The king motions for the white falcon to be brought closer and reaches out to stroke its chest, smiling as the bird blindly swivels its head, a hood covering its eyes.Russia's Vladimir Putin this month engaged in some falcon diplomacy on a Middle East tour, gifting prized gyrfalcons to Saudi King Salman and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, a falconry enthusiast.In Russia, however, Arab interest in falcons has a dark side, with out-of-control poaching and smuggling to the Gulf region, where they find an eager market thanks to deep-rooted hunting traditions.
Turkish soldiers patrol the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Tal Abyad near the Turkish border on Wednesday
Egypt is one of a few African countries that can be reached directly from Moscow
Navalny and his allies organised protests after opposition politicians were barred from standing in the Moscow parliament election in September
Navalny has been detained multiple times over his opposition activities
The purpose of Duterte's visit was to seek greater defense ties with Russia but some pictures of a somewhat disheveled Philippine President drew some attention on social media by Russian Twitter users.
French President Emmanuel Macron (left) meets Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, released last month by Russia in a prisoner swap with Kiev
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to take a chartered flight to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Duterte has called his “favorite hero”.
Opposition leader Lyubov Sobol was among the protesters outside the presidential administration
India and Russia have agreed to launch a sea route that will extend from Vladivostok, a major port city in Eastern Russia, to Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India. The agreement could present a challenge to China as the maritime route will include parts of the South China Sea where China continues to flex its muscle.
Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine are unresolved issues
Facebook and Google are in hot water after they publicized political ads for local Russian elections on Sunday after being ordered against doing so.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Japan’s military ties to the U.S. make it difficult for them to sign a World War II peace treaty. So, almost 75 years after the September 2, 1945 surrender of the Japanese to the Allied forces, it appears there are still some “loose ends” remaining to be resolved.
A document obtained by Kyodo News indicates that Russia is planning to add some missile systems in the Kuril Islands. The missiles are aimed at increasing Russia’s defense capabilities in the Sea of Okhotsk, where a nuclear weapon stronghold is located against any U.S. aggression.
Perry said that the Trump administration would likely apply stricter sanctions on Russia over the 2014 Crimea annexation while at a meeting in Warsaw, Poland with Ukrainian and Polish leaders.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was released on Friday after serving 30 days in jail for planning opposition protests, which have grown into a movement that has shaken Moscow since last month.Police were present outside the prison on his release but made no move to re-arrest him, as they have when other opposition figures were freed recently.But he has continued to urge his supporters to take to the streets, which could lead authorities to detain him once again.
The Russian government wants Google to prevent Youtube users from streaming videos of politically-sensitive demonstrations.
Prominent Russian journalist Ivan Golunov has been arrested in Moscow on drug charges. He is best known for investigating corruption among the country's business elite.
Russia has asked Tinder hand over data on Russian users, with the company risking a total ban in the country if it doesn't comply.
The satirical science fiction film, titled “When Women Rule the World," is based in 2121 "after Trump has pushed the button, and World War Three and climate change have decimated life on earth.”
In a new biography by Susan Page, former first lady Barbara Bush blamed Donald Trump for a heart attack she had in June 2016, and also for her decision to leave the Republican Party.
An outbreak of hysterical war-cry dominates the Russian media after the decision of the Union States to withdraw from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The media warns of a unilateral strike against the U.S if Russia is threatened.