British writer John R. R. Tolkien's family said they "did not approve, give permission for, or participate in the making" of the Tolkien film, according to The Guardian. The heirs of the author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" stressed that "they do not support either the film or its content." The film "Tolkien" directed by Dome Karukoski ("Lion's Heart") tells about Tolkien's studies at school, meeting his future wife and serving at the front during the First World War.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has announced that he will replace the heads of the country's intelligence services and police within 24 hours following the terrorist attacks , local newspaper Ada Derana reports. The president explained that security forces had received information about the planned attacks from foreign intelligence agencies, but had not informed the head of state. "I decided to take tough measures against these officials," Reuters quotes him as saying.

Ksenia Zimina / Chita.ru On April 19, wildfires began to rage in the southeastern Siberian region of Zabaikalsky Krai. The flames spread quickly, riding through villages on high-speed winds. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev , more than 150 homes were destroyed in 17 towns, and more than 4,000 pets and livestock animals were killed as a result.

Sberbank will become a co-owner of Rambler Group in exchange for investments, the bank's press service reported. The companies signed legally binding documents. As part of the deal, Sberbank will receive a 46.5% stake in the company. According to Vedomosti sources, the deal will not include the combined Cinema Park and Formula Kino movie theater chains and the Azbuka-Attikus publishing house. RBC reports, citing sources, that Sberbank is ready to invest 9-11 billion rubles in Rambler Group.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has decided to participate in the Verkhovna Rada elections after losing the presidential election . He announced this at a meeting with the parliamentary faction "Petro Poroshenko Bloc", Interfax-Ukraine reports. The head of the faction in the Verkhovna Rada, Artur Gerasimov, announced after the meeting that the Petro Poroshenko Bloc will form party lists based on the results of the primaries.

The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, said that student Vladislav Roslyakov committed a mass murder at a college in Kerch because of "humiliation based on different property status." This was reported by Interfax, citing a video of Bastrykin's speech. "It turns out that it is important to wear American jeans now, not fakes. He bought them somewhere at the market, he was constantly humiliated on this basis.

The SEIS seismograph, installed on the surface of Mars, registered the first seismic event on the planet, according to the website of the French National Center for Space Research. A weak but distinct seismic signal was recorded on 6 April. Scientists have suggested that these could be small tremors under the surface of the planet. The SEIS seismograph was installed on Mars in December 2018, almost a month after the on InSight spacecraft landed the planet.

A court in the Novgorod region's Chudovsky District has fined a local man 30,000 rubles ($470) for violating Russia's new law against insulting state officials on the Internet. The defendant, Yuri Kartyzhev , later uploaded a recording of the verdict being read out, where Judge Igor Ivanov says, “On March 31, 2019, at 6:45 p.m., Kartyzhev...

The Federation Council has approved a new bill allowing for the isolation of the Russian sector of the Internet. Now, the bill awaits Vladimir Putin’s signature. The last law of this caliber to regulate Internet use in Russia was called “Yarovaya’s Package.” It was introduced into the State Duma three years ago and approved. The measure was supposed to take full effect on July 1, 2018 — almost a year ago.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued Wing an air carrier certificate that will allow it to begin transporting cargo using drones, The Washington Post reports. The company received approval from aviation authorities after meeting the requirements imposed on traditional airlines, Bloomberg reports . Wing plans to begin commercial distribution in two rural communities in Virginia within a few months, and plans to expand to other parts of the U.S. in the future.

Judge Igor Ivanov of the Chudovsky District Court of the Novgorod Region fined local resident Yuri Kartyzhev 30,000 rubles. He was found guilty under the Code of Administrative Offenses article on disrespect for authority .

Reuters has amended its story about Venezuelan authorities using Rosneft to circumvent sanctions banning oil sales. The agency's report says that journalists were unable to determine whether payments were made according to the scheme stated in the original version of the article. The authors of the article also removed the mention of Evrofinance Mosnarbank and clarified that experts do not see any violation of sanctions.

Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov has instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Transport to conduct an audit of federal highways “for the purpose of possibly increasing the speed limit to 110 kilometers per hour,” TASS reports. Akimov said on the sidelines of the IV Safe Road Conference that the inspection will be carried out before the end of 2019, and will primarily affect new highways and roads after major repairs.

David Frenkel St. Petersburg, April 3, 2019 Since March 2019, members of multiple activist groups in cities around Russia have been putting mock gravestones for President Vladimir Putin in public places. The activists have said that the trend has become a kind of national protest meant to show that “Putin has died in the eyes of Russian citizens.” So far, “headstones” have been spotted in no fewer than seven Russian cities, with Yekaterinburg joining the list most recently on April 21.

In social networks, a video with a prudent New York subway passenger is gaining popularity. Afraid to fall asleep and miss the necessary stop, the hero of the video put on a cap with a running line. On an LED screen, he displayed a simple request: "Wake me up before I pass 34th Street." The video was posted on Reddit under the title "This man was ahead of his time." During the day, it gained almost two thousand comments and more than 90 thousand likes.