Current Time

Uzbekistan's 'Melon Houses': Inside An Eco-Friendly, Aromatic Tradition

No need to worry about the carbon footprint of Uzbekistan's ancient technique for preserving winter melons. Its special "kovunkhona" storage chambers have no automatic cooling systems at all. Instead, they just rely on cold outside air and centuries of local experience keeping melons fresh until spring.

Violence Flares In Ukraine As Evacuees Arrive From China

A convoy carrying people recently evacuated from Wuhan, China, arrived in the Ukrainian town of Novi Sanzhary, where they were due to be held in quarantine, on February 20. A crowd of locals, fearful that the evacuees would bring the coronavirus to the town, clashed with police and tried to block the buses with burning debris.

Ukraine Bans Zelenskiy Film Over Inclusion Of Russian Co-Star

Ukraine's Cinema Agency has banned a 2012 film featuring the country's current president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, because the film includes a Russian actress blacklisted by Kyiv for making an unauthorized visit to Ukraine's Russian-occupied region of Crimea.

Eight Jehovah's Witnesses Charged With Extremism In Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region

Russian authorities in the Jewish Autonomous Region in Siberia have charged eight Jehovah's Witnesses with extremism amid what activists say is an escalating campaign of persecution of the religious group.

No Gas, No Paved Road: Ethnic Russian Village In Georgia Considers Election Boycott

Georgia’s governments have repeatedly declared war on poverty, but in the 300-person village of Davitiani, like in other villages in this would-be European Union member, a lack of income and lack of infrastructure remain daunting problems. To get officials’ attention, Davitiani, a predominantly ethnic Russian settlement located in the eastern vineyard region of Kakheti, is now considering an unusual option: a boycott of Georgia’s October 2020 parliamentary elections.

Welcome To Unknown Belarus

Escape From Quarantine: Russian Flees After Negative Coronavirus Tests

Alla Ilyina fell sick after returning home to Russia from China and was held in isolation at a St. Petersburg hospital. But after she tested negative twice for coronavirus, she decided there was no reason to stick around.

Russia's Vanishing Reindeer Herders: How A Native People Defy Change

The native Nenets reindeer herders of Russia's Far North are determined to preserve their traditional way of life despite population shifts, market changes, and perceived threats to their ancestral territory. But as reindeer herders start to vanish, this community faces a daunting tussle with time.

Who Is Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's New Chief Of Staff?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has a new chief of staff. Andriy Yermak was previously his foreign affairs adviser, negotiating a key prisoner exchange with Moscow and meeting with senior U.S. officials -- as well as President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Guiliani.

Conspiracy Theories On Russian TV Blame Donald Trump, U.S. For Coronavirus

With coronavirus cases and deaths steadily rising, Russia's pro-government TV channels appear to have sensed a prime opportunity for some conspiracy theories: The epidemic could be all the work of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Central Intelligence Agency, and U.S. philanthropist George Soros, their news reports suggest. As yet, proof is not a priority.

Kyrgyz Workers Hunt For Coal Scraps To Survive Winter

In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, about 200 people work in shifts to search through the ash dump of a heating plant. Desperately poor, they are looking for unburned pieces of coal to sell. It's hard work, but the only way to make a living for many of them during the winter.

International Observers On Azerbaijani Vote: ‘No Meaningful Choice For Voters’

Rampant Irregularities Documented On Social Media Mar Azerbaijani Election

Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary Vote: No Great Expectations For Change

Ukraine Turns To Germany To Transform Troubled Railways

Ukraine's troubled railway company Ukrzaliznytsia and Deutsche Bahn have signed a 10-year memorandum of cooperation under which the German operator will plan a way forward for the state operator. Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk says it could lead to Deutsche Bahn jointly managing Ukrainian railways. Current Time sent two reporters to compare and contrast regional rail services in both countries.

Stuffed Ballot Boxes And Carousels: Azerbaijan Votes Again Under Scrutiny

Azerbaijanis go to the polls this weekend to choose members of their parliament. After decades of elections plagued by media manipulation and dirty tricks, opposition activists hold out little hope of challenging the dominance of President Ilham Aliyev's party in the vote on February 9.

Life In No-Man's-Land Between Ukraine And Belarus

It's a kind of no-man's-land: three Ukrainian villages lie beyond their country's last border post on the road to Belarus, complicating life for the inhabitants who must pass through border checks to enter their own country.

Kyrgyz Prospect For A Future Built On Gold

It's not just open-pit mines that depend on Kyrgyzstan’s gold wealth. In the frigid, central region of Naryn, one of the Central Asian country's poorest areas, specks of gold in an iced-over river help four men to survive and support their families.

Inside A Closed Russian Village After Deadly Nuclear Accident

Current Time gained exclusive access to a closed village near a Russian military facility where five people died after an explosion and radiation leak. Residents of Nyonoksa have spent their lives in the shadow of a weapons test site, and while some are unworried, others say there's been a lack of information about possible health risks.

Current Time-Supported Ukrainian Documentary Wins Sundance Award