Politics

Politics

After 13 years of complete Labor dominance...

After 13 years of complete Labor dominance in the Parliament and at Downing Street, the British are preparing to put on conservative attire. However, they will hardly dare to fully change colors from red (color of the Labour Party) to blue (color of the Conservatives). All the latest polls as well as various analysts, psychics, and the most reliable political forecasters - the bookmakers - suggest that after the May 6, 2010 general election, Britain will be dressed in a blue top and red bottom with substantial elements of orange (color of the Liberal Democrats) in the middle.

After hours of fierce debate, the U.S. House...

After hours of fierce debate, the U.S. House of Representatives approved President Barack Obama"s overhaul health care reform bill in a narrow 219:212 vote on Monday.

A German luger, who won a silver medal at...

A German luger, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, broke his tooth after reporters asked him to bite his medal, Moscow-based radio Business FM reported.

Airlines operating in Europe have suffered...

Airlines operating in Europe have suffered huge losses since Iceland"s Eyjafjallajokull volcano began erupting Wednesday for the second time in a month, spewing a cloud of ash over Europe that has grounded flights and stranded passengers.

Air travel in Europe might not get back...

Air travel in Europe might not get back to normal for weeks or even months after a volcano erupted in Iceland, an expert on the Euronews TV-channel said.

A new-generation Tu strategic bomber will...

A new-generation Tu strategic bomber will be developed by 2017, Russian aircraft maker Tupolev said on Wednesday.

A RIA Novosti photo correspondent, Andrei...

A RIA Novosti photo correspondent, Andrei Stenin, was detained for a few hours by law enforcers on Saturday when filming an unauthorized opposition rally near the presidential administration building.

Around 30 avalanches have come down on the...

Around 30 avalanches have come down on the Transcaucasian highway, cutting off the only direct road between Russia and South Ossetia, a spokeswoman for North Ossetia"s emergencies ministry said on Tuesday.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude...

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 points hit northern Japan on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A suspected militant has been killed in...

A suspected militant has been killed in a special operation near Nazran, the largest city of south Russia"s Republic of Ingushetia, a local police source has said.

At least 12 people were killed and eight...

At least 12 people were killed and eight injured after an explosion destroyed a second building in Baghdad as Iraqis started voting on Sunday in parliamentary elections, the Arabic satellite news channel Al Arabiya reported.

A top traffic police official was killed...

A top traffic police official was killed on Wednesday in Russia"s volatile North Caucasus republic of Dagestan when unknown gunmen opened fire on his car, a local police official said.

Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in the final...

Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in the final men"s hockey match on the last day of the Vancouver Olympics, bringing the number of its gold medals to 14.

CSKA Moscow"s victory in Spain will inspire...

CSKA Moscow"s victory in Spain will inspire Rubin when they face Wolfsburg on Thursday for a place in the Europa League quarterfinals, the Russian champions" coach Kurban Berdyev said on Wednesday.

Eleven police officers were injured in a...

Eleven police officers were injured in a grenade attack on a police station in Russia"s North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, investigators said on Tuesday.

Foreign investment in the Russian economy...

Foreign investment in the Russian economy in the first nine months of the year fell 27.8% year-on-year to $54.738 billion, the state statistics service said on Friday.

Georgia is ready to join NATO but Russia"s...

Georgia is ready to join NATO but Russia"s position prevents the alliance from accepting the South Caucasus country, the Georgian foreign minister said Monday.

Iran currently has no missiles capable of...

Iran currently has no missiles capable of striking Europe and the U.S., Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

KIEV, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine"s president...

KIEV, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine"s president and prime minister, bitter political rivals expected to run in presidential elections later this year, stood together on Saturday at the Victory Day parade in Kiev. On the 84th anniversary of the end of World War II, Viktor Yushchenko said he thought about the dead and the survivors, the victors and those who fought "on all fronts and in the resistance." The president gets most of his support in the nationalist west of Ukraine, where a regional parliament voted in March to remove a public monument to Soviet WWII soldiers and place it in a museum of Soviet totalitarianism, saying the statue had no historical or cultural value. "This is our shared, united, indivisible, holy and great victory", said Yushchenko, adding that the victory was won by Ukrainians together with other peoples. Western Ukraine was the stronghold of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist group initially set up to protect ethnic Ukrainians from Poles that engaged in guerrilla fighting with Soviet troops and collaborated with Nazi Germans during the war. Although he did not mention it specifically in his speech, Yushchenko has sought recognition for the group, and a statue to one of its founders, Stepan Bandera, was unveiled in Lvov in 2007. Yulia Tymoshenko, who is seen as having moved closer to Russia since falling out with Yushchenko last year, congratulated veterans, emphasizing the victory over fascism. "I know that today affects you most of all, my dear war veterans," the prime minister said in a statement released by the government press service. "You are disturbed and painfully wounded by the worry that the exploits of millions of heroes, who protected the planet from fascism, is gradually forgotten, that the honor and the glory of the great victory is darkened daily by little disputes, and sometimes also ingratitude." "This categorically not the case," she declared. Yushchenko said almost no country was more affected by the war than Ukraine, and called for the country to come together. "More than 7 million Ukrainians were sent to the front in World War II. Each second one failed to return home. Every other one of the survivors became a disabled war veteran," the president said. "In the epicenter of the World War, Ukraine sustained practically the highest level of casualties and destruction." The actions of resistance groups on the Eastern front during World War II is a contentious issue between Moscow and some former Soviet republics, particularly the Baltic States, where some nationalists fought with the Nazis against Soviet troops. The relocation of the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet-era monument to the Red Army, in Estonia in 2007 sparked violent protests from ethnic Russians. One person was killed and several dozen injured in clashes with police. Moscow issued strong protests with some lawmakers calling for cutting diplomatic ties with Tallinn.

KURSK, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

KURSK, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited on Thursday the Cathedral of the Sign in the city of Kursk some 300 miles south of Moscow where a miracle-working icon of the Mother of God was recently brought.

LVOV, July 1 (RIA Novosti) - A statue of...

LVOV, July 1 (RIA Novosti) - A statue of Ukraine"s wartime nationalist leader Stepan Bandera will be erected in Lutsk in western Ukraine, the city council said Tuesday. The city"s mayor, Bohdan Shyba, has instructed the local land department to allocate a plot for the monument by July 10. Bandera was one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) which fought with the Soviet Army during the World War II. Following the invasion of German troops in the summer of 1941, Bandera called on Ukrainians "to help the German army in the fight against Moscow and Bolshevism." Russia and Ukraine have been involved in a series of disputes concerning their common history. Ukraine has decided to celebrate next year the 350th anniversary of the 1659 Battle of Konotop, in which the Ukrainian army of Ivan Vyhovsky and his Polish allies defeated Russian forces. Russia"s Foreign Ministry said certain political forces in Ukraine were trying to "find in the ... Russian-Ukrainian common history events and characters memorable only for the fact that they were acting against Moscow, Russia and Russians." The historical sparring has developed into an unofficial war of monuments. In October 2007, the western Ukrainian city of Lvov inaugurated a statue of Stepan Bandera and adopted a resolution establishing the "Award of Stepan Bandera," while a sculpture of Catherine the Great was erected in the Crimean port of Sevastopol as part of its 225th anniversary celebrations this June.

MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - A Tajik...

MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - A Tajik national was killed in an apparently racially motivated attack in the north of the Russian capital, a spokesman for the Moscow police said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti) - The World...

MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti) - The World Wildlife Fund called on people around the world on Thursday to sign a petition to try and save the last surviving gray whales threatened with extinction as a result of oil and gas projects in Russia's Far East.

MOSCOW, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev"s claims that Kiev was responsible for deteriorating relations with Moscow were aimed at President Yushchenko, not the entire country, a senior Kremlin official said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) - A senior...

MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) - A senior Russian military officer has been detained in southern Russia on suspicion of spying for Georgia, a spokesman for Russia's security service said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, August 22 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow...

MOSCOW, August 22 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow court has approved the detention of the eight men suspected of hijacking the Arctic Sea cargo ship, which was found in the Atlantic more two weeks after going missing in mysterious circumstances.

MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russian nationalists and immigrant workers from the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan are to meet in Moscow for a game of football aimed at defusing ethnic tensions, the Kyrgyz ambassador said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's...

MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's strategic aviation started Wednesday an active phase of military exercises to fly over the North Pole and conduct test launches of cruise missiles, an Air Force spokesman said.

MOSCOW, August 9 (RIA Novosti) - A cargo...

MOSCOW, August 9 (RIA Novosti) - A cargo ship with Russian crew has gone missing off Portugal"s Atlantic coast, the Russian maritime journal Sovfrakht reported on Sunday.

MOSCOW, February 2 (RIA Novosti) - Alexander...

MOSCOW, February 2 (RIA Novosti) - Alexander Khloponin, recently appointed deputy premier in charge of the volatile North Caucausus, has been included into the powerful inner Cabinet, the government said on Tuesday.

Moscow is calling on Israel to scrap plans...

Moscow is calling on Israel to scrap plans for further settlement construction in East Jerusalem, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea...

MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea test launched seven ballistic missiles Saturday from its eastern coast, the Yonhap news agency reported citing South Korea"s military.

MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s president has issued instructions for military cooperation deals to be negotiated with the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian producers of perfumes and cosmetics that contain alcohol are expecting a rise in prices in view of a new alcohol law coming into effect July 1, the head of a Russian perfumes association said Thursday. The new law introduces automated alcohol meters (EGAIS) and has been declared as a measure to curb dangerous alcohol consumption. "Certainly, there will be a price hike after July 1," which could be as much as 20% by the end of 2007, Tatiana Puchkova said. "In addition, there is an apprehension that leading market players... will leave the market altogether." A senior official from the perfumes association, Sergei Bolshakov, said only about 650 of 3,500 producers on the Russian perfumes market, which has annual sales of $7 billion, had obtained the necessary licenses. Puchkova said small and medium producers could start selling products of dubious quality over lack of funds to obtain the licenses or equipment. However, the producers hope the government will exclude them from the law and thereby prevent a crisis similar to last year"s. The perfumes association said the crisis in July-August 2006 saw annual sales plummet 75% from 85 billion rubles ($3.3 billion) in 2005 to 54 billion rubles last year.

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow will...

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow will have the right to inspect U.S. military planes flying over its territory under a deal with Washington on transit to Afghanistan, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, March 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, March 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s president Friday blasted the Justice Ministry for excessive bureaucracy in issuing real estate titles and formalizing deals.

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - A young...

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - A young woman was injured on Thursday when a rubber bullet hit her after a row between two men in the Moscow subway turned violent, police said.

MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Metalloinvest...

MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Metalloinvest, one of Russia's largest mining and metals companies, may get a new shareholder, with fugitive Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky claiming 5% of its stock, a business paper said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sulim Yamadayev...

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sulim Yamadayev survived an attempt on his life and has sworn to take revenge on Chechnya"s leader, a Russian daily said on Wednesday, citing the former Chechen military commander"s brother. Russia"s consul general in Dubai questioned the report on Wednesday, saying police had said Yamadayev was shot dead on March 28 in the car park of a luxury seaside apartment block in Dubai, and buried at a local cemetery. The Kommersant newspaper reported that Sulim had tried to declare a vendetta against President Ramzan Kadyrov and his cousin, State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov, via an influential Muslim cleric in Chechnya. However, Isa Yamadayev told the paper that the mullah refused to convey the message to the clan, as is required by tradition. Mullah Nurid-hadzhi Kimayev in the Russian North Caucasus republic"s second largest city Gudermes confirmed he received a phone call several days ago from a man who claimed to be Sulim. "I lived next door to the Yamadayev brothers for a long time, and I know the family very well. But I have not seen or heard from Sulim for years and could not be sure I was speaking to him," the cleric told the paper, adding he would not have conveyed the message anyway as he did not want to be part of a blood feud. Sulim, who served as the commander of Russia"s Vostok battalion in Chechnya, fled the republic last year after a clash between his troops and Kadyrov"s guards. The paper said "the procedure was not observed" and as a result the blood feud was not "formally" declared. Isa Yamadayev told the paper he personally would seek legal punishment for those behind the attempt on Sulim and the murder of their elder brother Ruslan in Moscow last September. In the latter case, Russian police have arrested one suspect, a driver, and several Chechens, including Delimkhanov, have been put on an international wanted list as part of the probe into the Dubai shooting. The lawmaker strongly denied any involvement in the case. Russia"s constitution does not allow the extradition of Russian nationals accused of crimes in other countries. Isa said Sulim was only injured and is now in a Dubai hospital under police guard, adding that they were in contact via the Internet, the paper reported. The Russian consul general in Dubai, Sergei Krasnogor, said: "Dubai police officials, including the police chief, have repeatedly confirmed to me that Sulim Yamadayev had been killed and buried at a local cemetery." Russian diplomats earlier acknowledged they had not been provided with documentary evidence of Sulim"s death.

MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) -- MTS, Russia"s...

MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) -- MTS, Russia"s largest mobile phone operator, has reported a US GAAP net loss of $57.7 million.

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia...

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia must do more to attract leading scientists, both Russian and foreign, President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 15 (RIA Novosti) - Forming...

MOSCOW, November 15 (RIA Novosti) - Forming a state monopoly to produce and sell alcohol could provoke a rise in bootlegging of spirits, Russia's Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Two famed...

MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Two famed WWII T-34 tanks will take part in a march on Moscow"s Red Square on Saturday to commemorate the legendary military parade of 1941 and in honor of the country"s World War II effort.

MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - A 92-year-old...

MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - A 92-year-old woman has been arrested at Madrid Barajas International Airport after police found 4.3 kg of cocaine strapped to her body, local authorities said.

MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian-crewed...

MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian-crewed and Maltese-flagged vessel at the center of a mysterious hijacking case will arrive in Malta on Thursday, an unnamed diplomatic source said Wednesday.

MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow...

MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow court rejected on Friday a claim filed by gay activists against the capital"s mayor, Yury Luzhkov, for using what they say is an offensive word during a televised program.

MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - A U.S...

MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - A U.S. Congressman has asked the National Basketball Association to look into a $200-million deal involving Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov buying a 80% stake in the New Jersey Nets, PolitickerNJ news website said.

On March 24, Russia and NATO discussed efforts...

On March 24, Russia and NATO discussed efforts to combat drug trafficking in Afghanistan at an extended meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels.

PARIS, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - France is...

PARIS, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - France is ready to increase investments and its economic presence in Russia to strengthen the two countries' partnership during the world financial crisis, the speaker of France's parliament said on Wednesday.

Pyongyang has asked Washington to decide...

Pyongyang has asked Washington to decide on the format of peace treaty talks, North Korea"s ambassador to Russia, Kim Yong-Jae, said on Tuesday.

Russia and India have reached an agreement...

Russia and India have reached an agreement to complete a refit of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, a Kremlin source said on Monday.

Russia and the United States will finalize...

Russia and the United States will finalize a strategic arms reduction pact within days, a Foreign Ministry official said on Monday.

Russia expects that the Gas Exporting Countries...

Russia expects that the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), a "gas equivalent" of the OPEC oil cartel, will become an effective tool for coordinating the international gas industry, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

Russia has sent some 150 paratroopers to...

Russia has sent some 150 paratroopers to its Kant airbase in the ex-Soviet Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan to ensure the safety of families of Russian military staff, the General Staff chief Nikolay Makarov said.

Russian commandos from the large anti-submarine...

Russian commandos from the large anti-submarine ship Marshal Shaposhnikov released on Thursday a Russian tanker hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed condolences to his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic over the death of Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle, the Kremlin said Monday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent New Year greetings to U.S. President Barack Obama, welcoming the improvement in relations with the United States over the past year, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted to the lower house of Russia"s parliament a draft law offering compensation to those who have suffered from red tape in the courts, local media reported.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned the country"s governors on Tuesday that most provincial heads would be able to hold office for three terms in the future.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk discussed in a phone conversation the investigation into the plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski, Russian government"s press service reported on Thursday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin demanded...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin demanded on Monday that the government prevent a further rise in spending on infrastructure projects and ordered the dismissal of the officials responsible for mounting expenses.

Russian Railways (RZD) could impose fines...

Russian Railways (RZD) could impose fines on Siemens AG for several technical problems experienced by a high-speed train built by the German engineering giant for Russia, the RZD chief said.

Russia will continue to support China, including...

Russia will continue to support China, including on the "sensitive" issue of Taiwan, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

ST. PETERSBURG, July 30 (RIA Novosti) -...

ST. PETERSBURG, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russian researchers plan to dive 4,200 meters (14,000 feet) in two mini-submarines to explore the ocean floor below the North Pole August 1-2 and back the country's claim to Arctic, a research institute spokesman said Monday.

SUKHUMI, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow...

SUKHUMI, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has no plans to redeploy its Black Sea Fleet warships from Ukraine to Abkhazia, the Russian defense minister said on Wednesday. Russia"s Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine"s Crimea, including the main base in Sevastopol, as part of a 1997 agreement under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the Sevastopol base beyond 2017, and urged the Russian fleet to start preparations for a withdrawal. "We will stay put in Sevastopol," Anatoly Serdyukov said in reply to a question from a reporter. He also said Moscow would not increase the number of troops either in Abkhazia or South Ossetia, which Russia recognized as independent last August after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter. Asked whether Russia was planning to increase its military presence in the two former Georgian republics, Serdyukov said, "No. Why? It is sufficient." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who made a one-day visit to Abkhazia on Wednesday, said earlier in the week that Russia would allocate 15-16 billion rubles (over $465 million) in 2010 to strengthen Abkhazian borders, frontier troops and bases.

Talks in Moscow on U.S. adoptions of Russian...

Talks in Moscow on U.S. adoptions of Russian children have been postponed because the volcanic ash cloud above Europe prevented the U.S. delegation from traveling, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

TBILISI/MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti) -...

TBILISI/MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti) - The Swiss embassy in Georgia began on Thursday accepting applications for Russian entry visas from Georgian nationals.

The death toll in Sunday"s blasts in the...

The death toll in Sunday"s blasts in the Iraqi capital has exceeded 40, officials said.

The growing influence of Islam in the North...

The growing influence of Islam in the North Caucasus, a reflection of increasing disillusionment with the Russian political system, is transforming the region into Russia’s “internal abroad,” where people “have portraits of Putin and Medvedev [on their walls] but are for shariat law,” according to a leading Moscow specialist.