A suggestion from Russia's top officials to cut Russia's eleven time zones has sparked severe criticism across the country. Some say the amendments would be too expensive, too confusing - and might even damage peoples health. But for others, the situation as it IS causes huge problems - and they say - it's TIME for change.A suggestion from Russia's top officials to cut Russia's eleven time zones has sparked... more
Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has all but declared martial law in the country as he announced yesterday that the National Security and Defense Council will become the supreme ruling authority in the wake of a mystery epidemic sweeping the country.
Yushchenko has made high ranking health ministers members of the NSDC, a government body consisting of the president himself, the chairman of parliament, the prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko (pictured), the head of the Security Service of Ukraine and other high ranking ministers.
According to the write up at Chechen news outlet Kavkaz Center, the Ukrainian News Agency Fraza, has reported “it has been confirmed 100% Pneumonic Plague in Ukraine” and that in order to quell panic only talk of swine flu has been sanctioned by the authorities. However, Kavkaz is a questionable source on this matter, given that Ukraine is a tactical and military ally of Russia.
Other reports have suggested that the epidemic is pure hype being played out as part of a political struggle between opposition politicians in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Tymoshenko has attempted to reverse the panic by announcing that there is no swine flu pandemic in the country at all, and that it is down to “media hysteria” and “politicians’ populist statements” in the run up to January elections.Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has all but declared martial law in the country... more
In an interview published in Izvestia, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Kremlin’s security council, said the new doctrine offers “different options to allow the use of nuclear weapons, depending on a certain situation and intentions of a would-be enemy. In critical national security situations, one should also not exclude a preventive nuclear strike against the aggressor.”
What’s more, Patrushev said, Russia is revising the rules for the employment of nukes to repel conventionally armed attackers, “not only in large-scale, but also in a regional and even a local war.”
The Russian Federation is considering the “first strike” option as part of a larger overhaul of military doctrine. The new doctrine, which is supposed to be presented to President Dmitry Medvedev later this year, is supposed to provide “flexible and timely” responses to national security threats.
Iran and Russia have special ties along with Israel and America.In an interview published in Izvestia, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the... more
Today, the Russian national soccer squad lost in the second leg of the qualifiers for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. The team lost to Slovenia -- 0-1. This means the Russian team will not be going to the World Cup championships in June of next year. And, it is something that still has not quite sunk in for many soccer fans back in Russia. The Russian-language sports channels are discussing nothing but soccer, analyzing every move that the Russian players made in that match to try to understand where the things went wrong. But, the general atmosphere is that of disbelief and confusion.
Now, soccer was always a big thing in Russia. And, I mean BIG. However, in the decade following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the level of soccer in Russia has subsided to well below average. But, the love for the beautiful game has been resurrected after a strong showing of the team at the 2008 European Championships. Out of nowhere, Russia advanced from the group stage, past the Netherlands and into the semifinals to wind up with a bronze medal in the end.
Ever since, soccer has been the nation’s obsession. Now, as Russia was trying to make it into the 2010 World Cup, the entire country was holding its breath before Wednesday’s game with Slovenians. Russians won the first game on home turf in Moscow - 2:1 last Saturday, but the victory meant nothing until the second and final match in Slovenia. But, the stars just were not aligned for the Russian team today – with two red cards, a messed up player formation and sub par fitness levels, there was little that the team and the head coach Guus Hiddink could really do.
In any case, I am already looking forward to the World Cup championships in South Africa next summer, albeit I will have one less team to cheer for.
It is a story of love between divided peoples. While it isn't illegal for Jews and Arabs in the Middle East to marry, it is seen as taboo. But as RT's Paula Slier finds out, there are times when love can triumph over any kind of social barrier.It is a story of love between divided peoples. While it isn't illegal for Jews and... more
Looks like as if the early reports of Russian censorship were incorrect. According to Eurogamer, Activision has gone on record today in stating that there wasn’t any sort of ban on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in Russia.
Why? Because apparently they didn’t even release the console versions there.
I'll admit, I don't play a lot of video games. Nor do I blog about video games. I do, however, love to blog about Russia. And so it caught my eye this week when the two crossed paths. It was reported yesterday that Russia has apparently banned the sale of the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The deal is this: the game takes place in a world where Russia is ruled by extreme nationalists. At one point in the game, you're an undercover Army officer who participates in a bloody slaughter of civilians at an airport. It's perpetrated by a Russian extremist cell and the scene begins with its leader telling everyone "No Russian."
Paul Tassi at True/Slant played through the level and described it as such:
"You walk out into the security gate at an airport, with lines full of people swarming to get through to their flights. I cocked my head while playing, as did all the civilians who turned to stare at us, and before I knew what was happening, Makarov and his men opened fire. My jaw hit the floor as I watched them mow down about thirty people in under five seconds. But then the level actually begins, and it’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever taken part in. The game forces you to walk at a snail’s pace through the airport, so you get the full effect of what’s happening. All around you, fleeing civilians are being mowed down by Makarov’s team, and you witness some crawling away trying to hide, and some sitting up against walls, nursing their wounds....The entire time the scene was unfolding, I was just thinking in my head “This is the Mumbai Massacre, I am playing the Mumbai Massacre.”
The Russians understandably took umbrage to the scene and yesterday the internet was afire with reports of the game's banning. Today, however, Activision says the game has not been banned in Russia, but that the controversial scene has been removed. I haven't found anything about the game in a cursory look through the English-language Russian press, but if you see anything send it our way.
Looks like that controversial (and optional) airport scene in Modern Warfare 2 got the attention of the Russian government and not just Fox News. The level, which involves the player walking with a group of Russian terrorists who violently mow down a large group of innocent people in an airport lobby, has been met with much debate amongst the gaming public.
Russia apparently caught wind of the game’s content and ordered a nation-wide ban of the game, even going so far as to recall already purchased copies.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rubbed shoulders with rappers and was hailed with "respect" in a television show on Friday that could help boost his flagging ratings.
Putin, wearing a turtleneck sweater and jacket, went on stage to present awards to participants in "Battle for Respect", a hip-hop music contest run by Muz TV, a Russian rival to MTV.
"It would have been cool to record a joint track with Vladimir Putin because he is a legendary man and our idol," sang rapper Zhigan who won the contest. "Let's make so much noise in his honour that the whole world can hear."
A presenter told the audience of about 100 young rappers in a makeshift television studio in an abandoned Moscow factory building that he wanted "smiles to stay on your faces throughout the evening".
Despite hip-hop's violent image, Putin had a stern message for the rappers about healthy living.
"I do not think that 'top-rock' or 'down-rock' breakdance technique is compatible with alcohol or drugs," Putin told cheering hip-hoppers who responded with chants of "Respect, Vladimir Vladimirovich".
Russian police have arrested three homeless people suspected of eating a 25-year-old man they had butchered and selling other bits of the corpse to a local kebab house.
Suspicions were raised when dismembered parts of a human body were found near a bus stop in the outskirts of the Russian city of Perm, 1,150 km (720 miles) east of Moscow.
Three homeless men with previous criminal records have been arrested on suspicion of setting upon a foe with knives and a hammer before chopping up his corpse to eat, local investigators said in a statement.
"After carrying out the crime, the corpse was divided up: part was eaten and part was also sold to a kiosk selling kebabs and pies," the Prosecutor-General's main investigative unit for the Perm region said in a statement issued on Friday.
It was not immediately clear from the statement if any of the corpse had been sold to customers.
US President Barack Obama on Sunday won the strongest backing yet from Russia on the Iranian nuclear crisis as he warned that Tehran was "running out of time". Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with Obama that neither he nor the US leader were satisfied with the pace of progress, as Tehran drags its feet over its response to a UN-sponsored nuclear enrichment deal.US President Barack Obama on Sunday won the strongest backing yet from Russia on the... more
SINGAPORE — President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia expressed dissatisfaction Sunday with Iran’s response to a nuclear offer made by world powers, raising the prospect that sanctions may be the next step in the West’s ongoing efforts to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The two men, meeting during an Asia-Pacific summit conference in Singapore before Mr. Obama traveled to Shanghai, also made progress in efforts to negotiate a replacement for a key arms control treaty between the United States and Russia that is set to expire in December, American administration officials said.
While White House officials acknowledged on Sunday that a new pact to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, will not be ratified soon, they said they expect to reach a “bridge” agreement that will preserve the status quo until a new treaty is approved.
The Sunday afternoon discussion with Mr. Medvedev was the fifth such meeting for Mr. Obama since he took office vowing to repair America’s relationship with Russia, and American officials expressed satisfaction Sunday with their progress so far. “I have found, as always, President Medvedev frank, constructive and thoughtful,” Mr. Obama said after the meeting. “The reset button has worked,” he added, alluding to the administration’s early promise to “reset” the bilateral relationship after several years of bickering over a variety of issues from missile defense to Kosovo.
With the START treaty set to expire soon, the Obama administration is searching for ways to have weapons inspectors remain in Russia to keep American eyes on the world’s second most formidable nuclear arsenal. In the absence of a treaty or a legally binding “bridge” authority, American inspectors would be forced to leave Russia when the treaty expires. Likewise, Russian inspectors would have to leave the United States.
Under START provisions, both nations are allowed a maximum of 30 inspectors to monitor each other’s compliance with the treaty.
On Iran, administration officials said, Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev discussed a timetable for imposing sanctions if Tehran and the West do not soon agree on a proposal in which Iran would send its enriched uranium out of the country, either for either temporary safekeeping or reprocessing into fuel rods.
“Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach,” said Mr. Obama, sitting next to Mr. Medvedev. “We are running out of time with respect to that approach.” Mr. Medvedev also alluded to running out of patience. He said that while a dialogue with Iran was continuing, “we are not completely happy about its pace. If something does not work there are other means to move the process further.”
Russia's Interior Ministry is investigating charges of police corruption made by Russian police officer Aleksey Dymovsky. Meanwhile, more revelations are surfacing on the Internet of corruption in the police.
Is there a way, I wonder, to safely do this if you're a cop? Posting a whistle blower video seems pretty anti-anonymous to me, they could find you through your account easily, I'd think.
How would you do it and if anybody has any advice please post a response. We should absolutely support and encourage whistle blowers in every industry here at home. The corruption is widespread.Russia's Interior Ministry is investigating charges of police corruption made by... more
Police in Russia have arrested three homeless men suspected of killing a man, eating part of the body and selling other parts to a kebab shop.
The men were held in the city of Perm, some 1,400km (870 miles) east of Moscow, local investigators said.
Their statement said that the suspects had targeted the 25-year-old victim out of "personal hostility".
It was not clear when the incident occurred. The men - who have not been named - have been charged with murder.
The investigators said on Friday that the body of the man had been found in a forested area near a public transport stop in Perm.
They said the three men attacked their victim with knives and a hammer.
"After carrying out the attack, the corpse was dismembered. Part of it was eaten and part was also sold to a kebab and pie kiosk," their statement said.
It was not immediately clear if any customers had been served.Police in Russia have arrested three homeless men suspected of killing a man, eating... more
At least one person is said to have died and about 35 are missing after a series of explosions at an arms depot in central Russia.
A fire at a defence ministry arsenal on the outskirts of Ulyanovsk caused blasts which shattered windows of nearby homes, local reports said.
Some 3,000 people have been evacuated from the surrounding area, the local governor is quoted as saying.
The depot is about 900km (550 miles) south-east of the capital Moscow.
"According to preliminary information, there were 40 people in the workshop, around 35 of which are currently listed as missing," Ulyanovsk's governor, Sergei Morozov, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
He also said that at least 10 people were taken to hospital.
Station closed
Explosions at the Arsenal No.31 continued into the night, with TV footage of the area showing intermittent blasts sending thick plumes of smoke high into the air.
Footage of explosions at the Ulyanovsk arms depot
The fire started at around 1600 local time (1300 GMT) while ammunition was being disposed of at the site, the regional Federal Security Service were reported as saying by Itar-Tass news agency.
Firefighters at the scene were battling the blaze several hours after it startedAt least one person is said to have died and about 35 are missing after a series of... more
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has decided that Russia currently has far too many times zones and thinks that some of them should be cut.
From Kalingrad in Europe to Kamchatka in the Far East, the country covers 11 time zones, however Medvedev also admitted that they would need to look at the consequences of cutting sometime zones.
He also wonders if daylight saving is worth continuing with.
The infamous AK-47 rifle, a creation of the Soviet inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov, has turned military thinking on its head. Light and unpretentious, yet effective and reliable, AK-47 has firmly established itself as a key weapon in the arsenals of over 100 different countries. But who was the man behind the notorious AK-47?
By now, Kalashnikov’s name has become a brand and an unofficial symbol of Russia. Many people still think Kalashnikov is the name of a military lab, not someone’s last name. It gives me shivers to think how many people have been killed with AK-47 over the years, but the life story of its creator -- Mikhail Kalashnikov is something that has always fascinated me. In a sense, he is the embodiment of the Soviet dream, which in analogy to the American dream saw him rise from rags to riches. Seventeenth child in his family and a high school dropout, he achieved the popularity of an inventor of the most commonly used weapon in the world. And, it is his incredible life story that makes many Russians take personal pride in his invention.
His name was officially declassified only fifteen years ago and it was than that the world first saw a human face behind the powerful AK-47. Kalashnikov created his weapon in the trenches of World War II as a sergeant with virtually no technical background. But, his creation saw him rise in military ranks to general-lieutenant and earned him a Ph.D. in technical studies.
But, Kalashnikov is not your typical weapons designer. At 5 feet 3, Kalashnikov wrote poetry and says he would have become a writer if it was not for the War. He says he never profited from the sales of his rifle and always wished he would have rather invented a lawnmower…
And, at 90, he keeps on plugging away at his test lab in Izhevsk, getting up every morning to get to work and tickle his inventor’s bone. For his 90th birthday, President Dmitri Medvedev bestowed Russia’s highest honourary title upon Kalashnikov, the man who is one of the few remaining walking legends that Russia has inherited.
Articolo tratto da Per questo, una raccolta di articoli (anche inediti) di Anna Politkovskaja pubblicato da Adelphi il 4 novembre: "Di tutti i libri di Anna Politkovskaja, questo, uscito dopo il suo assassinio, è il più tragico e potente: ci dice infatti il perché di un destino, consentendo di leggere in successione le cronache che nel tempo hanno decretato la fine di una vita".Articolo tratto da Per questo, una raccolta di articoli (anche inediti) di Anna... more
The New York Times reports that about 10 percent of electricity generated in the United States comes from fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, mostly Russian. 'It's a great, easy source' of fuel, said Marina V. Alekseyenkova, an analyst at Renaissance Bank and an expert in the Russian nuclear industry that has profited from the arrangement since the end of the cold war. But if more diluted weapons-grade uranium isn't secured soon, the pipeline could run dry, with ramifications for consumers, as well as some American utilities and their Russian suppliers.
On the day of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, many are asking what the fall of the Berlin Wall really meant for Russia and the rest of the world. I was three years old at the time when the Wall came down, but as I grew up to know the fall of the Berlin Wall was supposed to mean the end of the old ways things used to be: a beginning of new Russia – more liberal and free thinking. But, did the fall of the Berlin Wall really have any effect on how Russia is being perceived abroad? Has its international image improved, stayed the same or worsened ever since that Wall came down?
I was randomly browsing the English website of the Russian news agency RIA Novovsti, when I came across a little survey banner, prompting users to take a poll on what Russia’s image abroad is -- 44.5% of the respondents said “mostly good”, 33% said “mostly bad” and 22.5% said “unclear.” Given that the poll was done in English, I presume people of all the different backgrounds took the survey. So, I found it interesting that the respondents were somewhat split on what Russia’s image abroad was. I definitely think that the poll reflects the general confusion about Russia in the world today. But perhaps, as a young democracy of less than 20 years, it is only now reaching the maturity level required to start doing some serious self-reflection. And, when it will itself figure out how it wants to be perceived, perhaps everyone else will have an easier time understanding it too.
