🇷🇺 Russia, 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · Travel & tourism, Society
35 storiesRussian tourism union warns Schengen visa issuance may fall in 2027
The Russian Union of Tour Industry (RST) said the volume of Schengen visas issued to Russian tourists could decline in 2027, while adding that no new decisions changing visa issuance have been adopted. A review of visa requirements and visa…
Putin backs proposal for digital library of Russia’s ethnic languages
President Vladimir Putin has supported a proposal to create a single digital library of the languages of the peoples of Russia, according to the state outlets RIA Novosti and TASS. RIA Novosti reported the support on 5 October, and TASS sai…
Macron convenes emergency meeting over French student protests
French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting with ministers on the evening of 6 October over nationwide student protests, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and education minister Édouard Geffroy taking part. The protes…
France suspends lycée lessons as high-school protests hit 1,800 schools
Protests by high-school students in France on Tuesday affected around 1,800 lycées, according to RIA Novosti, while AFP, cited by TASS, reported that classes were suspended in nearly 900 senior schools — about a quarter of the country's tot…
France suspends lycée classes as high school protests enter third week
High school student protests in France reached their largest scale on 6 October, in their third week, with demonstrations nationwide and clashes with police in Lyon, Strasbourg and Rennes, RBC reported. A student union counted 450,000 parti…
France student protests: Interior Ministry counts 250,000, organizers claim 450,000
Schoolchildren and students protested across France on Tuesday, with the Interior Ministry counting more than 250,000 participants nationally and 56,000 in Paris, while TASS reported nearly 260,000 overall. Organizers put the turnout much h…
Request Made in Ingushetia to Check Family That Left Sick Child in Moscow
A request has been made in Ingushetia to check a family that left a sick child in Moscow, according to RIA Novosti and TASS. Both state news agencies reported the request but did not say who made it or provide the child’s condition.
Bear injures elderly fisherman in Russia’s Irkutsk region
A bear attacked and injured an elderly fisherman in Russia’s Irkutsk region, also known as the Angara region, according to TASS, RBC and RIA Novosti. RBC identified the man as 81 years old. TASS reported he was taken to hospital with bite w…
Primorye records eight bear attacks on people since start of year
Primorye has recorded eight bear attacks since the beginning of the year, according to two Russian state outlets. RIA Novosti reported eight cases of bear attacks, while TASS described eight bear attacks on humans in the region. Neither rep…
Kadyrov awarded highest order of Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia
Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, has received the highest award of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia — the Order named after the first Mufti of the Russian Empire Mukhamedzhan-khazrat Khusainov, first degree. TASS reported th…
Yakutia culls 188 brown bears that posed danger to residents
Yakutia's ecology ministry says 188 brown bears that posed a danger to people have been killed in the republic since the start of the year. As of 5 October, 345 decisions on regulating bear numbers had been issued in the region, covering 62…
Dubai Safari Park to open eighth season on 12 October with week-long celebration
Dubai Safari Park will welcome visitors for its eighth season from 12 October, with a first-ever “Wildest Opening Week” running from 12 to 18 October, according to the park’s announcement carried by the state news agency WAM and reported by…
Maldives postpones 17% tourism tax for foreign tour companies to April 2027
The Maldives has postponed the introduction of a tourism tax for foreign tour operators, travel agencies and foreign booking platforms until April 1, 2027, according to the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST), as reported by RIA Novosti …
Blogger and biohacker Andrei Arbenin dies at 31
Blogger and biohacker Andrei Arbenin has died at the age of 31, according to RBC, which cited his supplement shop, Arbenin Shop. RIA Novosti also reported his death. Neither outlet gave a cause, place or further details in the material avai…
TV presenter Nadezhda Mikhalkova marries Yugra governor Ruslan Kukharuk
Television presenter and actress Nadezhda Mikhalkova has married Ruslan Kukharuk, the governor of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Yugra), according to the state news agency TASS and the business outlet RBC. TASS also said the couple had …
French student protests leave 24 schools burned or looted, 400-plus shut
Protests by French high school students left 24 schools burned or looted and halted classes in 400 to 500 institutions nationwide, according to TASS, Kommersant and Vedomosti. The education minister, named by TASS and Kommersant as Édouard …
Gulf developers aim to turn Egypt’s Mediterranean coast into resort hub, FT reports
Developers and investors from Persian Gulf countries hope to turn Egypt’s Mediterranean coast into an international hub that draws foreign property buyers and tourists, according to Financial Times reporting relayed by Russian outlets. TASS…
UAE launches nationwide Social Cohesion Index Survey across all seven emirates
The Ministry of Community Empowerment, with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre and local statistical centres, launched a Social Cohesion Index Survey across the UAE. It covers citizens and residents in all seven emirates, inc…
Madrid court rejects immediate demolition of protesters’ camp
A Madrid court has rejected the immediate demolition of a protesters’ camp, according to reports from TASS and RIA Novosti. The head of the Madrid regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, is insisting on that measure, TASS said. Neither repo…
Wildberries starts selling dynamic tour packages within Russia
Wildberries, part of the RWB group, has begun selling dynamic tours to destinations inside Russia through its WB Travel service, the company said. Each package is assembled in real time from available flights and accommodation, and includes…