Russia

Read recent news stories and current events about Russia on Newser.com

Stories 3341 - 3360 | << Prev   Next >>

Georgia Accuses Russia of Bombing Civilians
Georgia Accuses Russia
of Bombing Civilians
updated
Aug 8, 2008 9:56 AM CDT

Georgia Accuses Russia of Bombing Civilians

President says his nation is defending against aggressors

(Newser) - Russian troops are targeting civilians in their assault on Georgia, President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN today. “This is the worst nightmare one can encounter,” he said. “They've been bombing Georgia from numerous warplanes and specifically targeting (the) civilian population, and we have scores of wounded and dead....

Putin Pushes to Renew Russia's Influence in Cuba

Military move under consideration in response to NATO 'buffer zone'

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin is pushing for a renewal of Russia’s former presence in Cuba, the AP reports. “We should restore our position in Cuba and other countries,” the president-turned-PM said after a briefing by diplomats returned from Cuba. Though a military presence on the island wasn’t specifically...

Remembering Russia's Prophet
Remembering Russia's Prophet
Appreciation
Aug 4, 2008 1:05 PM CDT

Remembering Russia's Prophet

Reflections on Solzhenitsyn's life reveal complex legacy

(Newser) - Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who died yesterday at 89, left a complicated legacy and an unassailable record as one of the great writers of the 20th century. Three takes on the Nobel laureate:
  • The National Review, which on occasion published Solzhenitsyn’s work, says he may have been the man of the
...

Russian Writer Solzhenitsyn Dead at 89

Nobel winner revealed the horrors of Soviet work camps

(Newser) - Nobel-prize winning Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn died today of heart failure at 89, AFP reports. Two of his key works, One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich and The First Circle, revealed the horrors of Soviet gulags and got him expelled from the country in 1974. After 20 years...

Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia
 Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia 
Jul 31, 2008 11:01 PM CDT

Eclipse Draws 15K to Siberia

Thousands flock to Russia for rare solar spectacle despite threat of rain

(Newser) - Prospects of rare total solar eclipse have drawn thousands of sky-watchers to the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, where the moon’s passage between the earth and sun will create 140 seconds of darkness at 5:45 pm local time today. Hotels in the city—Russia’s third-largest—are fully booked,...

7 Russian Athletes Suspended for Doping

Female runners banned from Olympics

(Newser) - Seven female athletes from Russia were suspended today for doping violations, a potentially devastating blow to the nation's medal hopes just a week before the Olympics begin, the New York Times reports. Five of the women, all members of Russia's track and field team, were scheduled to compete in the...

China's Thirst for Gaz-Guzzlers Boosts Oil Demand

SUV sales jump 43% over last year

(Newser) - While soaring gas prices are driving Americans to buy more energy-efficient cars, Chinese consumers are opting for gas-guzzling Buicks and Hummers, reports the Washington Post. China accounts for 40% of the world's recent increase in oil demand. There were few private cars in China 15 years ago, but today there...

Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners
Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners
Jul 26, 2008 11:32 AM CDT

Starving Russian Bears Menace Miners

Pack of 30 bears surround platinum mine, eat guards

(Newser) - A pack of starving bears has surrounded a platinum mine in Russia's remote Kamchatka peninsula, the Los Angeles Times reports. Two guards have been eaten, and terrified miners are refusing to work. The government has sent a team of snipers to kill the ravenous bears, thought to be starving because...

Russia Goes After Emo
 Russia Goes After Emo   
Jul 24, 2008 3:55 PM CDT

Russia Goes After Emo

Fearing for teens, Duma debates legislation to outlaw fashion, monitor websites

(Newser) - Fearing a threat to the wellbeing of its youth, the Russian Duma is going after what it sees as Public Enemy No. 1—emo.  Lawmakers are debating legislation to ban all signs of emo culture—an offshoot of punk music—from schools and government buildings, the Guardian reports. Lawmakers...

Chavez: I'd Welcome Russian Troops in Venezuela

Seeking military pact with Moscow to ward of North American 'invasion'

(Newser) - Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is on a two-day trip to Moscow seeking closer military and economic ties —and raising the possibility that Russian troops may be stationed in Venezuela. Chavez and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev have already agreed to extend an energy partnership and are negotiating an arms deal...

McCain's Foreign Policy Could Ignite Cold War II

Republican's 'cowboy antagonism' would sow discord with Russia, China, others

(Newser) - John McCain’s foreign policy—“combustible” and “idealist”—could provoke a second Cold War, pitting the world’s democracies against its autocracies, John Judis writes in the New Republic—at best creating “gratuitous tensions” and at worst wholly “reproducing” the USSR-US “confrontation.” Mac’...

So-Called 'New Powers' Are Acting Spineless
So-Called 'New Powers' Are Acting Spineless
OPINION
Jul 16, 2008 10:03 AM CDT

So-Called 'New Powers' Are Acting Spineless

Time to show some leadership and stop coddling Mugabe

(Newser) - Critics of unchecked and amoral American power should be wary of prospective new world hegemons—especially China, Russia, and South Africa, Thomas Friedman warns in the New York Times. America's international popularity has plummeted under President Bush, but it's the more popular countries that have been acting unconscionably on the...

Russian Ravers Lose Sight After Laser Show

Vision loss as high as 80% and 'impossible to regain'

(Newser) - Several partygoers at a Russian rave lost part of their sight to damage from a laser light show, Reuters reports. Dozens have appeared at Moscow hospitals for treatment of retinal burns. Loss of vision is as high as 80% and "regaining it is impossible," according to one ophthalmologist....

Ex-Inmates Say Russia Keeps 'Torture Prisons'

Prisoners speak out after 4 were allegedly killed this spring

(Newser) - Overcrowding and disease are comparatively minor problems for inmates in Russia's alleged "torture prisons," where convicts are said to suffer regular beatings. Officials insist that they probe all complaints, but NPR has yielded harrowing stories from ex-inmates after four were reportedly clubbed to death this spring. "God...

Russia, China Nix UN Embargo on Zimbabwe

US-led resolution would have imposed sanctions, restrictions on Mugabe

(Newser) - Russia and China today threw out a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe for its violent presidential election, Reuters reports. Nine countries supported the US-backed sanctions, which would levied an arms embargo and restricted the travel and finances of officials, including President Mugabe. But five nations voted against it,...

'It's In, Thank God': Astronauts Finish Risky Chore

Pair must retrieve explosive bolt from Soyuz craft

(Newser) - Two Russian astronauts successfully removed an apparently defective bolt from their Soyuz spacecraft during a risky spacewalk today, the Houston Chronicle reports. The bolt itself packed the punch of an explosive firecracker, so the astronauts had to disconnect it, then stuff it into a steel case. "It's in, thank...

Obama Advisers Rip Mac Plan to Expel Russia From G-8

Proposal 'unrealistic as it would be counterproductive,' Albright, Perry say

(Newser) - John McCain is off-base in his suggestion Russia should be booted from the Group of 8, two former Clinton cabinet officials—and current Obama advisers—write in the Los Angeles Times. Sure, Moscow has departed from democracy, Madeline Albright and William Perry allow, but the US stands a better chance...

Russia Bristles at Landmark US-Czech Deal

Moscow threatens military action against anti-missile system

(Newser) - Russia today blasted a landmark deal between the US and Czech Republic with rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War. After Czech officials agreed to let the US use its territory for a missile-defense system, Moscow threatened military retaliation, Reuters reports. The Kremlin views the deployment of the system in former...

Kissinger: US Must Temper Approach as Russia Evolves

Medvedev's election may signal real political change, so ease back on the bullying

(Newser) - Dmitry Medvedev has more power than some in the West believe, and Russia's political system is still evolving as Vladimir Putin moves from president to prime minister, Henry Kissinger writes in the Washington Post—and it behooves the US to throttle back. "The pace of such an evolution will...

Brits: Russia Played Role in Ex-KGB Agent's London Murder

'Clear indications it was state action'

(Newser) - The murder of a former KGB agent in London 2 years ago was carried out with the support of the Russian government, British government sources have told the BBC. There are "very strong indications it was a state action," said one senior official. Alexander Litvinenko, who was mysteriously...

Stories 3341 - 3360 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser