http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:45:47 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Two fires in the Moscow metro on Wednesday forced the evacuation of thousands of riders. At least seven people have been hospitalized and dozens of others injured.   Officials in Moscow say the first fire broke out between the Okhotny Ryad [Hunter's Row] and Lenin Library stations near the Kremlin on the metro's red line.   One rider, Kamil, who didn't give his last name, said the metro filled with smoke, which became unbearable.   Viktor ... http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-evacuated-after-moscow-metro-blazes/1675643.html http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-evacuated-after-moscow-metro-blazes/1675643.html Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:03:00 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/thousands-evacuated-after-moscow-metro-blazes/1675643.html#relatedInfoContainer After a week-long visit in Russia, U.S. lawmakers say they have found no glaring misstep by American intelligence that allowed the Boston marathon bombings to go undetected.  The six-member delegation came to Moscow on a mission to determine what, if anything, could have been done to prevent the attacks that killed three people and wounded hundreds more in Boston on April 15. California Republican Dana Rohrabacher, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmakers-no-security-lapses-in-boston-bombings/1674499.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmakers-no-security-lapses-in-boston-bombings/1674499.html Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:00:06 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) Russia says it will ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to keep wrestling in the games. This after the IOC announced it would drop the sport from the 2020 Summer Olympics.   The president of the Russian Wrestling Federation, Mikhail Mamiashvili, says that supporters of wrestling worldwide are coming together to rally behind the sport, which has been in the games since the first modern Olympics in 1896.  Mamiashvili, a former Olympic and European wrestling champion, said ... http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-ioc-olympics-wrestling/1669761.html http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-ioc-olympics-wrestling/1669761.html Tue, 28 May 2013 10:35:02 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-ioc-olympics-wrestling/1669761.html#relatedInfoContainer Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, has told President Vladimir Putin that the human rights body is concerned about Russia's law requiring non-governmental organizations to register as foreign agents.   Jagland said Europe will watch how the Kremlin implements the law that went in effect last November, a measure requiring non-governmental organizations that receive foreign funding to register as "foreign agents" — a term synonymous with espionage ... http://www.voanews.com/content/council-of-europe-concerned-about-russia-human-rights-record/1666172.html http://www.voanews.com/content/council-of-europe-concerned-about-russia-human-rights-record/1666172.html Wed, 22 May 2013 11:58:56 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/council-of-europe-concerned-about-russia-human-rights-record/1666172.html#relatedInfoContainer Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev has pleaded not guilty to charges of hooliganism motivated by political hatred. Lebedev says that he is being targeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin because Putin believes he is funding the opposition. Alexander Lebedev, co-owner of Novaya Gazeta, Russia's leading opposition newspaper, went on trial Monday in a Moscow court. Lebedev faces charges of hooliganism motivated by political hatred for punching a Russian businessman and property ... http://www.voanews.com/content/billionaire-alexander-lebedev-pleads-not-guilty-in-russian-court/1664718.html http://www.voanews.com/content/billionaire-alexander-lebedev-pleads-not-guilty-in-russian-court/1664718.html Mon, 20 May 2013 14:18:12 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/billionaire-alexander-lebedev-pleads-not-guilty-in-russian-court/1664718.html#relatedInfoContainer Kremlin officials on Wednesday denounced an alleged attempt by a U.S. diplomat to recruit a Russian intelligence officer, but suggested the scandal would have little effect on U.S.-Russia relations. Earlier this week, Russian authorities briefly detained the diplomat, who was accused of trying to recruit the Russian agent to work for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The diplomat was later expelled from the country. President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told ... http://www.voanews.com/content/kremlin-says-it-regrets-spy-scandal/1661335.html http://www.voanews.com/content/kremlin-says-it-regrets-spy-scandal/1661335.html Wed, 15 May 2013 09:09:22 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/kremlin-says-it-regrets-spy-scandal/1661335.html#relatedInfoContainer Following discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is concerned about how non-governmental organizations that have received U.S. funding are being treated by the Kremlin.   The new Russian law requires organizations in Russia that receive money from abroad to register as foreign agents, a term synonymous with espionage during Soviet times.   Since the law was enacted last year, hundreds of NGOs have come under heavy ... http://www.voanews.com/content/john-kerry-expresses-concerns-about-russia-ngo-law-lavrov/1656995.html http://www.voanews.com/content/john-kerry-expresses-concerns-about-russia-ngo-law-lavrov/1656995.html Wed, 08 May 2013 11:39:36 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/john-kerry-expresses-concerns-about-russia-ngo-law-lavrov/1656995.html#relatedInfoContainer At least 38 people are dead after a fire quickly spread through a one-story, wooden psychiatric facility north of Moscow. Russian investigators believe that the blaze may have been caused by a short circuit. Russia’s emergency officials say the fire quickly swept through the building overnight Moscow time, engulfing the structure in flames. Officials say many of the patients, ages 20-76, were heavily sedated due to severe mental issues.  Those who were able to wake up tried to escape ... http://www.voanews.com/content/fire-breaks-out-at-russian-hospital/1649260.html http://www.voanews.com/content/fire-breaks-out-at-russian-hospital/1649260.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 03:39:07 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) Election watchdog Golos has become the first non-governmental organization (NGO) to be fined in Russia under a controversial new law. A Moscow court ruled Golos had failed to declare itself as a "foreign agent" after receiving funds from abroad after the law took effect in November. Golos, which means vote or voice, has been fined 300,000 rubles - roughly $10,000 dollars - for failing to register as a foreign agent, a term synonymous with espionage in the Soviet period. A Moscow ... http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-fines-golos-for-not-registering-as-foreign-agent/1648811.html http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-fines-golos-for-not-registering-as-foreign-agent/1648811.html Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:01:16 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) Bare-breasted women protested against Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Hannover, Germany, during an industrial exhibit he attended with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Putin said he liked it, but a Kremlin spokesman is now calling for the ladies to be punished. Three members of the women’s rights group Femen took off their tops and shouted slogans against Putin. The demonstrators called Putin a dictator. Protesters also scrawled anti-Putin messages across their backs, many of which ... http://www.voanews.com/content/topless-protesters-demonstrate-against-putin/1637252.html http://www.voanews.com/content/topless-protesters-demonstrate-against-putin/1637252.html Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:12:19 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/topless-protesters-demonstrate-against-putin/1637252.html#relatedInfoContainer Hundreds of non-governmental organizations across Russia say they have been raided and harassed by the government in recent weeks. President Vladimir Putin says they are being inspected to make sure they comply with a law meant to stop foreign countries from meddling in domestic affairs. Activists say their organizations are facing pressure and surprise inspections by authorities ranging from tax officials to fire inspectors. Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the spot checks. Putin ... http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-raids-hundreds-of-ngo/1631225.html http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-raids-hundreds-of-ngo/1631225.html Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:21:48 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-raids-hundreds-of-ngo/1631225.html#relatedInfoContainer Russian police say three men have confessed to being involved in the assault on Sergei Filin, the artistic director at the world renowned Bolshoi Theater. The latest developments in the Bolshoi Theater acid attack story read like the plot of a Russian novel. When Tchaikovsky composed Swan Lake, little did he know that the man currently known here in Moscow for playing Von Rothbart, the villain, would actually live up to his character. Moscow police say lead dancer and soloist Pavel ... http://www.voanews.com/content/bolshoi-soloist-confesses-to-planning-acid-attack-on-director/1616158.html http://www.voanews.com/content/bolshoi-soloist-confesses-to-planning-acid-attack-on-director/1616158.html Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:42:11 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) Moscow police have detained a suspect in the savage attack on the Bolshoi Theatre’s artistic director. Police have also searched the home of a Bolshoi dancer, but have not said why.  Police said a suspect has been delivered to a Moscow police station and is being questioned in the acid attack of Bolshoi Artistic Director Sergei Filin. Filin was attacked outside his apartment, on January 17, as he was returning home from work. Filin suffered severe burns to his eyes and face after the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/moscow-police-arrest-suspect-in-attack-on-bolshoi-director/1615502.html http://www.voanews.com/content/moscow-police-arrest-suspect-in-attack-on-bolshoi-director/1615502.html Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:04:49 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/moscow-police-arrest-suspect-in-attack-on-bolshoi-director/1615502.html#relatedInfoContainer A Moscow court plans to forge ahead with the trial of whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, who died in jail in 2009.  Magnitsky’s family says the proceeding is politically motivated. Magnitsky, a lawyer who worked for Russia’s largest Western investment firm, Hermitage Capital Management, claimed he'd uncovered a massive $230 tax fraud scheme involving Russian Interior Ministry officials. Magnitsky, 37, was later arrested on corruption charges by the same officials he accused of tax ... http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-trial-sergei-magnitsky/1614941.html http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-trial-sergei-magnitsky/1614941.html Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:43:08 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-trial-sergei-magnitsky/1614941.html#relatedInfoContainer Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday  a bill passed in the country’s lower house of parliament that would outlaw so-called “homosexual propaganda” does not violate Moscow’s international obligations.  He defended the proposed measure, which forbids public events and the dissemination of information about gays, lesbians or transgendered people to minors, despite criticism from the European Union and the Dutch government. Russia has its own moral, historical, religious, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-defends-homosexual-propaganda-measure/1611137.html http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-defends-homosexual-propaganda-measure/1611137.html Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:10:48 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-defends-homosexual-propaganda-measure/1611137.html#relatedInfoContainer Russian officials say a meteor hit in the Chelyabinsk region, near the country’s Ural Mountains, setting off blasts that injured more than 750 people, mainly by broken glass. Witnesses describe objects that look like burning rocks racing across the sky for hundreds of kilometers, leaving a long, white vapor trail in their wake. The sonic boom and shock that followed early Friday shattered windows and set off car alarms. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said the meteor exploded over the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/meteor-causes-panic-in-russias-urals-region/1604203.html http://www.voanews.com/content/meteor-causes-panic-in-russias-urals-region/1604203.html Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:52:59 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/meteor-causes-panic-in-russias-urals-region/1604203.html#relatedInfoContainer At least 77 Russian citizens evacuated from war-torn Syria have returned to Russia. The Kremlin remains a staunch ally of the Syrian government and says it is not conducting a mass evacuation. The Russian citizens were taken out of Syria by bus to Beirut, Lebanon, and boarded two planes provided by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry. The planes arrived at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport early Wednesday morning. Albert Alamart was on one of the planes. He says the situation isn’t very calm and ... http://www.voanews.com/content/Russia-evacuees-from-syria-return-home/1589479.html http://www.voanews.com/content/Russia-evacuees-from-syria-return-home/1589479.html Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:13:20 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/Russia-evacuees-from-syria-return-home/1589479.html#relatedInfoContainer A court in the Russian region of Perm has refused a petition from jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina to defer the rest of her two-year sentence for hooliganism until her child is older. Judge Galina Yefremova rejected an appeal by jailed Pussy Riot band member Maria Alyokhina, who wanted to have her two-year sentence suspended. Alyokhina claims that her five-year-old son, Filipp, needs her because he is going through his formative years and that he cannot be without her.  Yefremova ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pussy-riot-sentence-human-rights/1585376.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pussy-riot-sentence-human-rights/1585376.html Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:18:56 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) Russian emergency workers continue to try to clear a main highway in the country’s restive Northern Caucacus region after two days of extremely heavy snow.  Russian emergency workers trying to clear roads are using anti-aircraft guns to bring down potentially dangerous over-hanging snow on mountains in Russia’s southern region near Georgia. In two days, the equivalent of more than two months of snow fell in the region, causing an avalanche to cover the Transcaucasus Highway. Denis ... http://www.voanews.com/content/massive_snowfall_impacts_major_russian_highway/1580631.html http://www.voanews.com/content/massive_snowfall_impacts_major_russian_highway/1580631.html Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:29:19 -0500 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/massive_snowfall_impacts_major_russian_highway/1580631.html#relatedInfoContainer Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there is still time to end the violence in Syria if the opposition agrees to talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. United Nations Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has traveled to Russia, said if that does not happen and a deal is not struck, "hell" and more bloodshed will occur. In talks in Moscow with Brahimi, Lavrov said that the chance for a political solution remains and that it is Russia’s obligation to ... http://www.voanews.com/content/peace-envoy-in-moscow-to-talk-on-syria/1574327.html http://www.voanews.com/content/peace-envoy-in-moscow-to-talk-on-syria/1574327.html Sat, 29 Dec 2012 06:40:20 -0500 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Golloher) http://www.voanews.com/content/peace-envoy-in-moscow-to-talk-on-syria/1574327.html#relatedInfoContainer