Hong Kong is famous for its dense skyline dominated by luxurious skyscrapers. And it’s not just the city’s high rises that soar above the clouds - rents are exorbitant. So much so that the poorest residents have no choice other than squeezing into tiny apartments…

Nigeria gained independence in 1960 but was soon engulfed by power struggles and internal conflict. This led to a series of military coups and a civil war from 1967 to 1970, which stifled the development of the young nation. Despite its vast resources – including…

Monk Herman of the Valaam Monastery arrived on Kodiak Island near Alaska along with other clergy by decree of Catherine the Great. Their Christian mission was to help corner the fur trade and pave the way for the Russian-American Company. But when they saw…

The terrorist group Boko Haram* emerged in northeastern Nigeria in the early 2000s. In its first years, its members claimed they wanted to put an end to the West’s influence on Islam in the region, and the movement operated openly. But after a series of clashes…

‘Once, the navigation started very early, and several ships got ice-locked. Back then I was working on the ‘Captain Dranitsyn’ and the old ‘Arctic’ icebreaker saved 5 or 6 ships. One was simply squashed’, recalls boatswain of new icebreaker ‘Arctic’. Back…

In autumn of 2025, a woman became Japan’s prime minister for the first time in its history. For the island nation’s traditionally patriarchal society, the move was widely seen as an unprecedented moment. Sanae Takaichi has been compared to Margaret Thatcher…

With the world's first-ever female-majority parliament, Rwanda has been hailed as a role model for gender equality in Africa. Women have been at the forefront of the effort to rebuild the country following its 1994 genocide. Although they are now much more…

Even today, slavery persists in Bangladesh’s brick factories; millions work hard to make bricks by hand. As Bangladesh is rapidly urbanising, the high demand for affordable building materials is driving brick production. There are thought to be around 10…

International soldiers of the Donbass militia volunteered to fight Ukrainian neo-Nazism. They’re from Mexico, Columbia, the USA, Serbia, and all over the globe. Locals treat them as heroes, while their homelands consider them criminals and mercenaries. If…

They committed crimes against their own country in exchange for rewards from Ukrainian intelligence, but the promised money never came. Instead, each of them ended up with a prison sentence including years behind bars.They were all given assignments by Ukrainian…

Kondo Akihiko is an ordinary Japanese man who married a hologram named Miku. Hatsune Miku is a very popular synthesized pop singer with a cartoon avatar. When Akihiki, who’d always been shy around women, ‘met’ Miku he took an instant liking to her. The fact…

The fighters of the Archangel Michael Battalion aren’t just drone operators; they also manufacture essential military hardware needed for the frontline. Their engineers design, adapt, and develop equipment necessary for the modern way of executing combat…

Curious Tofurious heads to Kamchatka! The American traveller spends time with the Koryaks, one of the region’s Indigenous peoples, learning about their everyday life and trying traditional local dishes. At a mining site, he watches precious metals being extracted…

Every winter, the snow in the Arctic hides millions of rusty barrels, abandoned machinery and chemicals. When the pioneers of the Arctic islands explored these lands, they had no resources to remove waste. The «Clean Arctic» project began almost a year ago…

«For Africans in general, the sacred is linked to our entire being,» notes Dr. Dénis Hodonou, a socio-anthropologist. He explains the core concept of the most common religion in Benin – Voodoo, and why snakes, especially pythons, are considered sacred to…

Last year, Moscow hosted the Intervision music contest, with 23 nations taking part. The participants faced a demanding task: in their 3 minutes on stage, they had to do more than just sing – they had to convey the traditions and cultural spirit of their…

The 'Food for Life' charity began operations in Donbass in the summer of 2022. Every day, volunteers supply hundreds of Donbass families with hot meals. Not just adults, even kids are also willing to work for the benefit of those in need. The Ukrainian army…

The war that broke out on June 22, 1941, was never just about territory or resources for the Nazis. It was a campaign to clear what they called ‘living space’. Under the Hunger Plan designed by Herbert Backe, grain would be stripped from southern Soviet lands…

Sasha, an American traveler with Russian roots, heads to Nizhny Novgorod to explore its rich history and culinary traditions.Inside the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, she dines like a true queen: within the ancient fortress walls, she’s treated to a three-fish…

He duped 35 women before one finally became his karma. None of Dmitry Frolov’s victims knew his true identity. Psychologists say scammers like him possess high emotional intelligence - they understand what others seek and provide it to them. The women tricked…

The guest on the latest episode of the Sanchez Effect is Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In the interview, Russia’s top diplomat reflects on the origins of the crisis in relations between Russia and the West and the negotiations aimed at settling…