Blowing Smoke? Classic Russian Cartoon May Become Victim Of New Law

The classic Soviet-era children’s cartoon “Nu, pogodi!” features a hapless wolf trying to catch a crafty rabbit, sort of like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner from those old Looney Tunes shorts. 

But just imagine Wile E. Coyote with a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. Or 10 cigarettes at the same time. That will give you an idea of the dilemma facing broadcasters in today’s Russia…[READ MORE]

A new report by Russian opposition leaders accuses President Vladimir Putin of enjoying a lifestyle that “can be compared to that of a Persian Gulf monarch or a flamboyant oligarch.” [READ MORE]

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev speaking Tuesday (August 28) during a meeting in front of the media in Minsk.

“You have come to a very friendly country where you are loved and respected for the great deeds which you have done — sometimes not standard ones — to support our country in hard times, connected with the issues of our state independence. Not only I personally know it and appreciate it very much, but the Belarusian people know it as well,” said Lukashenka. 

And Aliyev responded…

“I’m glad to visit your wonderful country again and to have an opportunity to discuss the issues on the vast agenda of our bilateral relations again. Before we start discussing the issues in particular, I want to express our attitude to your country, to your people, which is based both on historic roots and friendly feelings.”

Does This Russian City Have The Worst Wheelchair Access Ever?

A disabled-rights campaigner in Tatarstan is suing the authorities in the Russian republic over what he sees as subpar access rights for disabled people. And by the looks of some of the photos he’s provided of the republic’s capital, he has a point…[read more]

United Nations: Keeping The Peace Everywhere But At The Office…?

UNITED NATIONS – Strangling, biting, assaults with telephones, and sexual demands. 

Those are just a few of nearly 100 reported infractions committed by United Nations personnel over the past year according to a report from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the General Assembly…[READ MORE]

The 2012 London Olympic Games In Numbers

Nearly 5,000 medals, 10,000 toilets, and 2,000 newts. The London Olympics is about to start.

Silly Dictator Story #9: ‘Go To The Olympics They Said, It Will Be Fun They Said’ 

Being an athlete himself, Belarus’ strongman, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, is well aware of the pressures athletes will face at the upcoming Summer Olympics in London.

At a recent meeting with the staff of Belaruskali, Belarus’ most profitable company, Lukashenka, who heads the country’s National Olympic Committee, uttered a few inspirational words about the upcoming games…[read more]

True Life: I Was A Turkmenbashi Flower Girl 

As journalist from RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service who had the “honor” of being a flower girl during Niyazov’s reign tells it, the young people chosen to perform in these elaborate displays of affection pay a price — literally…[read more]

Exclusive Internet Cafe Connects Afghan Women To The World

KABUL — Dozens of women flock each day through the discreetly marked doors of Kabul’s Sahar Gul Cafe, Afghanistan’s first all-female Internet cafe…[read more]

Silly Dictator Story #8: The Turkmen President Just Can’t Take A Day Off

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is a busy man, even on vacation. A recent Turkmen state TV newscast dedicated three separate segments to the president’s not-so-leisurely leisure time, which he spent promoting fitness, visiting vacationing children — who serenaded him with songs and poems, and putting the finishing touches to a new book…[read more]