An Iranian court has sentenced a partially blinded protester to death after he returned to Iran. Ali Zarei was blinded in one eye when he was shot by security forces during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests. Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court charged him with "corruption on Earth" for extensive political activities, according to US-based rights outlet HRANA.

An unauthorized Iranian film released for free on YouTube is stirring debate by openly challenging restrictions on women singing and Iran’s compulsory hijab rules. Bidad, or Outcry, directed by Soheil Beiraghi, was made without government approval and features the voice of Parastoo Ahmadi, a singer who was sentenced to 74 lashes after performing publicly without a head scarf. Parisa Sohbati from RFE/RL's Negah-e-Farda (Iran Tomorrow) program explains.

Russian drivers are facing more long waits and lines at gas stations in several regions amid continuing Ukrainian air attacks on refineries. They describe another wave of fuel shortages and Kremlin-imposed limits on gas station sales.

A Ukrainian drone attack targeted another Wildberries facility ⁠in Russia, this time in the southern city of Volgograd. Russia's largest online retailer said on July 31 that a logistics hub had been hit. The strike is the latest in a series of attacks that have damaged at least 13 Wildberries warehouses since mid-July, reportedly destroying about 10 percent of the company's storage capacity.

As US forces targeted military sites and infrastructure, primarily in southern Iran, for the sixth night on July 16-17, Tehran responded by announcing it was launching strikes on five Persian Gulf states, including attacks on US military forces in Syria and Bahrain. Tehran's claims could not be independently verified.

Satellite images show Iran is accelerating work at a secretive nuclear-related site deep beneath Kuh-e Kolang mountain, known as Pickaxe Mountain. Intelligence agencies suspect this is where Iran is seeking to build a secret uranium enrichment facility. What do we know about one of the most fortified sites in Iran, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack?

A new round of US strikes across Iran hit dozens of military targets in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb island, according to Western military officials. The US military's Central Command released footage it said shows air attacks focused on Iranian drone sites as well as military and communication assets.

In addition to a night of renewed US strikes on Iran, the American military's Central Command reports that its forces targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas using sea drones, which marks a first in American combat weapons technology. Three Corsair drones reportedly hit the port naval base. Iran has also claimed hits on at least two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

More than a dozen people were killed in overnight Russian missile and drone strikes in and around Kyiv on July 6. Residential buildings were hit, and more than 40 people were wounded, including children. The assault came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of an impending Russian strike.

Residents of Iranian cities say it's increasingly common for women to go out without a head scarf, a violation that previously would have resulted in harassment or detention. In a year when Iran has been shaken by mass protests and war, it appears there's less focus on enforcing the country's strict dress code. But one rights activist pointed out to RFE/RL's Radio Farda that greater permissiveness does not mean the law itself has changed.

Consumers in Iran report they are struggling to afford a staple foodstuff: bread. One listener to RFE/RL's Radio Farda calls prices "horrific," while a baker explains he is trying to shield his customers from his own rocketing expenses for rent and utilities.

Ukrainian film artists are determined to build back the loss of 100,000 costumes, used in dozens of historic films, that burned in a Russian air attack on the Dovzhenko National Film Studios on June 15. Current Time's Yulia Zhukova spoke with studio staff about their commitment to cinema heritage.

Ukraine's military says it struck oil facilities near the Crimea Bridge and at other sites on the Russian-occupied peninsula on June 23. While Russia claimed it successfully downed Ukrainian drones in the region, footage appeared on social media of blasts amid a severe gasoline shortage in Crimea due to escalating attacks.

After recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow’s main oil refinery, Russian media are downplaying the impact of the dramatic attacks. As Current Time's Andrey Cherkasov explains, authorities and pro-Kremlin pundits are calling for a crackdown on people who post videos of burning ruins online.

Iranian authorities have sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi to a punishment of 74 lashes for performing in a YouTube video that has racked up 2.9 million views over the last two years. Ahmadi sang the well-known patriotic song From The Blood Of The Youth to an empty theater space in 2024 with the help of eight musicians and crew. They have also been sentenced to flogging, a travel ban, and a prohibition on any "artistic activities" for the next two years. Ahmadi was accused of "offending public decency" after she performed without a hijab, the head covering mandated by Iranian morality police.

Russian drone attacks are a daily reality in Kherson, a frontline city in southern Ukraine. Residents say the threat is growing, with drones increasingly targeting residential neighborhoods and forcing people to seek cover. Yet many refuse to leave.

More than three months into Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel, Iranians inside the country say they are increasingly desperate about meeting basic needs. Some say they're down to one meal a day, meat is rare, and household appliances are sold off to pay utility bills that have tripled. Some Iranians have sent voice messages to RFE/RL's Radio Farda recounting the deepening economic hardship amid a tense cease-fire with the United States and Israel.