It was once ranked among the most polluted places on Earth, but Rudnaya Pristan in Russia's Far East, about 500 kilometers north of Vladivostok, has cleaned up its act since the closure of its lead smelting plant. Local fish populations benefited from cleaner water but are threatened by overfishing.
Kyrgyzstan is forcing homes and businesses to go back to using coal as a severe drought has reduced output at the country's lone hydroelectric plant, which usually produces 40 percent of the country's electricity. Other energy-saving measures include switching off street lights and neon advertising.
Kazakhstan will switch from its current Russian dialing code, +7, to its own national international dialing code, +997, the government said.
Nearly 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation ranks as the largest opposition threat to Russia's ruling United Russia party, according to opinion polls. But desire for a robust welfare state characterizes supporters of both sides.
Generations of children have grown up in Kyrgyzstan without parents who leave the country to work, mostly in Russia. Aigerim is 9 years old and lives with her grandmother. She dreams of joining her mom, who went to Moscow two years ago.
The Russian Supreme Court has barred Dmitry Potapenko, a candidate for the center-left Russian Party for Freedom and Justice, from running in upcoming legislative elections because he allegedly held shares in Russian companies listed on foreign exchanges.
Russians living in Siberia’s Altai mountains make a living by cutting the antlers off Maral deers. The dried antlers are sold for more than $300 per kilogram to China and South Korea where people believe they help boost libido and longevity. But animal rights groups call the practice cruel.
Most countries in Current Time's coverage zone tend to pay much more to award gold medal winners than the 2020 Tokyo Olympics' current top medal winner, the United States ($37,500). Though support for national athletics programs may vary, the prestige of an Olympics win remains unchanged since Sovie
Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island, an outpost on the Amur River in the Far East, was disputed by Russia and China for decades, but it has now been divided almost equally between the neighbors. The Chinese call it Heixiazi Island.
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