14.10 11:12
Gazprom resumes the signing of new agreements on gas supplies to Belarus. Photo from ukranews.com

Gazprom to sign new contracts to supply gas to Belarus

A meeting of Chairman of the Board of JSC Gazprom, Alexei Miller, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Sergei Rumas, and Energy Minister of Belarus, Alexander Ozerets, has taken place at the central office of Gazprom, says the official press release of the state corporation.

Russia

Putin will be nominated for presidency ahead of schedule. Photo from obozrevatel.com

07.10 10:38 United Russia to nominate Putin for president before Duma elections

The ruling party United Russia has advised when it is going to suggest Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for president. The party is not going to deliberately put this case off. So UR will do it even before the elections.

05.10 13:40 MPs vote for chemical castration of pedophiles

October 4, the State Duma approved in first reading the bill on tougher sentences for serious crimes of sexual nature with regard to persons under 14 years old.

03.10 10:48 Missile Liner successfully launched from Barents Sea

A ballistic missile Liner was successfully launched from the Barents Sea to a Kamchatka Peninsula range, said the Russian Defense Ministry official, Colonel Igor Konashenkov.

World

Sailors from Novosibirsk are held hostage by Nigerian pirates. Photo from ttolk.ru

13.10 12:07 Sailors from Novosibirsk held hostage by Nigerian pirates

According to the website of the Russian Trade Union of Seamen (RPSM), three Russian sailors from Novosibirsk happen to be on the tanker "Cape Bird" (flag - Marshall Islands, owner - COLUMBIA DEUTSCHLAND), which was captured October 8 by Nigerian pirates some 70 miles from Lagos.

10.10 18:34 Russia does not understand U.S. reluctance to destroy Afghan opium

Russian Foreign Ministry does not understand the reluctance of Washington to destroy all the poppy plantations in Afghanistan. This was stated by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who spoke at the International Forum "The Millennium Development Goals in Eastern Europe and Central Asia".

05.10 13:45 Russia and China veto resolution on Syria

Russia and China used their veto right and blocked the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria.

Economy and Business

Gazprom resumes the signing of new agreements on gas supplies to Belarus. Photo from ukranews.com

14.10 11:12 Gazprom to sign new contracts to supply gas to Belarus

A meeting of Chairman of the Board of JSC Gazprom, Alexei Miller, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Sergei Rumas, and Energy Minister of Belarus, Alexander Ozerets, has taken place at the central office of Gazprom, says the official press release of the state corporation.

07.10 17:19 Georgia and Russia hold talks on WTO

Representatives of Russia and Georgia are going to meet today in Washington to discuss the agreement, which appears to be supported by the United States, on monitoring their border regions, aimed at overcoming Tbilisi’s resistance to Russia joining WTO, writes The Financial Times.

26.09 10:40 Russia and Ukraine make progress at gas transit talks

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has held meetings with Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin on the gas issue in Moscow.

Culture and Art

Action thriller Killer Elite ("Professional" in Russian theatres) with Jason Statham and Robert De Niro. Photo from irk.ru

27.09 16:36 Killer Elite tops Russian film distribution

Action movie Killer Elite with Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in the lead roles now tops the list of box-office hits in Russia for the weekend of September 22-25. As RIA Novosti reports, citing information from the magazine ‘Film Business Today’, the movie has collected $2.7 million in Russia’s box office.

02.08 13:58 Medvedev okays Russian Disneyland concept

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has approved the concept of a Disneyland-style resort in the Kaliningrad region. This was stated by the regional governor Nikolai Tsukanov after his talks with the President.

15.07 15:38 Monument to Yuri Gagarin unveiled in London

A monument to Yuri Gagarin was inaugurated yesterday in central London, at a stone's throw from the monument to Admiral Nelson and opposite the statue of the famous explorer and cartographer James Cook on Mall Street, which leads straight to Buckingham Palace. It was this road that 50 years ago the world's first astronaut went along to welcome the British Queen.

Sport

Moscow City Racing, July 2011. Photo from website motoboom.ru

13.07 18:06 City traffic to be restricted in downtown Moscow due to Formula 1 races

16 and 17 July, in connection with the annual Moscow City Racing show, the movement of personal and public transport in downtown Moscow will be restricted, reports the Interfax News agency.

08.07 15:53 Russia to send Olympic flame into space

Russia will become the first country to send the Olympic torch into space. The intention to send the flame of the Sochi 2014 Olympics to space was made public on July 7 by the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Alexander Zhukov.

29.06 16:04 Russian national football team up one position in FIFA rankings

In the updated rankings of the International Federation of Football, team Russia has moved to the 17th position. In May, Dick Advocaat's wards were in 18th place. Since then, the Russians have had two matches. The victory in the home match against Armenia and a draw in a friendly against Cameroon have allowed our team to climb one place in the FIFA rankings.  

Science and the Unknown

The first tests of a new Russian missile were unsuccessful. Photo from rus.ruvr.ru

29.09 11:28 First new intercontinental ballistic missile test ends in failure

The first test of a new ballistic missile for Russia’s strategic forces failed. The test took place at spaceport Plesetsk.

04.08 15:02 Renowned geographer Andrei Kapitsa, 80, dies in Moscow

The renowned physicist, member of RAS, chair of the environmental management sub-department at the Department of Geography at Moscow State University, Doctor of Science, Andrei Kapitsa died on 2 August in Moscow.

15.07 16:15 Soyuz-2 successfully delivers six U.S. communications satellites into orbit

The upper stage ‘Frigate’ of the revamped launch vehicle Soyuz-2.1a, which was launched on Wednesday at 6:27 Moscow time from Baikonur, has successfully placed six U.S. communications satellites Globalstar-2 into orbit, said a Federal Space Agency spokesman. "The control over the satellites has already been transferred to the customer. Thus, the Russian part of the program of delivering the Globalstar-2 satellites into the orbit is completed", said the space agency representative.

Internet

Medvedev: "The power of the Internet is in its freedom, but people must act reasonably." Photo from kremlin.ru

29.04 17:13 Medvedev: "Internet power is in its freedom, but people must act reasonably"

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who appreciates the opportunities opening before mankind with the invention of the global Internet network, said that this resource is not entertaining, and can be both constructive and destructive. Medvedev stated that at a meeting with the United Russia party activists.

17.01 14:39 Minister: Russia not to tighten control over Internet

Unlike China, Russian authorities are not going to strengthen control over the Internet in the offing. This was announced by the Minister of Communication and Mass Media of Russia, Shchegolev, who also added that this is a principled position of the agency.

09.12 12:20 Facebook gets foothold in Cyrillic zone first time in its history

At once two domains (http://лицокнига.РФ and http://мордакнига.РФ), which redirect users to the Facebook.com site, have become operational in the national zone .RF. Now, when you enter the name of both resources in the address bar, you will be automatically redirected to the main page of the social network. It is known that the first portal was registered by a Timur Bakeev, while the name of the owner of the second site has not yet been disclosed.

Medicine and Health

Russia is going to lift all restrictions on the import of vegetables from the EU on 9 August. Photo from aif.ru

08.08 18:16 Russia to lift prohibition on supply of vegetables from EU August 9

Russia is going to lift all restrictions on the supply of fresh vegetables from the EU on August 9. This was stated by the chief sanitary doctor of Russia, Gennady Onishchenko.

07.06 18:28 Federal Human Welfare Service recommends not to eat vegetables from Germany

The Saratov Regional Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare) recommends the residents of the region not to eat fresh vegetables and other produce coming from Germany.

20.05 12:19 Russian doctors do first pig heart valve implants

The Bakulev RAMS Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery has conducted a unique operation. A heart valve made from biological material taken from an animal was implanted in a patient, said a representative of the Scientific Center.

Society

Former Yukos vice president Vasily Alexanian has died. Photo from www.svobodanews.ru

04.10 10:55 Former Yukos vice president Vasily Alexanian dies in Moscow

Russian lawyer and businessman, former executive vice president of Yukos with presidential powers, Vasily Alexanian, died on Monday in his home in Moscow. He was 39.

28.09 12:02 Shoigu names causes of plane crashes

The main problem of Russian aircraft is in the irresponsibility of the workers in the industry, says the chief lifeguard of Russia, Sergei Shoigu. He believes that the reason for most recent air crashes is "the mess in the aviation companies". The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations stated this in his speech at the VI All-Russian media forum of the United Russia party.

30.05 12:40 Rosturizm dissuades Russians from visiting Yemen

Rosturizm does not recommend Russian citizens to travel to the Republic of Yemen. Domestic tour operators have been instructed temporarily not to provide services to the Russians in organization of trips to Yemen.

Crime

The FSB building in Lubyanka Square in Moscow. Photo from vesti.ru

07.07 16:46 FSB: militants have plans to enter North Caucasus through Georgia

FSB has information about the plans of the leaders of armed gangs to penetrate the North Caucasus through Georgia, told reporters the FSB director Alexander Bortnikov on June 7.

07.07 16:39 Police looking for man who deliberately set Moscow region peatlands on fire

Peat bogs in the Moscow suburbs are burning, so fire brigades keep putting them out day and night. Russia’s EMERCOM fears a repetition of last year's situation when the smokescreen paralyzed life in the capital for almost a month.

07.07 14:00 Russian citizen sentenced to death for drug trafficking in China

Supreme People's Court of China has approved the death sentence with a two-year reprieve for a Russian citizen for attempted drug trafficking, told today ITAR-TASS news agency the head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Beijing, Leonid Ignatenko.

Incidents

Cheated Far East sailors are begging to let them go back home from Somalia. Photo from runews.radeant.com

26.09 15:29 Russian sailors seeking aid to return home from Somalia

Seven Russian Far East sailors are seeking help to return home. The deceived sailors are now in Somalia.

09.09 16:27 Dmitry Medvedev visits Yak-42 crash site

Yesterday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Yaroslavl. Initially, the head of state was scheduled to take part in the Global Policy Forum. However, after the crash of the Yak-42, his plans changed.

08.09 14:36 Yak-42 crash captured on surveillance camera

As previously reported, the airplane with the hockey players of the Yaroslavl "Locomotive" hockey club fell on Wednesday at about 16 o'clock at Yaroslavl. The accident was captured on a surveillance camera. A little later, an amateur video footage taken after the accident appeared on the Internet.