
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Britain Liquidates Russian Oil Companies’ Fraudulent ‘Clones’
On paper, the firms looked like legitimate subsidiaries of major Russian oil and gas companies. One problem: They were fake.
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Putin Ally Looks to Take Over Aircraft Industry
Defense and technology Rostec has its eyes on the United Aircraft Corporation, but a takeover isn’t expected just yet.
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British Taxi Service Goes Head to Head With Uber in Russia
Splyt, a British ride-sharing app, has opened an office in Moscow. They hope to coordinate an alliance of local taxi services, possibly undermining giants like Uber and Yandex.
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Russian Shoe Sales Plummet Amid Economic Crisis
Russian annual shoes purchases have dropped to 2.5 pairs per person due to the current economic crisis, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper has reported.
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Putin Ally Buys Black Sea Oyster Farm Linked to President
An oyster farm allegedly linked to President Vladimir Putin has been bought by one of the Russian leader’s closest allies.
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Officials Plan Tax Breaks to Get Russians Saving for Retirement
Russian officials could soon raise income taxes for workers who don’t make payments to a private pension fund in a bid to encourage Russians to save for their retirement.
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Russia’s Sberbank Starts Accepting Passports From Ukraine’s Breakaway Republics
Russian banks are refusing to accept passports issued by Ukraine’s breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, despite orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin that officials to start recognizing the documents.
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The Russian Billionaires on Bloomberg’s Rich List
Only a select few of Russia’s oligarchs make it to the top of the world’s rich lists. We looked at the Russian businessmen ranked among the world’s elite in the top 100 of Bloomberg’s prestigious Billionaires Index.
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Dire Straits Experience to kick off their 2017 world tour in Russia
The gigs featuring the original Dire Straits band mates Chris White and Chris Whitten will roll out hits by the legendary British act in Moscow on March 3 and in Ufa on Mar The Dire Straits Experience is a project by the legendary British rock band’s saxophone player Chris White and guitarist/vocalist Terence Reis. The…
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Survey claims most Crimean Tatars satisfied with living in Russia
The latest survey showed that 75% of Crimean Tatars are pleased with their life since the peninsula became a part of Russia Three quarters of Crimean Tatars are pleased with their life after Crimea became a part of Russia, according to a survey conducted by Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. “The latest survey showed…
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Kremlin envoy calls for ban on keeping wild animals as house pets
The Kremlin envoy hopes that the State Duma will adopt an animal cruelty law, strengthening liability for such activities The Russian President’s special envoy for transport and the environment, Sergey Ivanov, has called for a ban on keeping wild animals as house pets and stricter safety guidelines for so-called petting zoos. In an interview with…
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Two lion cubs discovered in Moscow’s industrial district
The felines will be taken to an animal shelter A pair of lion cubs have been found in an industrial district in southern Moscow, the capital’s environmental protection department said on Tuesday. “The cubs are between five and six months old. Police officers are working at the site of the discovery,” the department said. The…
DetailsMoscow Court Overturns Fine for Independent Russian News Outlet RBC
A Moscow court has overturned the decision to fine independent Russian news outlet RBC for libelling oligarch and Putin ally Igor Sechin.
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Chief justice says number of Russian kids adopted by foreigners drops by two-thirds
The number of Russian kids adopted by foreign citizens in 2016 declined to a third of what it was in 2013, Chief Justice of the Russian Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev said addressing a seminar meeting by the presidents of federal courts. “In 2016, courts made 13,500 rulings concerning adoption. As before, preference was given to…
DetailsRussia Predicts 2% GDP Growth in 2017
The Russian government expects the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 2 percent in 2017, pulling the country out of economic recession.
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About 5,000 participate in Nemtsov mourning march
Boris Nemtsov, the party’s co-chair, was killed in Moscow on February 28, 2015. In 2015 and 2016 About 5,000 people participate in the mourning march devoted to Boris Nemtsov, who was killed two years earlier, press service of the Moscow branch of the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. TASS correspondent reports from the site, the…
DetailsRosneft to Sell Local Oil Assets to Chechnya
Russian oil giant Rosneft could be preparing sell its assets in Chechnya to the republic’s regional government.
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Russian baritone Hvorostovsky cancels concerts due to continuing treatment
Singer expressed his deep regret that he had to withdraw from the recitals Russian renowned baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky has postponed recitals in Kaliningrad and Moscow and cancelled a concert in Vienna scheduled for March 7 after being advised to continue treatment for his brain tumor, the singer wrote on his site. “Dmitri Hvorostovsky is postponing…
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