Russia

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Litvinenko Wife Defies Brits, Demands Inquiry

Poisoned spy's widow wants to expose Putin's role in his murder

(Newser) - Alexander Litvinenko's widow calls for a public inquiry into the poisoning of the Russian spy in an op-ed for today's Times of London. Both the British foreign secretary and Scotland Yard have sought to dissuade her from petitioning for an inquest, saying it would prejudge a criminal trial against chief...

Bush, Putin to Lock Antlers on Missile Defense

Russian president will host US counterpart for April 6 summit

(Newser) - President Bush accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation today to continue the two nations' often strained talks over a proposed US missile defense system in central Europe. The two heads of state will meet April 6 in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, the Washington Post reports, for likely...

McCain: US Must Be Tough But Listen to Allies

He says America must do a better job with world diplomacy

(Newser) - John McCain insisted today in a foreign policy address that the US can't abandon its "moral responsibility in Iraq” but that it must do a better job of working with its allies on the world's trouble spots. He distanced himself at times from Bush, rejecting not only brash unilateralism...

Russian Investing in ... WNBA Stars?

'Crazy people to do some crazy things,' billionaire says of his lavish hoop jones

(Newser) - Basketball-crazy Russian billionaire Shabtai von Kalmanovic is pouring money into women's hoops—flying WNBA players to Russia in the off-season and paying them 10 times what they make in the US. Players like Diana Taurasi are put up in luxury digs and chauffeured around. "They should be treated like...

NATO Escorts Russian Bombers Away From Alaska

Jets buzz US airspace

(Newser) - Two bombers from the Russian air force flew uncomfortably close to American territory as they patrolled neutral space off the coast of Alaska, Reuters reports. NATO forces deployed several jets to escort the Russian planes away. The incident is yet another case of the Russian military resuming the Soviet-era practice...

Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans
Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans

Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans

Russia unhappy about bid to accept former Soviet states

(Newser) - Dmitry Medvedev has warned former Soviet states not to join NATO, claiming that their membership would threaten the stability of the region. Georgia and Ukraine are angling to join the military alliance and have received strong support from the US. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Russia's incoming...

Donkey Retires From Ballet
 Donkey Retires From Ballet 

Donkey Retires From Ballet

Monika ends successful run with Russia's Mariinsky ballet

(Newser) - A veteran Russian artiste is headed for retirement today: Monika, a 21-year-old female donkey. She has performed for 19 years as the trusty steed of Sancho Panza in the Mariinsky ballet's production of Don Quixote. "She loves to perform and she loves applause," said Tatyana Solomatina of the...

2 Journalists Killed in Russia
 2 Journalists Killed in Russia 

2 Journalists Killed in Russia

TV reporters killed in Moscow, Dagestan

(Newser) - Two journalists have been killed in separate incidents in Russia, AFP reports. A reporter for state-run television was found strangled and stabbed in his Moscow apartment. Only hours earlier he had written a blog post saying "Now I'm a dissident!" The man had worked in Dagestan and elsewhere...

Docs Not Toasting Ladies' Vodka

Russian spirit targets rich women, prompts alcoholism fears

(Newser) - A made-for-women vodka touted as the perfect salad accompaniment has sobered Russian doctors, who fear high-end spirits like "Ladies" will only worsen already-high rates of alcoholism, Reuters reports. Estimates peg 10 percent of Russia's 142 million citizens as alcoholics, and the chief of one rehab center says 60% of...

Industrial Spying Charges Deepen Russia-UK Flap

Two with ties to Britain arrested for espionage in Moscow

(Newser) - Two brothers, one with ties to a UK-Russia joint oil venture, have been arrested in Moscow and accused of industrial espionage, the BBC reports. Ilya and Alexander Zaslavsky were charged after yesterday's raid on oil giant TNK-BP, but analysts say Russia's interest in the matter goes beyond spying, as the...

No Progress on Missile Deal After Rice's Russia Visit

US, Russia no closer on defense system in Eastern Europe, but more polite about it

(Newser) - Moscow talks between top US diplomats and their Russian counterparts haven't edged the two sides any closer to deals on a proposed US missile shield in Eastern Europe and a nuclear-arms reduction treaty, the Financial Times reports. Condoleezza Rice heads home empty-handed, but US-Russia relations at least seem to have...

UN Cop Killed in Kosovo Riots
 UN Cop Killed in Kosovo Riots 

UN Cop Killed in Kosovo Riots

More than 100 injured as Serbs battle UN, NATO with guns and grenades

(Newser) - A Ukrainian UN police officer has been killed and at least 40 UN or NATO personnel were injured as Serbs continued to exchange gunfire with NATO and UN forces, reports AFP. Some 70 Serbs were also wounded as yesterday's fighting in ethnically charged Mitrovica spilled over to today, including a...

China Off US Rights Blacklist
 China Off US Rights Blacklist 

China Off US Rights Blacklist

State Dept. report drops China from top 10 worst abusers despite poor record

(Newser) - The State Department has taken China off its list of the world's 10 worst human rights abusers, the New York Times reports. China's human rights record "remained poor," the department's annual report said, with abuses including "extrajudicial killings, torture, and coerced confessions of prisoners." Officials declined...

Putin's Newest Gig: Savage Theater Critic

Russian prez mocks cast, upbraids director after play

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila caused a stir in Moscow last weekend when they paid an unannounced visit to the theater. After the audience gave him a standing ovation, Putin made a foray into theater criticism that stunned the cast. "Why did you show him crying?" asked the...

Astronauts Will Have to Hitch Rides With the Russians

NASA will soon have no way to get to ISS

(Newser) - When NASA retires its fleet of space shuttles in 2010, the agency will have no way of sending men into space until 2015, at the earliest, the Washington Post reports. To carry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, largely funded by American taxpayers, the US will have to...

Russia, Ukraine Settle Gas Flap
Russia, Ukraine Settle Gas Flap
UPDATED

Russia, Ukraine Settle Gas Flap

Agreement reached; export flow to Europe not in danger

(Newser) - Ukraine and Russia announced today that their natural-gas companies had settled the dispute that had caused Russia to cut gas supply to Ukraine by 50%—and spurred worries that the flow of gas to Western Europe would be disrupted, the AP reports. "The restrictions on deliveries for Ukrainian consumers...

Gorbachev: Russia Needs Real Democracy

Medvedev, Putin need to change process, ex-Soviet leader writes

(Newser) - Mikhail Gorbachev is pushing Russia's leaders to change their ways. Writing today for the Times of London, Gorbachev praises Vladimir Putin’s accomplishments as president, and acknowledges the soon-to-be prime minister's popularity. But Russia still faces big problems, which “can only be solved in an environment of real democracy....

New Russian Prez Digs Hard Rock, Putin

In Medvedev, quirky résumé masks loyal junior partner

(Newser) - Trivia on Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev—that he is a swimmer, a yoga lover, and Deep Purple buff—merely masks a man wholly devoted to Vladimir Putin, New Yorker editor David Remnick writes. "Trivia domesticated even the worst Soviet-era résumés," he reminds us: Catherine the Great...

UK-Russia Relations Remain Frosty
UK-Russia Relations Remain Frosty

UK-Russia Relations Remain Frosty

Brown writes to congratulate Medvedev but offers no invite

(Newser) - As Gordon Brown extended only the most cursory congratulations to Dmitry Medvedev yesterday, the frozen diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain seem unlikely to thaw, reports the Times of London. The UK prime minister sent a letter rather than making the usual phone call to a president-elect, and he pointedly...

In Moscow the Beat Goes On
In Moscow the Beat Goes On

In Moscow the Beat Goes On

Second verse same as the first: Putin and protege celebrate win at concert

(Newser) - To no one's surprise, Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev has promised to uphold the policies of his predecessor after yesterday's stage-managed transfer of power widely regarded as an election farce, reports Reuters. Medvedev has already chosen outgoing president Vladimir Putin, ineligible for another term, as prime minister. To underline their...

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