Voices from Russia

Russian expert warns about growing illegal arms trade

According to some estimates, the annual turnover of smuggled arms exceeds 1 billion dollars (23.187 billion roubles. 627.6 million euros. 499.3 million UK pounds). The US, for example, is very active in this lucrative business, supplying weapons to illegal armed groups in Asia and Africa. To stop this, the leading arms producers could sign an agreement providing special measures aimed at preventing illegal arms trading, Viktor Mizin, the head of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, believes. In an interview with of Russia, Mr Mizin noted that such measures should first of all be taken in the conflict areas and in the countries with totalitarian political regimes.

20 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29909&cid=47&p=20.07.2008 (in English)

Russian social development level remain high

The levels of social development in Russia in the first half of 2008 remained high. Real incomes of Russians have increased by 8.1 percent (adjusted for inflation). As of June, average salaries increased by 28.6 percent, the state statistics service reported. There was also registered a rise in retail trade turnover. The number of unemployed workers dropped 100,000.

21 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29929&cid=46&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Russian foreign trade rises

Russian foreign trade in the opening five months was 47 percent up on the same period in 2007 to over 303 billion US dollars (7.025 trillion roubles. 190.163 million euros. 151.288 million UK pounds). Significantly, exports grew significantly faster than imports. The national debt is now down to 44 billion US dollars (1.02 trillion roubles. 27.636 billion euros. 21.98 billion UK pounds), which is almost 9 percent less than in January. The first half-year investment figure is up 17 percent. The numbers are from National Statistics.

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29954&cid=46&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Brzezinski says that US troop surge in Afghanistan may damage America’s international image

Former White House national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski believes a proposed troop surge in Afghanistan would further damage America’s international image whilst doing nothing to defeat terrorism. He said this to The Financial Times in an interview Monday. His opinion comes one day after Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama backed proposals to deploy two more US brigades to Afghanistan.

21 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29956&cid=45&p=21.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Latvian emergency workers catch alligator in public pond

“Will you be my neighbour?”

Latvian firemen and veterinary workers caught an alligator in a small pond in the suburbs of the capital, local emergency services said on Monday. The five-foot-long reptile gave residents a fright in a small community near Riga, who immediately called emergency services. The crocodile was caught with a net, transported to a local zoo, and examined by medical personnel. Police are still unsure how the animal ended up in the pond, but, they suspect it could have been kept by a nearby resident as a household pet, and escaped. Cases of alligators being kept as pets are extremely rare. Even in the United States, where there are reportedly eight million pet reptiles, only a few are alligators or crocodiles.

21 July 2008

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080721/114560984.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

Mi-38 helicopter is the best on the world market

Euromil Mi-38 helicopter

Aleksei Samusenko, the general designer of the Euromil helicopter manufacturing enterprise in Moscow, stated at the HeliRussia 2008 exhibition that the Mi-38 helicopter, which is currently being developed in Russia, has no competitors on the world market. According to Mr Samusenko, the helicopter’s maximum ceiling is 8,300 meter (26,246 feet). This is the only helicopter that can fly at such a height. It has a very low level of vibration, which can be compared with that of an automobile. This is quite an important feature. New advanced technology has been developed to make the rotor blade a vital element of the helicopter. The blades are made out of composite materials and guarantee unlimited use. “We could not break them even on the testing ground”, Mr Samusenko said. In short, this is a state –of-the-art helicopter. The Euromil company shall start to deliver Mi-38 helicopters to clients starting in 2010-2011. 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29468&cid=50&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

“See-all” optical monitoring system developed

Experts at the Ural Optical and Mechanical Enterprise developed an advanced optical system for monitoring, SON-730 for special services and rescuers. It helps to get high-quality and stable images under any conditions and different types of shooting: daytime and night, poor visibility, and rocking and vibration. The system could be used to follow drug traffickers, patrol border regions, rescue people who are in trouble, and monitor traffic. A high sensitive thermal observation device integrated into the system fixes the difference in temperatures between the surrounding and the object under monitoring at a distance. This has made it possible to discover forest fires and defects in power supply lines and oil and gas pipelines. In fact, the enterprise exports its products to 75 countries. 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29471&cid=50&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

Stone Age settlement discovered in Armenia

Armenian archaeologists discovered a Stone Age settlement in the south of the country. They believe that there are traces of ancient wine-making. The complex is in the Areni-1 cave and belongs to the Stone and Copper-Stone Ages (3900-3700 BC). Owing to the favourable micro-climate in the cave, organic materials are well-preserved. Parts of clothes, woollen and other materials give an opportunity to study the technology of the Stone Age. Scientists believe there was an ancient wine-making complex in the cave. They discovered well-preserved seeds and vines. The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Armenia has already received proposals about joint work from several international organisations. 

9 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29474&cid=50&p=09.07.2008 (in English)

Satellite launched as part of the Sea Launch project

Another satellite will take off as part of the Sea Launch project on 15 July. This report comes from the press service of the Sea Launch Corporation in Long Beach, California. The Odyssey launch pad and the Sea Launch have left the port of Long Beach. This time, a Russian-Ukrainian rocket will carry to orbit an American “DISH-Network” satellite which services 14 million subscribers of satellite television throughout the United States. 

10 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29502&cid=87&p=10.07.2008 (in English)

Nursery for Mediterranean Turtles built on the Black Sea

A nursery for the Mediterranean turtle was built in the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik. According to Eco-Watch for the Northern Caucasus, the nursery provides all conditions necessary for the reptile’s living and propagation. The nature protection complex is part of the project “Attention, Turtles!” carried out with the support of the World Wildlife Fund. The Mediterranean turtle was entered into the Russian Red Book and the International Red Book of Endangered Species. 

10 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29502&cid=87&p=10.07.2008 (in English)

World’s largest clock installed in Moscow

Big Ben is still the world’s largest four-sided chiming clock. Sorry, Charlie!

A clock with a 30 by 12 metres (99 feet by 40 feet) display was installed on a building now under construction in Moscow. It shows the precise time in hours and minutes. The clock is installed at a height of 230 meters (755 feet), and it also shows atmospheric pressure and temperature.

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29577&cid=50&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Massive campaign against Sea Breeze-2008 launched in the Ukraine

Baba speaks her mind. Don’t mess with Baba, you’ll be sorry!

Patriotic Ukrainians launched a massive campaign against the Sea Breeze-2008 joint exercises with NATO. Left-wing parties, Communists, Socialists, and Russian-speaker’s rights organisations launched this campaign. Aleksandr Golub, a leader of the Communist faction of the Ukrainian parliament, told our correspondent that over 70 percent of population opposes joining NATO. But, the Ukrainian government ignores their opinion. The manoeuvres, where US forces play a key role, will be staged in Lvov, Nikolaev, and Odessa oblasts and in the Crimea.

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29574&cid=48&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

The Bushies are playing with matches… deliberately. They should know that actions such as this are provocations. Oh, yes… “democracy”… they are intent on grabbing bases close to Russia, no matter what real Ukrainians wish or the risk that they run. In short, George W Bush is a lunatic and the largest menace on the world scene today.

UN General Assembly refuses to discuss so-called Ukrainian “Holodomyr”

Vitaly Churkin (1952- ), Russian ambassador to the UN. Kudos for muzzling the Uniates!

The General Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations has, acting on a Russian request, advised the international community to refrain from discussing the so-called Ukrainian famine of the early 1930’s. The Ukrainian delegation brought the topic up for discussion. Vitaly Churkin, the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, dismissed the Ukrainian suggestion as historically and politically false. He said that not only the Ukraine suffered, as many other parts of the former Soviet Union suffered from in the famine of the early 1930’s.

11 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29571&cid=45&p=11.07.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

Sanity prevails! The Galician Uniate fanatics are not only cut off at the pass, they are muzzled. Well done, Mr Churkin! These people are irritating in the extreme. Over many years, I have despaired of hearing sense from any of them. So, if they pipe up with their nationalistic moonshine, I retort… loudly. Don’t mess with Mother Russia!

Voice of Russia World Service

The Moscow Tretyakov Gallery opens its store-rooms

The Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow is opening its store-rooms to let visitors see little known works by prominent artists and also learn some new names of the 20th century.  By doing this, the gallery seeks to enlarge its permanent exposition with little-known artworks, as well as their creators, from 1910 to this day. The exhibition comprises over 100 beautiful paintings. 

2 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29151&cid=87&p=02.07.2008 (in English)

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29139&cid=48&p=02.07.2008 (in English)

Monument to actress Nonna Mordyukova to be erected in southern Russia

Nonna Mordyukova (1925- ), Honoured Artist of Russia, one of the greats of world cinema

A monument to the outstanding Russian actress Nonna Mordyukova will be placed in her native town of Yeisk in southern Russia on 16 August. The actress, now 82, resides in Moscow. Ms Mordyukova made a sky-high career in the cinema by creating unforgettable images of Russian women. The sculpture is of a beautiful barefooted peasant woman sitting on a porch. Nonna Mordyukova was listed among the top 10 actresses of the 20th century by the British Film Encyclopaedia. 

2 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29163&cid=51&p=02.07.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

My favourite films by Ms Mordyukova are The Commissar (1967) and Russkoye Polye (Russian Field) (1971). Her combination of feminine grace and seemingly-masculine strength has to be seen to be believed. One of the GREATS. Of course, because she is of Cossack blood, she comes by her fire naturally.

Russian film-makers shoot a full-length documentary about baby mammoth

Russian film-makers are shooting a full-length documentary about a baby mammoth who saw daylight after nearly 40,000 years in the permafrost of the Arctic belt of Western Siberia. The focus is on international research on this unparalleled frozen mummy. The mammoth was a young female; it died after suffering a severe leg wound from a sharp piece of ice. The film about it is to be released in March 2009 in theatres in around 150 countries. 

2 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29174&cid=51&p=02.07.2008 (in English)

Moscow’s Roman Catholic cathedral hosts a festival of organ music

Moscow’s Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception opened the Russian capital’s second international festival of organ music. International jury members will also offer concerts and master-classes. 

2 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29175&cid=51&p=02.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

ONLY IN RUSSIA would you find a juxtaposition of Our Lord Christ… and Boris the Cat. Ten points to all of you who knew it without being told. For them not in the know, Boris the Cat is a famous performer at the Kuklyachyov Cats’ Theatre in Moscow. He is an ornery and feisty little cuss, and a ham to the bone. He is the most well-known of the cats, for good reason. Today, he is the “face” of KiteKat, the most popular cat-food brand in Russia.

Only people who are comfortable with both their faith and their secular lives would make such a combination. It is a sign of the revival sweeping Russia… but, people are not renouncing the present (as so many American converts to Orthodoxy attempt), rather, they are sanctifying the present. A good thing, I say. Boris the cat can be in close proximity to Our Lord… he is His creature, after all.

Let everything that breathes, praise the Lord!

News without Politics

Russia is due to develop a rocket glider in the next few years to send tourists on suborbital flights. At first, the spacecraft will be able to carry 14 tourists, but, the number of seats will eventually grow bigger. The glider will be fastened to a carrier-plane and will detach at an altitude of 36 kilometres (22 miles) to rise to the border between the atmosphere and outer space, at some 100 kilometres (62 miles). The passengers will experience weightlessness as the glider climbs up to its ceiling.

The AU Optronics Company is the first to have come up with a technology of building bent LCD screens on a glass mount. The screens could be used in the production of watches and gauge boards. The advantage of the new technology over existing flexible electronic newspaper is its advanced colour grade and image quality.

In New York, a Wall Street restaurant placed a hamburger priced at 175 dollars (4,120 roubles. 110 euros. 88 UK pounds) on the menu. The owners of the Wall Street Burger Shoppe point out they wanted to come up with something really exceptional for their guests. To justify the price, the hamburgers are placed on slices of Japanese delicatessen beef, black truffles, foie gras (that’s goose liver), Gruyère French cheese, and forest mushrooms. A standard everyday hamburger at the restaurant goes for a mere four dollars (94 roubles. 2.50 euros. 2 UK pounds). 

In Turkey, the very first day of a ban on indoor smoking changed the routine of those indulging in the pernicious habit. Groups of office workers emerged from the inside of their company buildings out into the street to have a pull or two at their fags. They really seemed to care little for yet another related ban, that on smoking by the entries to their buildings. What they were really concerned about was spotting a dustbin to throw their cigarette butts into. 

21 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27299&cid=87&p=21.05.2008 (in English)

Mexican President Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (1962- ) (left) with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (1945- )

A proposal by Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa to set up an international fund with the initial capital of 10 billion dollars (235 billion roubles. 6.34 billion euros. 5.05 billion UK pounds) to combat global warming will be presented to the G-8 countries at a ministerial conference in Japan on Sunday. The fund, known as “The Green Fund”, is designed to finance nature protection projects and should bring together all countries of the globe, for all share responsibility for climate change on the planet.

The American company “BioArts International” put its dog-cloning services to global auction. A notice placed on the biotechnology firm’s website says that five dog owners will have a chance to bring their loved ones back to life. All hopefuls are to register at the site, and the auction will take place online on 18 June. The initial auction price is 100,000 dollars (2.354 million roubles. 63,410 euros. 50,490 UK pounds). The company argues that it has an exclusive license on the cloning of dogs, cats, and endangered species using the method patented by Ian Wilmot, who cloned Dolly the sheep in Scotland in July 1996. 

A lost African parrot was returned to its owner after it was caught by police officers on top of a roof in the town of Nagarayama. A vet at the veterinary clinic the parrot was delivered to established good contact with the bird, prompting it to give him his the full name, Yoshio Nakamura, and the address of his owner. The parrot also performed a number of songs for the clinic’s personnel. 

22 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27368&cid=87&p=22.05.2008 (in English)

The presentation of the only dictionary of Australian idioms in Russian was held in Sydney. The author of the dictionary, Russian citizen Natalia Golub, who moved to Australia 14 years ago and since been working as a translator, gives her colleagues worldwide a chance to get to know Australian English better. The book contains almost 200 pages of translations of popular Australian jokes, slang expressions, sayings, and double-meaning words. The dictionary was published with the assistance of Sydney city hall and the Jewish Care organisation. 

The names Dean, Felix, and Noel were retired by members of the 30th Session of the World Meteorological Organization’s Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee during its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Members of the Committee said those were three of the most devastating storms of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. Since 1953, 70 names have been retired. 

Mr Greg Losh, a resident of Selma, Indiana, found oil in his backyard. Now, he has his own oil well and produces three barrels of crude per day. Mr Losh says he knew nothing about oil before, but, now, he has a kind of an oil fever. Mr Losh is very optimistic about his business and expects to drill a few more wills. The oil is stored in a tank and transported to Ohio for sale. 

23 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27426&cid=87&p=23.05.2008 (in English)

If the Ukraine joins NATO, its relations with Russia would suffer

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (1950- )

If the Ukraine became a member of NATO, its relations with Russia would suffer. A statement released by the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Friday said that the nature of modern-day threats and challenges calls for new and collective responses rather than a mechanical expansion of Cold War-era military-political alliances. The Russian military chief of staff said earlier that if the Ukraine and Georgia joined NATO, Moscow would respond by boosting its own defences. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has pledged every effort to prevent the integration of these two former Soviet republics into the Western alliance.

24 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27469&cid=45&p=24.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Tallinn, 16 May 2008 (RIA-Novosti):

A brown bear was caught by an Estonian environmental inspector in the Narva River swimming toward the Russian border, the newspaper Eesti Paevaleht reported on Friday. The bear swam almost 100 metres (@330 feet) until it was noticed by the official, who was on a barge. Frightened by the barge horn, the bear swam back to Estonia. However, when the barge moved away, the bear re-entered Russian territory, swimming to Ivangorod, some 160 kilometres (@100 miles) west of St Petersburg, before later swimming back to Estonia.

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080516/107610438.html (in English)

Editor’s Note:

Was this bear originally from Estonia or from Russia… only the Shadow knows! Hmm… is he the same bear who shouted Preved! (“Hi!”, also slang for “surprise!”) at the lovers in the field? Perspiring minds want to know…

Here is a funny little item from Interfax. Isn’t this cute?

Conan (left) the Chihuahua joins Buddhist priest Joei Yoshikuni (right) in prayer at Jigenin temple in Okinawa

Editor’s Note:

A little off-topic, but, with all the serious and sometimes controversial items lately, I wished to lighten the mood a bit and find something that we all could smile at and enjoy. To get back on-topic, per Interfax-Religion, there are Russian Orthodox monks who have a dog named Byeli (Whitey). They rescued him after he was injured, and the dog barks in unison with the chimes when they are rung to call the brotherhood to prayer. What do the monks say? Let everything that breathes praise the Lord (a quote from the Psalms, by the way)!

Naha, Japan, 24 March 2008 (AFP):

Buddhists clasp their palms together to pray for enlightenment, but Conan, a Chihuahua, appears to have more worldly motivations. The dog has become a popular attraction at a Japanese temple after learning to imitate the worshippers around him. “Conan started to pose in prayer like us whenever he wanted treats”, said Joei Yoshikuni, a priest at Jigenin temple on the southern island of Okinawa. “Clasping hands is a basic action of Buddhist prayer to show appreciation. He may be showing his thanks for treats and walks”, he said.

Conan, a two-year-old male with long, black hair and a brown collar, sits next to Yoshikuni in front of the altar and looks right up at the statue of a Buddhist deity. When the priest starts chanting and raises his clasped hands, Conan also raises his paws and joins them at the tip of his nose. Visitors to the temple look on with curiosity. “It’s so funny that he does it”, said Kazuko Oshiro, 71, who has frequented the temple for more than 25 years. “He gets angry when somebody else sits on his favourite spot. He must be thinking that it’s his special place”, Mr Oshiro said.

Conan, originally a temple pet, has become so popular that people come in to take pictures almost every week, the priest said. Sensei Yoshikuni estimated that the temple receives 30 percent more visitors, especially young tourists, than it would otherwise. “I’m glad that people feel more comfortable visiting the temple because of Conan”, he said as he jokingly joined his hands and bowed to the dog.

Agence France Presse

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080324/lf_afp/lifestylejapanreligionanimaloffbeat_080324161640 (in English)

The famous circus clown Karandash (Mikhail Rumyantsev) with his faithful dog, Ink Spot

A bronze statue of the famous Soviet circus clown Mikhail Rumyanstev is to be erected in Moscow. He drew applause for a half century from the early 1930s by appearing in the circus ring in a ridiculous hat, with an absurd walking stick in his hands, and in the company of a trademark Scottish terrier named Ink Spot. Rumyanstev’s stage name was Karandash (“Pencil”). He entertained Soviet troops on the battlefronts of the Second World War as often as he could.

17 March 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24345&cid=51&p=17.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

Editors’ Note:

Bear Convicted for Theft of Honey

The taste of honey was just too tempting for a bear in Macedonia, which repeatedly raided a beekeeper’s hives. Now, it has a criminal record after a court found it guilty of theft and criminal damage. But, there was an empty dock in the court in the city of Bitola, and no handcuffed bear, which was convicted in its absence.

The case was brought by the exasperated beekeeper after a year of trying vainly to protect his beehives. For a while, he kept the animal away by buying a generator, lighting up the area, and playing thumping Serbian turbo-folk music. But, when the generator ran out of power and the music fell silent, the bear was back, and the honey was gone once more. “It attacked the beehives again”, said beekeeper Zoran Kiseloski.

Because the animal had no owner and belonged to a protected species, the court ordered the state to pay for the damage to the hives, around $3,500 US (£1,750 2,238 euros 82,684 roubles).

The bear, meanwhile, remains at large… somewhere in Macedonia.

14 March 2008

Paddy Clark

BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7295559.stm (in English)