How to rob a bank?

Would you like to rob a bank and come off clear? Then you should be an ordinary middle manager in the West or hold one of the leading positions in a Russian bank. In this case your blame will bounce off you like water off a duck's back. But you had better hurry up, since the law is constantly changing and we have to rely upon human nonchalance.

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I think it is great the news is telling the world how to rob a bank. We as people can never have enough money and their methods are relatively intelligent.

Putin secretly divorces his wife and marries rhythmical gymnast Alina Kabaeva?

A recent issue of Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper said that Russia’s outgoing President Vladimir Putin was going to marry a girl who is 30 years younger. Furthermore, the newspaper wrote that Putin secretly divorced his wife, Lyudmila Putin, in February of the current year. With reference to rumours, La Repubblica wrote that Putin was going to remarry on June 15, Whit Sunday.

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Everyone has secrets. Just because you are rich and famous does not mean you are not human. We all have things to share, and for different people our secrets get exposed different ways.

Madonna invited for private dinner with President Putin and his daughters

Pop star Madonna plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during her two-day stay in Moscow within the scope of her Confessions Tour. Putin’s daughters are said to be big Madonna fans. Russian news agencies report that the president’s daughters, Maria and Katya, made their father schedule a private meeting with the world’s biggest pop star after her show in Moscow. Putin reportedly agreed.

Madonna will have an official meeting and dinner with the Russian president in Moscow. Her first-ever show in Russia's capital is scheduled for September 11. Organizers of the star’s concert in Russia say that the date has nothing to do with 9/11 attacks, but is only a mere coincidence.

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Even if you are famous, you can still have fun. I think it is great that Putin is spending quality time with his family.

Think of Russia as the Toy that Children Don't Like to Share

PITY Dmitry Medvedev. He is just three weeks from becoming president, and the man he is meant to replace keeps stealing his limelight—and his power. Vladimir Putin formally steps down on May 7th. But he has already ensured that he will stay on as prime minister, and on April 15th he accepted the “invitation” to become leader of the ruling United Russia party, a political movement created by the Kremlin. “I am ready to take on the additional responsibility,” he told a specially-convened party congress.


Mr Putin spent the eight years since he was first elected president building up the powers of the office. He neutered the once-combative legislature and appointed prime ministers distinguished only by their loyalty: Mikhail Fradkov and, since last year, the even duller Viktor Zubkov.


Now Mr Putin is reversing the process, robbing the presidency of its omnipotence. As prime minister and party leader, he will have a tight grip on the country's finances and its regional elites. In theory, Mr Medvedev retains the constitutional right to sack him. But Mr Putin could change the constitution, given that he now leads a party that commands more than two-thirds of the seats in the Duma.


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Well the power battle continues. Putin is now stripping power from the role of President to assure that he is supreme leader when he changes positions. It will be interesting to see if any more changes take place in the next few months. It would also be interesting to hear what Medvedev has to say about his friends actions, and if he himself would rather have all of the control.

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Can Computers hear Better?

The first operations on electronic chips implantation were held in Saint Petersburg Scientific Ear, Throat, Nose and Speech Research Institute. The microscopic audio processor will be essential for those who suffer from partial hearing loss. The main Russian otolaryngologist Yuri Yanov states that this chip provides a hearing rise to up to 90 percent from the norm.

The author of the hi-tech decision is the German company Medel, a monopolist in the acoustic implantant industry. The chip is implanted under the skin near the temple; the magnet in the outer side holds an audio processor. The resonator is put in the inner ear.

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Amazing, but somehow my senses say either A.) its not true, B.) it is true but noone trusts Russia or C.) its not new technology. In the US we are actually engineering these types of devices, but regardless it si great inovation and shows Russia's science could be on the rise.

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Selling Weapons Again

Russia’s outgoing President Vladimir Putin is making an official visit to Libya on April 16-17. Libya plans to purchase Russia’s military hardware in the sum of almost three billion dollars. Respective contracts have been prepared on the threshold of Putin’s visit to Libya. However, it is not ruled out that the contract because of Libya's debt.

Putin is visiting Libya on the invitation from the leader of the Libyan revolution, Muamar Kaddafi. Russia’s Finance Minister, Aleksei Kudrin and the Director of Russia’s major defense export enterprise Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin, are traveling to Libya with Putin, the Vedomosti newspaper reports will not be signed due to the problem with the Libyan debt.

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Once again Putin is trying to sell twenty year old weapons to another country. Since Brazil, and other african countries turned them down, its nice to see that someone is cooperating with Russia. Oh Wait! Libya might be in way to much debt to even pay the 3 billion dollars this will cost. But in actuallity the planes are up-to-date and could be semi-decent fighters. This could help stabalize Russia's economy more, but I doubt the deal will go through.

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Is Russia Wal-Mart's Answer?

Now that it is clear that Wal-Mart's (NYSE:WMT) international operations are growing much faster than its US division, the company is searching for new frontiers. Revenue overseas is growing at a rate better than 20% Wal-Mart has had trouble in some countries. Its operation in Japan continues to loss money and it has pulled out of Korea and Germany.

Now, the world's largest retailer is looking to Russia and eastern Europe for more growth. According to the FT, Wal-Mart "firmly signaled its intention to expand into Russia and eastern Europe, announcing that it had recruited Stephan Fanderl, a German retail executive, to explore opportunities in the region."

It will be at least a couple of years before the market can gauge whether Wal-Mart can have success in the region. It has to compete with other companies like big European retail chain Tesco. The Wal-Mart model clearly does not work in all cultures.

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If Wal-Mart takes on Russia as a new frontier, it could be economically profitable for the country. Wal-Mart operations provide the opportunity for jobs and economic growth. A large company coming to the country can signal positive ideas that Russia is a good place to go. This could lead to even more growth and power in the world community.

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More Putin Power

Mr Putin, who steps down as Kremlin leader next month, told nearly 600 party delegates on Tuesday "I accept the invitation of the party".

Mr Putin is due to hand over the presidency to his long standing aide Dmitry Medvedev. Mr Putin confirmed that he would become prime minister. Correspondents say the party job will give Mr Putin an additional power base.

United Russia controls two-thirds of the seats in parliament, and exerts great influence through its administrative and financial means. The party congress in Moscow was shown live on state-run television. Mr Medvedev declined to join United Russia, saying such a move would be "premature". He is due to be sworn in as president on 7 May. He won the 2 March election by a landslide.

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This new move by soon to be Russian Prime Minister Putin, will give him a new power source. Not only will Putin be sworn in as Prime Minister he will also be leading United Russia, the largest political party in Russia. I believe the people still love Putin as a leader and he desires power. I believe this is why power keeps being handed his way. Putin and Medvedev will make a knock out team covering President, Prime Minister and leading the most powerfull political party in Russia. This will ensure that power will be kept by Putin for years to come. I believe this shows that Putin isn't slipping out of the political spectrum any time soon.

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Motor homes come to Russia

Motor homes or trailers are still an unusual thing in Russia. However, they may become more popular in Russia than in the USA and Europe. A trailer seems a simple way to find a roof over my head.

Vacations in Russia are overshadowed by the problem of searching a good hotel for a fair price. “Because of their small number Russian hotels are very expensive, which naturally does not conform to their service,” concluded spokeswoman for the Russian Union of Travel Industry Irina Turina in an interview with Bigness.ru.

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In different countries new technology comes in different shapes and forms. Motor homes are inexpensive, and in Russia many people use them for vacations.

Putin's New Role

MOSCOW (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to head Russia's ruling party in a significant shift of the political landscape three weeks before he hands power to successor Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin, who leaves the Kremlin after two terms on May 7, also confirmed he would become prime minister under Medvedev.

"With gratitude I accept the proposal of the party members and their leadership.... I am ready to take on the additional responsibility and head United Russia," he told a party congress in Moscow after being urged to take the post.

The 55-year-old ex-KGB officer's announcement, carried live on state-run television, signalled a reordering of Russia's political mix on the eve of Medvedev's presidential debut.

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Right before Medvedev takes power Putin gives himself one more head role in the government. It has been known that Putin would be the Prime Minister, but he is now also going to be the leader of the most powerful political party in Russia. When Medvedev finally takes power it will be interesting to see whether Putin takes over any more roles and just how much he cuts back.

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Assessment Complete

Judge Killed in Southern Russia

Russia - Russian authorities say a high-ranking judge with the Supreme Court in the restive southern region of Ingushetia has been shot dead.Interior Ministry officials say an unidentified gunman in a passing vehicle opened fire Sunday on 51-year-old Khasan Yandiyev's car in the village of Karabulak.

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Death is a power thing. Why must everyone die, I do not know. We must all learn to accect it and look the other way.

Russia becoming like Britain?

Is it irritating when somebody is watching you all the time? Can you stand somebody’s supervision especially when you are working? It is high time you got used to it. More than every second Russian employee is under surveillance of “the glassy eye”. Video cameras obtrusively rush in office life, break customs and set new rules. Stay on alert!

A step to the right or a step to the left may be regarded as an escape, while Birthdays and various parties that used to be boisterous office merrymaking turned into mere tea-parties. There is no rumour-mongering in the smoking room any more, but there is more distrust and intimidation for directors. Employees miss the times when they could move around the office without leaving their chairs and play with crumpled paper balls in their free time. Colleagues became humble and hardworking; they come to work as per schedule, spend minimum time for dinner and fully devote themselves to work.

Does that sound familiar to you? Most of you work in companies equipped with video surveillance systems. As it turns out, video surveillance affects employee’s work more significantly than other control methods (wiretapping, looking through emails and reading the most frequently visited websites). p – as an attempt to fly away.

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Russia is now reporting that soon all offices will have video surveillance watching every move a person makes. The hope in this is to insure efficiency at the big corporations and offices. No hanging out behing the counter or slacking because your always being watched. Hopefully this will cut down on the slack and bring up productivity. But the plan could back fire if the people dont accept this change well.

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The UN Wants More Money

MOSCOW • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Russia yesterday to increase its contributions to the United Nations budget to reflect the country’s growing clout on the world stage.

“Russia is one of the largest contributors in terms of financial contributions and also peacekeeping operations,” Ban, on his first visit to Russia since taking the U.N. post early last year, told a news conference.

“But with the increased development of the economy as well as the political profile, I hope Russia can do more. This is the wish that I have expressed to the Russian leadership,” he said, sitting alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

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Russia has shown that they already have resources to contribute a lot to the UN, but the UN wants even more. They feel that Russia has the ability to contribute more money, and hopes that the country will do so. By giving even more money to the UN Russia could show just how powerful they are and that they truly want to help the world.

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Fighting on a New Level

Federal Security Service of Russia is going to fight terrorists not only be the means of force, but also with ideological decimator. It is well-known that foreign intelligence often uses Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) both to obtain useful information and to force concealed influence on political processes. It was a headache for the authorities to realize.

For example, the militia of Grozny noticed a car parked in the desert area. When the militia demanded to show documents, 2 passengers exerted armed resistance and flew the coop. The third passenger, Salambek Evloev, was arrested. He had the ascertainment of the International Nongovernmental organization. In the boot there were found 2 Kalashnikov guns and 3 explosive belts. The convicted man, though, stated that his mates and he cooperated with World Vision. hat terrorists use exactly the same methods.

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So pretty much, Russia's new way of fighting terrorists is through ideology. That want to confuse the fighting force and try to convince them that what they believe in is false, and they should lay down their weapons for the good of the world. But if we want to be truthful for a moment, anyone that is willing to kill themseleves and other people for their beliefs probably arent going to give them up without question. Personally I belive it is either A.) a way for Russia to avoid going to war, or, B.) They really believe this and it is a complete waste of time and resources.

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Don't Drink the Radioactive Water...

Russian town Chapaevsk, situated in Samara region, dies off. For several decades there have been produced warfare toxins. As a result for the last 15 years the population of the town has decreased in a quarter. The soil and ground waters are filled with dioxins and other poisons. People die from tuberculosis, throat and liver cancer.

In the 20th there has been constructed a secret plant that would produce the inside part of chemical weapons: sulphur mustard and lewisite. During World War II the chemicals were produced 24 ours a day and all the wastes were dumped into the near river and canals.

After the war the factories continued to produce chemical weapons, projectiles and explosives, which badly damaged the ecology of the town. Since early 90th the defense plants haven’t been producing anything. Soon the chemical plant was also closed down. However even today the citizens find chemical projectiles with strange stinky liquid leaking out of it. The town is situated on the bank of the river Chapaevka, all the wastes have been dumped there, so as a result the river doesn’t meet any ecological demands.

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The town of Chapaevsk is facing problems because of the damage to the environment caused by productions of toxic products in WWII. The plants in the region that produced wartime materials did not take the time to safely destroy the material, but rather just dumped it into the streams and rivers. The towns in the water supplies have long haunted the citizens of this region, and the water is still not safe to drink to this day. In order to promote growth and safety these environmental issues are something that Russia is going to need to address.

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Unrest Over Possible New NATO Members

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will be forced to strengthen security on its borders if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO, Army General Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the country's General Staff, said on Friday.

At a summit in Bucharest last Thursday, NATO members decided to postpone offering Georgia and Ukraine the chance to join the NATO Membership Action Plan, a key step toward full membership, but promised to review the decision in December.

"Russia will undoubtedly take measures to ensure its security near the state border. These will be both military and other measures," Baluyevsky said.

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Russia is concerned that is Georgia and Ukraine become full members of NATO there will be unrest among citizens against this and possible out lashes towards their country. They have basically said if they are finally accepted as members they will take security measures on their border, but the specifics of these measures has yet to be specified.

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Predicted Power Share?

Mr Medvedev won a landslide election victory this month and will replace Mr Putin, who is expected to become his prime minister, in May.

The president-elect told the Financial Times newspaper that the president and government had clearly defined roles. He praised Mr Putin for adhering to the constitution in serving just two terms.

Mr Medvedev said: "It is the president who decides the main positions in domestic and foreign policy. "He is the supreme commander-in-chief, and he takes the key decisions in forming the executive powers. He is the guarantor of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens."

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Of course as early polls had predicted Medvedev swept the competition in the elections. Now he is pledging that Russia is on the road to change with the successful and peaceful transition of power. While these are good and possibly could lead to change, I believe we should just hold our breath until Medvedev has been in office for a while.

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US Missles in Europe.....Probably Not

George W. Bush accepted Moscow’s invitation and will come to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin. The US-Russian presidential meeting will take place on April 6 in the city of Sochi, on the Black Sea coast of Russia, after the NATO Summit and after Bush’s visit to Croatia.

“We are glad that President Bush accepted President Putin’s invitation to hold a work meeting and discuss a wide range of questions,” an official spokesman for the Russian presidential administration, Sergei Prikhodko said.

Bush’s national security advisor Steven Hadley said that the forthcoming talks will give an opportunity to estimate the achieved progress and see if the two countries can solve serval other problems.

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So Bush will meet once again with Putin. This time the only real issue the United States is trying to push is the missile defense system. However, this may prove to be another waste of time seeing how Russia doesn't trust the US, and neither does the US trust Russia. With both countries trying to make sure the other won't stab them in the back nothing can be accomplished. So for the sake of truth please no one get there hopes up about a missile defense system, because Russia will not have it.

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Pepsi Gets Juiced In Russia

PepsiCo Inc. and its biggest bottler said Thursday that they are paying $1.4 billion to buy a majority stake in Russia's biggest juice company, JSC Lebedyansky. That price tag that makes it PepsiCo's biggest acquisition since it bought The Quaker Oats Co. in 2001 and its biggest foreign acquisition ever, PepsiCo International chief executive Mike White said. "It's a strategic home run for PepsiCo," White said. White said the deal fits two criteria...

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Pepsi is greatly expanding their business world wide. In Spanish countries pepsi is a monopoly, in no time pepsi will own every big foreign company in the world.

Russia launches German spy satellite

A Russian Cosmos 3M carrier rocket carrying a German SAR-Lupe satellite has been launched from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia, a Russian Space Forces spokesman said Thursday.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said the German satellite would be orbited at 8:43 p.m. Moscow time (17:43 GMT).

The launch was originally scheduled for March 25, but was postponed twice due to bad weather.
The German SAR-Lupe satellite is designed to provide high-resolution radar images to NATO military commanders in Europe. It offers spatial resolution of less than 1 meter, and allows imaging at night and through clouds.

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The way technology has evolved is amazing. Through time we are able to do great things, even our enemies we are able to detect any suspicious activity, through this new technology we have created.

Russia proposes bird flu vaccine cooperation with Southeast Asia

Russia is ready to cooperate with Southeast Asia in producing bird flu vaccines, officials from the country's leading vaccine company said at an international bird flu summit that opened on Bali Thursday. The 6th International Bird Flu Summit aims to gather the world's leading specialists in the field to discuss the latest progress and methods in the fight against...

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It is good that Russia has decided to cooperate with Asia on a vaccine, but it should not have taken this long. While people are dying from the disease the two countries cannot decide if they want a vaccine, that is really sad.

Jobs for Russian's in Iraq

President Vladimir Putin lobbied Iraq's prime minister Monday on behalf of Russian companies trying to get a cut of contracts for rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, particularly its crucial oil and gas sector.

In a message sent to Nouri al-Maliki, Putin said the huge West Qurna oil field was of particular interest, and he noted Russia was expanding its diplomatic presence in Iraq.

The message came two days after Iraq's Oil Ministry invited local and international oil companies to bid for contracts providing technical support for two major oil fields in the southern and northern regions.

"Our companies are ready to increase their contribution to the restoration and modernization of the economic infrastructure of Iraq, primarily in the energy, oil and gas sectors where we have accumulated rich experience and made good arrangements," Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement.

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Russia has apparently gained an interest in the affairs of Iraq, but rather than wanting to send troops or anything like that they wish to acquire jobs from the rebuilding. Again Russia is expanding as a power in the world and possibly even feeding off of the misfortune of Iraq.

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More Economic Freedom

The lower house of Russia's parliament, the Duma, passed legislation Friday limiting the ability of foreigners to invest in industrial sectors considered as strategic. Colin McCullough reports for VOA from Moscow this came shortly after the Russian government announced the arrest of two Russian-Americans on charges of industrial espionage.

The Duma passed a bill restricting foreign investment in 42 sectors labeled strategic, including the manufacture and sale of military hardware, the nuclear industry, the extraction of mineral resources and mass media.

The bill says that any foreign private investor wanting to buy more than a 50 percent share of a company in any of the designated sectors will need approval from a commission composed of economic and security officials.

Foreign state-controlled companies will have to go through the same procedure if they want to acquire more than a 25-percent stake in a Russian company on the list.

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The law passed to "protect" the Russian economy looks as if it will continue to limit it. The economy already scored low in The Heritage Foundation's ratings posted earlier, and these numbers may continue to go down now that this law is going into effect. By limiting foreign investments into its economy Russia may very well be hindering its growth.

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Egypt Nuclear With Russia

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak heads for Russia on Monday where he is expected to get assurances of Russian assistance to build a nuclear facility.

A bilateral nuclear power deal was outlined last week and is expected to be signed
during the visit.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit said the pact would enable Egypt to tap into Russia's extensive experience in the field of nuclear energy.

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Egypt is looking for Russia for support in building their own nuclear facilities. They say that Russia has much experience and will be able to offer them much advice. It has yet to be seen as to whether or not it is good that Russia has experience in this field. This pact is also another example of Russia getting more involved in the global community.

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Russia announced last week it was lifting trade restrictions on Abkhazia which then called for recognition of its self-declared independence. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said there was a "growing pre-occupation and anxiety" that Moscow was planning recognition.

Georgia has accused Russia of encouraging separatism. Ms Ferrero-Waldner said: "Georgia's territorial integrity has always been clearly supported by the EU... this is absolutely clear." She said Sweden and Poland had written to the EU to ask for more to be done to maintain stability in Georgia before parliamentary elections there in May.

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Once again the finger is pointed at Russia. This has been done so rightly though. Russia has been said to be pushing for the splitting up of Jordan. Maybe not as harsh as people make it sound, but Russia spokesmen stated "they just wanted the country to seek the truth." Russia is just trying to cause conflict elsewhere. Really though, what else is new?

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Russia and India Over?

It seems that they are moving further and further apart over a number of issues. Their leaders still visit each other's countries and rarely miss any opportunity to emphasise their decades-old ties. But nagging doubts remain over their ability to redefine their relationship in a fast-changing world.

The Admiral Gorschkov is a good example. From a negotiated price of $700m, the Russians subsequently demanded $1.2bn with delivery delayed till 2013. Around the same time, the Indian navy has refused to accept an upgraded diesel-powered submarine after delays in the installation of a missile system.

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Over the recent years with Russia trying to regain its status among world nations, India has taking a step back. They look at Russia as an unstable and undecided country. With trade between the two being one of the few ways Russia is staying afloat, these conflicts could be decide how Russia will come out in the end. Both sides deny the relationship between the countries is souring, but only acts and time will tell.

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Fake Vodka? (100th Post)

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian prosecutors have confiscated thousands of bottles of illegal Olympic vodka, six years before the Winter Olympic Games come to Russia, an official said Wednesday.

Close to 14,000 bottles of vodka that used the Olympic name without permission were confiscated last month, according to a statement on the website for the prosecutor's office in the southern province of Krasnodar.

"It's the first such case" involving vodka production in the run-up to the winter Olympics to be held in Sochi in 2014, Yelena Kozyr, a spokesman for the Krasnodar prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The vodka, called Olympic, bore the Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings and the words Sochi 2014. The Black Sea coastal town of Sochi was chosen as the host of the games last year.

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Well clearly they were preparing for the future. By the time the Olympic games rolled around there would definitely have been enough vodka to go around, if it had not been confiscated by the government. Well I guess the importance of this post doesn't lie as much in the vodka as it does Russia being the host for the 2014 Olympic games. The Olympics and the way the games run can create positive relations for country and positive media coverage. Russia can show off what they have to offer and provide a place for people to come and enjoy sports of all kinds, but incidents of this nature (fake vodka or just fake items in general) can create a bad name for Russia. Sure it happens everywhere, a black market and ripped off goods, but its never good media when they are found. But Russia is setting a positive example by confiscating it and seeing that people don't get ripped off.

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Russia’s oldest person dies at age 118

Russia’s oldest person, Varvara Semennikova, died at age 117 on March 9. The woman would have turned 118 in May of this year. A resident of the Republic of Yakutia, the woman was recognized as the oldest of all long-living Russian citizens, Interfax reports.

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It is amazing that people can live this long, I know depending on what area of the world you live in, can determine your life expediency. People in the US do not live very long, mavbe there is a reason why?

One cigarette may kill mankind

World's first anti-tobacco treaty came into force three years ago - the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Russia did not ratify the document.

The countries that ratified the Convention were supposed to reorganize their legislation: to ban the tobacco advertising and smoking in public places, to place clearly visible warnings of health hazard on cigarette packs and try to decrease the number of smokers in their countries within five years.
Russia has not ratified the convention yet, but it still tries to struggle against smoking, albeit not too active. The tobacco advertising is banned on Russian TV, but it does appear in Russian newspapers. Nearly every other character appears in Russian-made films smoking. Smoking in public places is also banned in Russia, but nobody will arrest you for smoking in a cafe.

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We all know that smoking kills in the long turn, it is good that Russia is banning smoking the amount of people dieing will be reduced, but if only the US banned smoking we would be better off.

Russia Upgrades fighter Jets

Russia has made yet another accomplishment for its defense industry as it won a billion-dollar contract from India to upgrade about 70 MiG fighter jets.

An official spokesman for Russia’s MiG design bureau said that the five-year contract stipulates Russia’s participation in the installment of new radars, weapons control systems and the improvement of engines for MiG-29 fighters. Some of the planes to be upgraded date back to the 1980s.

India has long been a leading customer of Russia’s defense industry, but its relationship with Russia soured recently amid a dispute over the refurbishment of a Soviet-built aircraft carrier. A Russian shipyard had fallen far behind schedule and demanded a higher price for its work, prompting protests from the Indians.

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India has recently wanted countries to sign major arms deals with them. Countries such as Russia, Sweden, and other European countries have been offered the arms deals. Russia has taken the most recent one. They will refurbish around 30 fighter jets and sell more than 150 new ones to them. However India may be asking Russia to take some of the planes back because of quality concerns. Either way this is a major step for Russia, it will allow their economy to boom and will help recover the relationship between India and Russia.

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Russia Approves EU Mission to Chad

Russia has approved the deployment of helicopters to bolster an EU peacekeeping force along Chad's border with the Darfur region of Sudan, the Russian defense minister said Tuesday.

The deployment would be the first direct Russian contribution to an EU military mission, an EU official said, though technical and legal details of the plan were still being discussed, and no timeline was announced.


Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has already approved the mission and government funds have been allocated, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said during a visit to Paris.


The EU force's mission to Chad and neighboring Central African Republic is to help limit possible spillover from the fighting in Sudan's western Darfur region. It is expected to be fully deployed by June with 3,800 troops from at least 14 countries.



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Russia has made its first large contribution to an EU military mission by allocating funds and helicopters for a mission in Chad. The Darfur region is in much turmoil right now, and it says something about Russia's foreign relations to allocate a resource such as that and help in the EU.

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Assessment Complete

Billionares in Russia

Boosted by soaring oil and commodity prices, the ranks of the country's billionaires have swollen to 87, up from 53 a year ago,
according to Forbes' new world rich list, released Thursday. Forbes' richest Russian, Oleg Deripaska, the majority owner of aluminum giant United Company RusAl, stormed up from 40th to 9th on the list with an estimated fortune of $28 billion -- leaving Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, the former No. 1, trailing in his wake.

With 19 of the global top 100, Russia also now boasts more billionaires than any other country apart from the United States. The 87 Russians on the list have a combined wealth of just over $470 billion -- or more than twice the country's GDP when Putin came to power in 2000. The Russian billionaires are also the youngest from any major economy, with an average age of 46, compared with a global average of 61.


Deripaska broke into the world top 10 for the first time on the strength of his Russian Aluminum merging with two other companies to create the world's top producer of primary aluminum.

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The results of this list show that while Russia economy suffers there are some that are rich beyond imagination. The break between the lower class and higher class is extremely large and there is very little of a middle class. The primary way the billionares have gain their money are by milking the country of its natural resources such as; oil and alluminum. Instead of paying their workers decent or regualar wages, they cut their pay to hold on to their newly gained profit.

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Oil War between Russia and Ukraine

It seems that Ukraine is not going to sit on its hands and watch Russia cutting its gas shipments to the former Soviet nation. Naftogaz, the Ukrainian oil and gas corporation, informed Russia’s Gazprom that it would reduce the amount of transit gas shipments to European countries. A telegram from Naftogaz to Gazprom said that Ukraine was going to cut gas supplies to Western Europe by 60 million cubic meters a day.

"It means that Gazprom will supply this amount of gas to Ukraine, but it won't reach European consumers," a spokesman for the Russian natural gas monopoly, Sergei Kupriyanov said. He said the Naftogaz move will result in supplies of Russian gas to other parts of Europe dropping from some 386 million cubic meters to about 325 million a day.

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Further increasing the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, Russia's company Gazprom is cutting gas supplies. They are cutting supplies to different parts of Europe up to 61 million cubic meters a day. Gazprom is also refusing to pay fee to Ukraine although Gazprom agrues that they have paid all the fees. The butting heads of these two companies will get them nowhere. It is only futhering the tensions between the two countries. With Gazproms supplies shrinking this could begin to hurt Russia's economy even more.

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World’s oldest artist lives in Moscow

Moisei Feigin, who turned 103 in 2007, got in Guinness Book as the oldest working artist in the world. He is the last of living members of the artistic group “Jack Diamonds” founded in 1912.

An application form to Guinness Book was submitted by Feigin’s agents while he was in hospital. However, Guinness Book representative Beatrice Fernandez said that Feidin’s name probably won’t get in paper edition of the book. “Our book has about 3000 new records annually. I can’t guarantee that all of them will get in the book. The final decision is up to the editor”, - she said.

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In th early 20th century artist were renounce for their work, in today's society mot people do not care. This shows a change in history, but also creates history for Russia.

Russia bans blood and death of Happy Tree Friends

Russia’s Federal Service supervising the field of mass communications and the nation’s cultural inheritance issued a formal notice to 2x2 TV channel in connection with the broadcast of cartoon series propagandizing brutality and violence.

It goes about “The Adventures of Big Jeff” and “Happy Tree Friends” cartoon series. Specialists concluded that the series propagandize the cult of violence and brutality, cause damage to health, to the moral and spiritual development of a child and infringe upon public morality. Such violations break Article 4 of the Russian Federation Law “On Mass Media.”

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In today's society people enjoy violence, back in the early days the people hated violence. Today chrildren at a young are being exposed to innapropiate images either by tv or computer, I am glad Russia is taking a stand for the exposure of violence in that country.

Gorbachev's Thoughts

The only president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, wrote an article for The Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper about the recent
presidential election in Russia. In the article Mr. Gorbachev expressed his opinion to alter the nation’s election system. He particularly offered to retrieve the direct gubernatorial elections and return to the mixed voting system during parliamentary elections.

“I took part in the election and urged my relatives, friends and all Russian citizens to go to the polls and use their voting right in spite of the fact that it was a predictable election. The result was predetermined with Vladimir Putin’s popularity. He supported Dmitry Medvedev and agreed to chair the cabinet of ministers in case of his victory. That was a peculiar feature of the recent election. Many treated such a situation rather critically,” Gorbachev wrote.

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I find it interesting that he is still giving input to the Russian government after fifteen years of being out of power. However from what I have read here it seems as if Gorbachev's main focus is poverty. It surprised me that his focus was on poverty instead of how the "democratic" elections were bad, or how he would like to come to power. It seems almost as if this Soviet leader just wants Russia to get back on its feet. However, I do believe that this is the view of everyone in Russia these days. The only want to get back to their prime and become semi-powerful once again.

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Boriska, boy from Mars, says that all humans live eternally

A boy named Boris Kipriyanovich, or Boriska, lives in the town of Zhirinovsk of Russia’s Volgograd region. He was born on January 11, 1996. Since he was four he used to visit a well-known anomalous zone, commonly referred to as Medvedetskaya Gryada – a mountain near the town. It seems that the boy needed to visit the zone regularly to fulfill his needs in energy.

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In the media you hear constly about made up stories and people who try to get noticed. This boys claim is unrealistic and he is only saying these claims in order to get media attention.

Hunger for Speech

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A Russian opposition leader accused of hitting a policeman has gone on a hunger strike to protest his detainment, which he believes is politically motivated, his lawyer said Wednesday.


Maxim Reznik, leader of the Yabloko party in St. Petersburg, began the hunger strike on Tuesday, when a city court ruled that he should remain in custody for two months while the case is under investigation, attorney Boris Gruzd said.


Reznik was arrested before an anti-Kremlin protest was to take place Monday, led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov. Reznik is a St. Petersburg organizer of the protests held by Kasparov's opposition coalition.



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In the US freedom of speech and peaceful protest are rights that we may sometimes take for granted, but as seen in this article these rights are rare in Russia. A man supposedly having a peaceful protest over Sunday's election was detained for two months. That is another thing that would not happen in the US. He is not being charged, just held until they can "research." Two months is a long time to research over a protest march. Will these violations of rights continue or will Medvedev lead to change.

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To change or not to change? That is the question...

Russia's presidential election this weekend may have been flawed, but it reflected that most Russians are pleased with the nation's strong economy and assertive foreign policy, experts and election observers said Monday.

Such views make it unlikely that President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, at least initially, will embark on a far different course from his predecessor and mentor, Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev (pronounced med-VEHD-ev) vowed to uphold Putin's policies. "We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen," he said. "We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin."

Medvedev is "going to have an unreceptive public for any real changes … because a lot of people are satisfied," said Toby Gati, who was a State Department official under President Bill Clinton.

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Change has occurred in the form of a new President, but seeing as how Medvedev was handpicked by Putin, the policy of the country will most likely not change. Putin most likely supported him because he knew that he would be willing to follow his path and not change the path that Russia is going down. Though the article does say that the country is content with the way it is run, so maybe that is the way that they should live.

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Russia...Voter Fraud?...Never!

The two top rivals to the man who appears to have won Russia's presidential election alleged violations Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.

Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke out after electoral officials and exit polls pointed to an easy victory for Kremlin-backed candidate Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's favored successor.

"It seems that we don't have elections but a procedure of confirming the appointed president," Interfax quoted Zhirinovsky as saying. "This disgusts not me but the citizens of Russia."

The remarks were striking for Zhirinovsky, whose presidential bid was widely seen as a Kremlin-supported move to lend legitimacy to the vote, in which Medvedev's victory was a foregone conclusion.

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As predicted Medvedev won with a hefty margin of the votes, but his competitors aren't satisfied. Apparently they feel that they didn't have a chance in the election. One would most likely have to agree with them. Putin did hold a power over his people, and he is passing this on to Medvedev. If a person doesn't know better then of course Russia is a great country, but in actuality it is not quite the democracy that the US is. Zhirinovsky made the comment that the overwhelming win by Medvedev upset the citizens of Russia, and I may not know much but if 70% of them voted for him they can't be too upset. If Russia is to ever get out of the rut they will have to kick it into high gear, but most citizens are content just as they are, avoiding change.

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Assessment Complete

Crime Bosses in Russia

A suspected crime boss was arrested in Moscow on January 25th. Semyon Mogilevich was seized by armed police in connection with a charge of tax evasion—to the tune of $2m—at Arbat Prestige, a cosmetics company. Dubbed “the Brainy Don” because of his economics degree, the Ukrainian-born Mr Mogilevich is also wanted by America's FBI for racketeering, fraud and money-laundering.

He is known to have used 17 different aliases and is alleged to have been involved in money-laundering, drugs, prostitution, smuggling and dealing in stolen art. The arrest was particularly sensitive because of Mr Mogilevich's suspected ties to a company that traded gas between Russia and Ukraine.

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Semyon Mogilevich was a major crime boss in Russia in the past decades. But the part I find interesting is that he did some work between companies that sell oil between Ukraine and Russia. He could be at fault for some of the tension that now brews between the two countries. Over the past years the conflict over oil between the countries has been under close watch. This one man's operations may have contributed a significant amount of the problems himself.

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Russia's Jet Industry

Russia is hoping to make a giant come-back in civil and military aviation. It has pledged to spend billions of dollars on boosting its defense industry, especially the air force.

The goal is to build nearly 6,000 new military and civilian aircraft, and to win 15% of the global aviation market. Russia has set up a new government-controlled company to oversee the process, the United Aircraft Corporation.

But there's a long way to go, as Russia's aircraft industry has been in the doldrums since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

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Russia has made several deals on weapons, fighter jets, and passenger jets in the last few years. Supposedly they are have sold and bought all they will need until 2015 . This is "good" for Russia's economy as it will create more jobs and increase trading with other countries. However, the world is not looking at this so lightly. It seems as if Russia is trying to get back to its status of a super power via weapons. The worst part is, is that nobody trusts them, especially now that they are doing all these trades behind their back. How much longer can they do this before the Western World seriously calls their bluff? And will it be a true bluff by that point?

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Medvedev Appears in WSJ

Read what the WSJ has to say about Russia's upcoming leader...

Explosion kills two during Russia's presidential early vote

A bomb blew up in South Ossetia, which is Georgia's Russia-backed separatist region. The explosion killed two police officers and wounded at least 10 civilians Thursday, an official said. Explosion kills two during Russia's presidential early vote BREAKING NEWS Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fight to change...

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All throughout history there have been killings, which makes significant events. One example is the killing of Abe Lincoln, even recent with the Virginia Tech shooting, killing people makes history. It is up to us as humans not to make history for the wrong reasons and help eliminate the killings around the world.

The Pipeline Deal

MOSCOW: Russia scored another victory Thursday in its push to tighten domination of European energy supplies, signing a landmark deal with Hungary for a new natural gas pipeline.

President Vladimir Putin, who was joined by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany for a signing ceremony at the Kremlin, said the South Stream project was a "joint contribution by Russia and Hungary to Europe's energy security."

The €10 billion (US$15 billion) pipeline will go through Hungary after crossing Bulgaria and Serbia, and it further undercuts an alternative project — the Nabucco pipeline, which has been backed by the United States and the European Union as a way to ease Europe's reliance on Russia for energy.

"If the project is implemented, the role and significance of Hungary as an energy supplier to Europe will grow and its own energy security will be guaranteed," Putin told Gyurcsany before the signing.

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Russia and Hungary recently completed a deal for a natural gas pipeline. This pipeline is designed to help Europe with its need for energy and take the burden off one particular country. This pipeline will help to push Russia as well as Hungary to the a more dominant position in European politics. Russia is also continuing to extend their foreign relations and build alliances with other countries.

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Russia’s richest man Oleg Deripaska holds 40-billion-dollar fortune

Finance magazine published the rating of Russia’s richest men for 2008. The first list of Russia’s richest people appeared in 2004. The name of the person topping the list has been changing every now and then. The number of dollar billionaires has increased four times in Russia over just several years.

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Many times we see people that have money, either a movie star, or the creator of a successful business, and never do anything to benefit people in need. With this new billionaire in russia lets see if he will help his country in the time of need or not.

A Jewish President for Russia?

MOSCOW: Allegations by nationalists that Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has Jewish roots have brought anti-Semitism to the surface on the margins of Russia's presidential election campaign.

The first deputy prime minister, who is all but assured of victory on Sunday because he has Putin's support, has said he belongs to the Russian Orthodox faith.

But some nationalist groups say his mother's maiden name, Shaposhnikova, is Jewish, and that he is unfit to be president because of this.

Medvedev's campaign staff declined to confirm or deny he has Jewish roots. The Kremlin condemns all forms of anti-Semitism.



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Recent claims among nationalist groups in Russia are that Medvedev, Putin's successor, is Jewish. These claims are based off of the last name of his mother, which makes them not very credible claims. These tactics are the same smearing tactics that we are currently appearing in the US's election. Though the interesting thing is that these claims have not arisen until a week before the election. In the US they would appear much before that. Since Medvedev is the favored successor it will be interesting to see if these allegations hurt his campaign at all.

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Free Speech is Disappearing in Russia

The murders of outspoken journalists go unsolved, independent media outlets have been shut and police have attacked opposition protesters, said the report.

It also said "arbitrary" laws were curbing the right to express opinion and silencing NGOs deemed to be a threat by the authorities. The report comes ahead of Russian's presidential elections on 2 March.


The director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, said: "The space for freedom of speech is shrinking alarmingly in Russia and it's now imperative that the Russian authorities reverse this trend."

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Supposedly the restriction of free speech has been going on behind the scenes recently and the government is now saying that wish to stop it. Journalists and protesters are being silenced, and anyone who speaks out even slightly against the government pays consequences. It seems to me that the same things regarding free speech rights in authoritarian regimes are showing up in Russia. The reappearance of these actions by the government lead me to believe that the government is now fearing change, and a more democratic state. They have found themselves in the middle of their old ways and it is becoming time for them to either listen to the people and more towards democracy or keep silencing the people and trying to tend to old habits. Medvedev will be the one that will have the most influence on the direction of the country. We will have to wait and see what he will do with his new found position as president.

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