Yury Luzhkov

(Newser) - One of Russia's leading gay rights activists says he was kidnapped by security services as he tried to board a flight from Moscow to Geneva last week. Nikolai Alexeyev, who has repeatedly clashed with authorities in Moscow over his efforts to organize gay rights demonstrations, says he was taken from...

(Newser) - Moscow's neighbors are steaming over a cost-cutting proposal by the mayor to make less snow fall in the city—which would mean more precipitation in the surrounding region. Liquid nitrogen, cement particles, and other substances kill clouds in the summer, and Yury Luzhkov wants to control the weather year-round, reports...