Vodka blamed for high death rates in Russia
Epigraph: They ask thee concerning wine and the game of hazard. Say: ‘In both there is great sin and also some advantages for men; but their sin is greater than […]
The terrorism games?
MARK GALEOTTI ARABNEWS.COM Published — Saturday 25 January 2014 What is the price of security? Three billion US dollars, it seems, as far as the Russians are concerned. Even in the midst of an economic slowdown, they have committed unparalleled resources to protect the Sochi Winter Olympics from terrorists, who […]
Peace possible in Syria as political landscape changes. The terrible butchery could end now that the US and Russia both want to finish the war
By Patrick Cockburn, THE INDEPENDENT Gloomy predictions precede this week’s Geneva II peace talks aimed at ending the three-year-old war in Syria. US Secretary of State John Kerry says the meeting is about a mutually agreed political transition in Damascus, while the Syrian government insists it should focus on how […]
Putin says Russia won’t go after gays as long as they leave kids alone
Don’t assume the rainbow-hued volunteer uniforms at the Sochi Winter Olympics mean that Russia is softening its hardline stance against homosexual propaganda. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that his government has nothing against gay people, as long as they leave kids alone, according to Reuters. “There is no ban on non-traditional […]
Russia faces serious threats to its stability from Islamic insurgencies?
Source: Asia Times: Russia faces serious threats to its stability from Islamic insurgencies. Recent suicide blasts in Volgograd were a painful reminder of this. Historically, Russia has tried to suppress Islamic movements (also religious activities in general) not only in Russia but also in Central Asian states (especially in the […]
‘Am I guilty?’ AK-47 maker’s near-death torment
RT: In the last years of his life, Mikhail Kalashnikov, the famous Russian weapon designer, anguished over his responsibility for the millions of deaths his inventions caused, his published letter […]
Putin’s preening aside, it’s not clear what Russia hopes to become
January 13, 2014 12:48 AM By Nina L. Khrushcheva The Daily Star Story Summary For more than two decades, August has been the cruelest month for Russian leaders. The August 1998 debt default and ruble collapse laid waste to President Boris Yeltsin’s free market reforms and resulted in the sacking […]
Turkey could help Russia prevent radicalization of its Muslims, analysts agree
Turkey could help Russia prevent its Muslim population from being influenced by radical groups that have come under the spotlight in the wake of two suicide bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd last week, say analysts. “Turkey and Russia should establish cooperation not only between foreign ministries and intelligence […]
Chinese helicopter saves 52 in Antarctica
Source: China Daily All 52 passengers stranded on the Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy in Antarctica for nine days were rescued by a Chinese helicopter on Thursday. The helicopter from […]
Russia’s new terror threat: Ethnic jihadis
Source: TOI MOSCOW: The suspected involvement of converts to Islam in Russian suicide bombings points to the growing reach of jihadists far beyond the Muslim provinces of Chechnya and Dagestan, where insurgency and separatism have simmered for two decades. Russian news media say the authorities suspect an ethnic-Russian convert to Islam may have been […]
Volgograd blasts: Putin vows to ‘annihilate terrorists’
Source: BBC Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to fight “terrorists until their complete annihilation”, in his first comment on two suicide attacks in the southern city of Volgograd. The […]
Volgograd blasts: Putin vows to 'annihilate terrorists'
Source: BBC Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to fight “terrorists until their complete annihilation”, in his first comment on two suicide attacks in the southern city of Volgograd. The […]
Russia’s Osama bin Laden.
Source: NY Times: Twin terrorist attacks in the city of Volgograd within 24 hours injected new urgency on Monday into Russia’s long, ruthless effort to contain a diffuse Islamic insurgency on its southern border, one nominally led by a veteran, battle-scarred Chechen often called Russia’s Osama bin Laden. More:
'Suicide bomber' hits Russia's Volgograd train station
Source: BBC An explosion at a train station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd has killed at least 13 people, reports say. A female suicide bomber was thought to […]
‘Suicide bomber’ hits Russia’s Volgograd train station
Source: BBC An explosion at a train station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd has killed at least 13 people, reports say. A female suicide bomber was thought to […]
Swiss expert dismisses Russian 'political declaration' on Arafat
STORY SUMMARY The Swiss expert who examined samples of Yasser Arafat’s remains dismissed as a “political declaration” a statement Thursday by Russian researchers excluding radiation poisoning as the cause for the Palestinian leader’s death. Bochud criticised the Russians for not releasing their report. Some 60 samples were taken and divided […]
Swiss expert dismisses Russian ‘political declaration’ on Arafat
STORY SUMMARY The Swiss expert who examined samples of Yasser Arafat’s remains dismissed as a “political declaration” a statement Thursday by Russian researchers excluding radiation poisoning as the cause for the Palestinian leader’s death. Bochud criticised the Russians for not releasing their report. Some 60 samples were taken and divided […]
Is Mikhail Kalashnikov in Hell? The man was confident he would not go there
BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT I always had a soft spot for old Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, who died just before Christmas. When I met him, his Siberian eyes were as […]
Ban of Quran Translation Overturned
The Moscow Times: The Krasnodar Regional Court overturned a local court’s decision to ban a widely read Russian translation of the Quran on Tuesday, quieting fears of unrest among the […]
Maintaining Russian Power: How Putin Outfoxed the West
By Christian Neef and Matthias Schepp SPIEGEL.DE In one of his many foreign-policy successes this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has used power politics and blackmail to bring Ukraine back […]