The Noble Survivors
Aristocratic families in Russia lost everything 100 years ago as Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar, abdicated as Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power.
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Bill Outlawing Pro-Suicide Groups on Social Media Adopted by Russian Parliament
A bill outlining criminal liability for creating pro-suicide groups in social networks has passed its third and final reading on Friday, Russian news outlets reported.
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New Photos Reveal What’s Left Behind When a Rocket Travels to Space
Michael Soluri captures these strangely evocative traces of America’s heroic extraterrestrial journeys
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Russian Ethics Committee Frowns on Homophobic Lawmaker’s Harassment of LGBT Rights Activists
The State Duma’s Ethics Committee has slapped the wrist of Vitaly Milonov, the deputy best known for spearheading Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda.”
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‘Last Bell’ Tolls for Russia’s High School Graduates
On May 26, the “Last Bell” rings at Russian schools. And it’s a beloved, hell of a celebration.
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The Whisperers: Meet the Snitches Making a Return to Russia
After losing influence and appeal, vigilante informants are making a comeback in Russian society.
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Stephen Talty’s Guide to Culture
The detective novelist offers his picks for movies, tv shows and Twitter accounts to follow
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Chechen Parliament Speaker Played Key Role in Anti-Gay Purges – HRW
The chair of the Chechen parliament, Magomed Daudov, played a key role in anti-gay purges in the Russian authoritarian republic of Chechnya, Human Rights Watch has revealed in a report published today.
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Funny Feeling
Indian Russian or Russian Indian? Aspiring comedian Arun Khurana feels a little foreign wherever he goes.
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Time To Get Out of Here
The other day I heard the saddest thing: “Осень начинается через три месяца!” (Autumn begins in three months.) Just let that sink in.
And once it has, you’ll want to book the fastest plane south for some sun.
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And once it has, you’ll want to book the fastest plane south for some sun.
Russian Blogger Goes on Trial for ‘Inflicting Pain’ on the Cop He Says Beat Him Up
Stanislav Kalinichenko says police only brought the charges after he complained about being brutally beaten in their custody.
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Competing Plans for Russia’s Economy All Lack Solutions
As 2018 presidential elections draw nearer, the government has prepared a socio-economic development plan forecast through 2025.
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This Catalan Folk Singer Refused to Bow to Oppression
The director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage recognizes the lifetime work of the singer activist Raimon
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Saint Nicholas Visits Moscow
Thousands of Russian believers have flocked to Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior to see the relics of Saint Nicholas the Miracleworker.
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Rebel, Rebel, Rebel: Bowie, Cohen and Iggy Pop Take Center Stage at Beat Film Festival
Intimate portraits of rock legends, a hedonistic Warsaw docudrama and a bold art project starring Cate Blanchett top the bill at this year’s event.
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Top Moscow University Official Resigns After Anti-Gay Remarks
A student ombudsman at one of Moscow’s largest universities has resigned after making homophobic remarks online.
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Anti-Corruption Journalist Murdered in Russia
A journalist who reported on police corruption has been killed in the Russian city of Minusinsk.
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More Than 250,000 Bibliophiles Are About to Descend on “The Town of Books”
The Hay Festival of Literature kicks of its 30th anniversary festival in Wales
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Machine Against the Stage: Authorities Target Edgy Theater Director
When masked men raided Moscow’s hippest theatre the Gogol Center and interrogated its internationally famous director Kirill Serebrennikov, artists rallied to protest.
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Usmanov vs. Navalny: How an Oligarch Reignited Political Debate in Russia
A powerful Russian mogul confronted Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader, online. It was the first conversation between ruling elite and opposition in years.
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Bjarke Ingels Makes the Impossible Concrete
The star architect is mapping out a new daring plan for the Smithsonian
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Russian Federal Agents Say They Have a New Jihadist Under Arrest
Russian federal agents in Bashkortostan say they’ve arrested a man suspected of fighting with a Russian-speaking group tied to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda.
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Kremlin Denies Plan to Ban Foreign Players From Russian Football
The Kremlin has denied reports that Russia could clampdown on foreign football players joining local teams.
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Russian Intelligence Chief Says Terrorists Use Telegram’s ‘Secret Chats’
The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service says terrorists groups are using secret chats on the instant messenger Telegram to coordinate their efforts.
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Panic Mode: Moscow Probe Into Anti-Gay Purge Has Chechen Leaders Rattled
Moscow sends a delegation to Chechnya to investigate anti-gay crimes, sending local officials into panic mode.
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Car Attacked With Molotov Cocktail in Central Moscow
An unknown attacker has thrown a molotov cocktail at a car in central Moscow.
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Bill Banning Anonymous Messenger Accounts Submitted to Russian Parliament
A new bill banning anonymous users from using online messenger apps has been submitted to the Russian parliament.
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Why Russia and the West Should Fight Terrorism Together (Op-ed)
By coordinating with Russia over terrorism, the West can be looking ahead to a Russia after Putin.
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Stalin’s Grandson Dies in Moscow
Russian theater director Alexander Burdonsky, the grandson of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, has died in Moscow.
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Russia’s Rosneft Cancels Order for $260 Teaspoons Amid Navalny Row
A subsidiary for Russian oil giant Rosneft has canceled an order of luxury tableware amid a public row with Russian anti-corruption campaigner and politician Alexei Navalny.
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MOSS: The Genuine Article?
“Moscow—as you’ve never seen it before”—these are the first words to greet visitors on the website of MOSS, a new hotel on Krivokolenny Pereulok.
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Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge as Bill Murray Reads You Poetry This June
Bill Murray is an eclectic staple in New York. Although the actor and comedian now spends most of his time down south in Charleston, he’s made his mark on New York City, doing everything from filming iconic movies to bartending in Brooklyn. On June 12, Murray will come back to New York to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge…
DetailsWatch How One Harlem Storefront Changes Over Nearly Four Decades
The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s new exhibition goes “Down These Mean Streets”
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Russian Academic Facing Jail for ‘Extremist’ Pig Manure Rant
An environmental activist could face jail after criticizing Russian villagers who refused to protest against businesses dumping pig manure into their local river.
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Sochi resident wins record-breaking $6.5 mln lottery jackpot
The lottery organizers are still waiting for the winning ticket-holder to show up A Sochi local has won a record-setting jackpot prize of 364,685,787 rubles (roughly $6.5 mln) in lottery, the Stoloto lottery organizers reported today. “The ‘6 out of 45’ State Lotto will award the jackpot prize of 364,685,787 rubles to a Sochi resident,”…
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Expert predicts millions of Russian believers may pay homage to relics of St. Nicholas
The relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are not the first ones brought to Russia from overseas Several millions of believers may pay homage to the relics of St. Nicholas, Roman Lunkin, Senior Researcher and Head of Religious and Social Studies Center at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told TASS.…
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Scientists confirm skeleton found in Turkey is 19th century Russian general
A skeleton of a man with a thick beard and moustache dressed in a late 19th century military uniform with epaulettes was found in the coffin earlier Russian scientists have confirmed that the remains discovered last month in Turkey’s northeast province of Ardahan belong to a Russian general who lived there in the 19th century,…
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Archaeologists dig up 17th century stone bridge in downtown Moscow
For a long time, the bridge was believed to have been lost Archaeological experts have discovered the stone foundation and a brick arch of a 17th century white stone bridge at Slavyanskaya Square in downtown Moscow, where a water pipe is being repaired in line with the city’s Moya Ulitsa (or My Street) gentrification program,…
DetailsMoscow Risks ‘Environmental Collapse’ Under Demolition Scheme
Moscow City Hall’s planned demolition of more than 4,500 homes across the capital could spark an “environmental collapse,” activist group Greenpeace has warned.
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Patriarch Kirill welcomes Saint Nicholas relics in Moscow
The arrival of the relic was celebrated by bell-ringing at Moscow’s churches Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia welcomed the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered figures in Russia, at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral on Sunday. The relics have been delivered from the Italiancity of Bari. Hundreds of…
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Special plane delivers relics of Saint Nicholas to Moscow
Believers of Moscow parishes have gathered at Vnukovo airport where journalists are present to meet the relic A special plane has delivered a fragment of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered figures in Russia, to Moscow from the Italian city of Bari. Believers of Moscow parishes have gathered at…
DetailsSummer in the City: 7 Moscow Terraces to See and Be Seen on
Summer in Moscow means enjoying the breeze and stunning views from the city’s terraces. Whether you’re out to hobnob with the elite, hang out with hip crowds or just kick back with a glass of wine, here’s where to go.
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Leading Moscow Theater Raided by Police in Alleged Corruption Case
Russian police have raided a leading contemporary theater in Moscow as part of a corruption investigation.
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Russia’s Orphanages Are Emptying
The number of Russian children living in state care has more than halved over the past five years, government data has revealed.
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Russian Officials Claim Steven Seagal Will Promote Flagship Kremlin Scheme in New Reality TV Show
Officials in Russia’s remote Far East have been accused of exploiting former Hollywood action star Steven Seagal to promote a Kremlin agriculture scheme.
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Russian Regulators Find Illegal Cartel Where Navalny Says He Unmasked ‘Putin’s Favorite Chef’
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service says it’s uncovered a price-fixing cartel in the Defense Ministry’s procurement contracts worth billions.
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Why Langston Hughes Still Reigns as a Poet for the Unchampioned
Fifty years after his death, Hughes’ extraordinary lyricism resonates with power to people
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Why These Humans Are Museum Treasures, Too
A portrait photographer captured 24 staffers from the National Museum of Natural History posing with their favorite artifacts from the collections
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The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America
Fears of Communism during the Cold War spurred psychological research, pop culture hits, and unethical experiments in the CIA
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Why a Modern Cosmetics Company Is Mining Armenia’s Ancient Manuscripts
Armenia’s folk remedies and botanical traditions are getting a new look
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Chechen Leader Kadyrov Says His Underage Children Earn More Than Putin
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov reportedly earned more than Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
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Russian Believers Form 1.5 Kilometer Mega-Line to See Holy Relics in Moscow
Russian believers have flocked to the capital’s iconic Cathedral of Christ the Savior in a bid to see holy relics from one of Russian Orthodoxy’s most beloved saints.
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One in Four Russians Witness Police Brutality — Poll
Almost a quarter of Russians have witnessed or experienced beatings carried out by police and medical staff, a new report has revealed.
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Relics of Saint Nicholas leave Bari for Moscow
For the first time in almost thousand years, Orthodox believers in Russia will be able to venerate one of the most important Saints without leaving their country The ark with a fragment of the relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered figures in Russia, has been passed over to the Russian…
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930 years of waiting: fragment of St Nicholas’s relics to arrive to Russia from Italy
About what preceded this unique event and how Moscow is preparing to meet the relic – in the TASS material A fragment of relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, who passed away more than 1,700 years ago, will be transported from in the Italian city of Bari to the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.…
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Fragment of St Nicholas’s relics ready for transportation to Russia from Italy
The expert said that about 80% of the skeleton and the skull of St Nicholas has reached our days intact Preparations have completed in the Italian city of Bari for a unique operation to transport a fragment of relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, who passed away more than 1,700 years ago, to Russia for…
DetailsCheaper Than Ever Before: In Moscow, Fierce Competition Between App Providers Is Driving Taxi Fares Down
Within the last three months, the price war escalated between Moscow’s three major app providers — Yandex-Taxi, Gett and Uber, — making the city’s taxi market a liberal microcosm for an economically illiberal Russia.
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UN refrains from assessment of Ukrainian bills on state control over Church
Ukraine has three denominations at the moment, each of them referring to itself at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Officials at the UN Secretariat have refrained from comment on the much-debated Ukrainian bills that would put religious organizations under state control and would put the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church reporting to Moscow Patriarchate at risk of…
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Seal school in session: see how sea mammals are trained
According to biologists, seals can be trained mainly with the help of treats Scientists at the Murmansk Institute of Marine Biological Diversity have developed a unique program to train sea mammals. This training program can turn the fin-footed, semiaquatic marine “students” into researchers, servicemen or rescuers, Dmitry Ishkulov, the institute’s deputy director general, told TASS.…
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Nobel laureate in literature Svetlana Alexievich to visit Moscow in June
Earlier, several media outlets reported that Alexievch had passed away Nobel laureate in literature, Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich will visit Moscow on June 10, the chief of the Open Library project Nikolai Solodnikov, told TASS.
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