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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News Feed Moscow celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day
Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in downtown Moscow as part of the celebrations of Defender of the Fatherland Day on Thursday. Putin was accompanied by World…
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Renewed Red Army Choir to give concert on Defender of Fatherland Day
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the concert New members of the world famous Russian military choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble, will give a concert in the State Kremlin Palace on Thursday on occasion of the Defender of the Fatherland Day. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the concert. The renewed choir…
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Ex-Soviet leader Gorbachev puts his villa in Bavarian Alps up for sale – media
The three-storey mansion with 17 rooms, built in 1908, was bought by Gorbachev’s only daughter Irina Virganskaya in 2006, according to Tegernseerstimme newspaper Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has offered for sale his land plot and a mansion near Lake Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps, German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung has reported. The Gorbachevs bought the…
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Maslenitsa festival: a week of pancakes and joy
Maslenitsa is a traditional Russian holiday marking the end of winter that dates back to pagan times Performers entertain people while they celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake week at Manezhnaya Square, near Red Square in Moscow © AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Maslenitsa is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday. It’s celebrated the seventh week before Russian…
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Kremlin to bake 100,000 pancakes for Maslenitsa
The menu of the Kremlin canteens will include more than a dozen of Maslenitsa dishes Russian presidential administration’s catering staff will make 100,000 pancakes during Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, that began in Russia on Monday. The chefs will use traditional Russian recipes as well as their own ideas, the presidential administration’s spokeswoman Yelena Krylova told…
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Sevastopol may become world center of military history tourism, lawmaker says
The Crimean port city is home to ancient historical landmarks and military history monuments Sevastopol has the potential to turn into the world center of military history tourism, considering that the Crimean port city is home to ancient historical landmarks and military history monuments, Sevastopol legislature deputy Alexei Chaly told TASS on Monday. “I believe…
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Roerich’s ‘Idols. Pagan Rus’ original painting discovered in Croatia
All Roerich’s paintings found in Croatia are ‘in ideal condition’, the Russian Embassy to Croatia said The original painting “Idols (Pagan Rus)” by Russian painter Nicholas Roerich has been discovered at a Croatian museum, sources from the Russian Embassy to Croatia told TASS on Monday. This painting is in the frame that Roerich made himself,…
DetailsThree police officers
Police – the succession of generations and sculpture “The opening of this sculptural composition will be dedicated to May 9. Soon over bronze sculptures will be work masters. The sculpture depicts the policeman, Soviet policeman and modern police. It symbolizes the continuity of generations,” – said the press service of the Nizhny Novgorod police. “The…
DetailsMODIFICATION OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS ON THE BASIS OF BINDER MATERIALS
The paper presents the analysis of the patent information about modification of composite materials by introducing functional complex additives and/-or nanoadditives. Inventions can be applied in building technologies in order to produce nanomodified composite materials on the basis of air and hydraulic binder substances, that will allow us to intensify considerably industrial production of nanomodified…
DetailsINCREASING OF NON-AUTOCLAVE FOAM CONCRETE QUALITY BY NANOSIZED ADDITIVES
Foam stabilization by nanosized additives is proposed to use as the means for increasing the quality of non-autoclave foam concretes. Sols of silicic acid and iron hydroxide were chosen to be such additives. The paper shows that nanosized particles make it possible not only to increase the resistance of the foam itself and foam concrete…
Details«THERE’S PLENTY OF ROOM AT THE BOTTOM», OR HOW NANOTECHNOLOGIES CAN CHANGE THE WORLD OF CONCRETE
It’s quite impossible to imagine modern construction without concrete. Today the world volume of concrete being produced is more than 4 milliard of m3 per year. Concrete is used under different operational conditions, it is ecologically friendly material and it has unlimited source of raw materials and comparatively low cost. One should also mention its…
DetailsHousing construction
Housing construction as activities for providing people with normal living conditions, plays an important role in economy of separately taken region and country in general. The construction industry is one of the few branches of a national economy having strong multiplicative effect. By estimates of the Ministry, the greatest volumes of construction of housing in…
DetailsHappiness in a new home.
If you want to live in harmony with nature, where in the summer – green grass, and in winter the glittering white snow, where in the morning the birds chirping and rustling the leaves on the trees, where you can feel the master “family nest” – build a house. And yet – what is it,…
DetailsOutdoor sun house.
House of the rising sun. The Sunrise project draws attention to the unusual geometry of the roof. Design: Albert Haus Optimally oriented to the cardinal directions, the whole house, including built-in winter garden, is a kind of “trap” for the sun. Thanks to the good insulation of exterior walls, the use of the house followed…
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