News
Russian soldier who tried to kill Stalin in 1941-patriotic reason
November 07, 2009By Paul Goble Nikolay Dmitriyev, a native Muscovite serving in an anti-aircraft unit who tried but failed to assassinate Joseph Stalin on the eve of the November 7th anniversary in 1941 did so for patriotic reasons, according to one of the surviving...
A tragic anniversary in Georgia
November 06, 2009By Paul Goble Tomorrow, in various ways and with various feelings in their hearts, many people across the former Soviet space will commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the Bolshevik coup d’état. But in Georgia, many will mark the 2nd anniversary...
US military praising policewoman who wounded shooter at Fort Hood
November 06, 2009Officials at Fort Hood Military base in Texas have praised a civilian policewoman for stopping Thursday's shooting spree that killed 13 people and wounded 31 others. Fort Hood Spokesman, Colonel John Rossi, told reporters early Friday police woman Kimberly...
Ukraine: Swine Flu mania in Kyiv
November 03, 2009By Irene Chalupa Upon landing at Kyiv’s Boryspil airport on Sunday afternoon, I was met by Ukrainian passport-control personnel in surgical masks. I suddenly noticed that a number of people on line were also wearing masks of various sizes...
Swine Flu: Ukrainian hospitals to distribute Tamiflu for free
November 03, 2009Ukrainian hospitals will start distributing Tamiflu among the population this week in an effort to help people who have the flu, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. The medicine -- which is known to be effective against swine flu -- was flown to Ukraine...
Sperm whale feasting on a giant squid (rare images)
October 28, 2009They are creatures of the deep immortalised in fictional bestsellers like Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But these ultra-rare images of a colossal sperm whale feeding on a giant squid are the real thing...
Stalin returns to the Moscow Metro
October 14, 2009Produced by Alexander Kulygin of RFE/RL's Russian Service Josef Stalin’s name and image once graced the walls of the Moscow metro, but they disappeared during the era of de-Stalinization in the 1950s. Now, months before the 130th anniversary...
Australian Frogs Change Their Tune to Find Love
October 08, 2009By Stuart Cohen Australia's frogs are having trouble finding love. Traffic noise and other sounds of city life, such as air conditioners and construction noise, are drowning out the mating calls of male frogs in urban areas, leading to a sharp drop...
Interview with Herta Mueller, 2009 Nobel prize for literature
October 08, 2009Romanian-born author Herta Mueller today won the 2009 Nobel prize for literature. Mueller, whose parents were members of the German-speaking minority in Romania, spoke to RFE/RL's Romania-Moldova Service in 1999 about growing up under Ceausescu and how...
Tsunami advisory for the state of Hawaii after earthquake
October 07, 2009The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for the state of Hawaii effective at 12:17 pm HST: “An earthquake has occurred with these preliminary parameters (origin time - 1203 pm HST 07 Oct 2009; coordinates - 13.0 south 1...