Morning Briefing: April 20

The media reported that the accounts of the Deputy Minister of Culture worth millions of rubles were seized; in Primorye, the builder of the Vostochny building who complained to Putin was released from arrest - and other discussed news of these hours.

The fate of the builder of "Vostochny"

The builder of the Vostochny cosmodrome, Anton Tyurishev, who in 2015 during a direct line complained to the Russian President about salary delays, was released from administrative arrest.

He was detained on April 13, 2016, on the eve of another direct line with Putin.

Fires in the Far East

in the Far East During the day, 35 forest fires were recorded , the majority of fires occurred in the Amur region, the rest were recorded in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region.

In just one day, fire covered more than two thousand hectares of natural areas.

Millions Deputy Minister

An Interfax source reported on the seizure of accounts from Deputy Minister of Culture Grigory Pirumov as part of an investigation into the theft of government funds. According to the agency's interlocutor, we are talking about tens of millions of rubles. The arrest of the Deputy Minister's property was confirmed by the Lefortovo Court in Moscow.

Earlier, the FSB announced the initiation of a criminal case against a number of senior officials of the Ministry of Culture and entrepreneurs who are suspected of theft of public funds allocated for restoration work at cultural heritage sites.

Trump, Clinton and a skyscraper

The Empire State Building in New York was illuminated in honor of the victory of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the primaries: the building was painted in the red and blue colors of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, respectively.

If Ted Cruz wins, the Empire State Building would be lit pink, John Kasich would be lit purple, and Bernie Sanders would be lit blue.

Marijuana in Mexico

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto supported the legalization of marijuana for scientific and medical purposes, and also proposed changing the approach to the drug problem on a global scale. At the same time, according to the head of state, it is necessary to develop and “strengthen a united front of the international community in the fight against organized crime.”

What will happen today

A press conference “Oil and the ruble. Where will the failure of the Doha negotiations lead? and the fifth Eurasian Anti-Corruption Forum “Law and Order and Corruption: Modern Challenges” starts.

Also scheduled for this day is a meeting between Pope Francis and the liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.

Today is also the Day of Professional Administrative Workers and National Blood Donor Day in Russia.