Russia Parliamentary Elections, Survival International’s ’Racist of the Year’ And U.S. To Lift Ban On Burmese Gems

Sept 19, 2016, 3:06pm CT

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, gets his ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Russia's weekend parliament elections take place under new rules that in principle could bring genuine opposition into the national legislature. Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo / Associated Press

Russia Parliamentary Elections, Survival International’s ’Racist of the Year’ And U.S. To Lift Ban On Burmese Gems

Sept 19, 2016, 3:06pm CT

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On today’s show:

Ilya Ponomarev is a former member of the Russian parliament who cast the lone vote against Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. He now lives in exile, and discusses Russia’s recent parliamentary elections, in which Vladimir Putin’s ruling party won by larger-than-expected numbers.
President Obama announced a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Burma, including a U.S. ban on Burmese precious gems. Human rights proponents criticize the move, citing Burma’s continuing human rights violations.
Survival International recently announced nominees for its “Racist of the Year” award, given to “the person displaying the greatest prejudice against tribal peoples.” We look at this year’s entries.