1 June 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Tretyakov Gallery hosts exhibition of Orthodox icons

Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the statue is of its founder Pavel Tretyakov [1832-98]

Within the framework of the celebrations dedicated to Ss Cyril and Methodius Day, the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery opened an exhibition of Orthodox icons from the museums of Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus. The main aim of the project is to demonstrate the diversity of the fine arts that originated in these three related states with a common Byzantine heritage. The oldest icon on display dates back to the 14th century. Kiev and Minsk are the next cities to host the exhibition.

29 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27672&cid=51&p=29.05.2008

Imperial Gardens of Russia festival kicks off in Saint Petersburg

Summer Garden in St Petersburg in the autumn

The first Imperial Gardens of Russia festival kicks off in the Mikhailovsky Garden of St Petersburg today. The festival, initiated by the Russian Museum jointly with the His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent Charitable Foundation and the Union of Gardeners of Russia, will be held from 30 May to 3 June. A team of landscape designers will create various compositions in a single style and on a certain set theme using plants and small-scale architectural forms.

30 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27716&cid=51&p=30.05.2008

24th annual book fair opens in Montpellier

Place de la Comédie in Montpellier

Russia is this year’s guest of honour at the 24th annual book fair in Montpellier in southern France. Three years ago, it enjoyed a similar status at the annual national book fair in Paris. Montpellier is generally seen as France’s second most important book event. Books by Russian authors sell like hot cakes around France.

30 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27768&cid=51&p=30.05.2008

The award ceremony of the Golden Knight film festival is tonight

Sergei Bondarchuk (1924-94) as Pierre Bezukhov in War and Peace (1968), a film which he both directed and acted in.

Tonight, the Golden Knight film festival in Moscow shall hold its award ceremony. There were more than 250 entries from countries in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and North America. A special prize in the name of War and Peace [1968] director Sergei Bondarchuk goes to the Russian film-maker Eldar Ryazanov.

31 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27808&cid=51&p=31.05.2008

East-West International Film festival opens in Baku

The programme of the East-West International Film festival opening in the Azeri capital of Baku on Sunday includes five Russian films. They are Russian Roulette by Pavel Chukhrai, The Actress by Stanislav Govorukhin, Exile by Andrei Zvyagintsev, Cargo 200 by Alexei Balabanov and Aleksandr Nevsky Battle. The festival, which shall run until 7 June, shall screen 14 films by producers from Russia, Azerbaijan, France, Poland, Iran, Latvia, Estonia, and Kyrgyzstan. Several of these films have already won awards at prestigious festivals.

1 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27829&cid=51&p=01.06.2008

International chorus festival devoted to Russia Day opens in St Petersburg

The second international chorus festival devoted to Russia Day opens in St Petersburg on Sunday. The boys’ chorus from the Polish city of Poznan and the young pianist Anastasia Sokolova shall stage a concert Sunday evening. The festival includes 22 concerts involving groups from Russia, Germany, Denmark, Poland, and the Baltic states. This year, the festival is included in the programme of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

1 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27830&cid=51&p=01.06.2008

Voice of Russia World Service

London to host Russian poetry and arts festival in June

Statue of Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837) in Pushkinskaya metro station in St Petersburg

The sixth Pushkin in Britain international festival of Russian poetry and arts will be held in London on 5 to 10 June, the organisers said. The festival programme, dedicated to the anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin, will include an “Evening of Pushkin” on 6 June in Covent Garden, with English translations of the Russian poet’s verse displayed on a screen.

Day two will see the 6th International Russian poetry tournament and the 2nd International Russian short story tournament. A total of 28 finalists from 14 countries will compete for the titles “King/Queen of Prose” and “King/Queen of Poetry”, who will receive bronze statues of Pushkin and a cash prize. An English translation of the prose and poetry written by the finalists will be published by the start of the festival.

The official opening of the festival will show a presentation of a new project, “Pushkin in Britain, Shakespeare in Moscow: two alleys of Great Poets”, an international roundtable “Pushkin and Great Britain”, an exhibition “Pushkin and Western Europe” from the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and the film-lecture Kapitanskaya Dochka (The Captain’s Daughter) based on Pushkin’s script. The festival organisers will hold poetry impromptu and parody competitions during a cruise along the River Thames. The festival programme, covered by media sponsor RIA-Novosti, is available at www.pushkininbritain.com (in Russian)

30 May 2008

http://en.rian.ru/culture/20080530/108916154.html

RIA-Novosti

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1 June 2008. Out and About…

Russia to increase health and childcare benefits

Prime Minister Putin has okayed proposals to earmark an extra 250 million dollars (5.922 billion roubles. 160.625 million euros. 126.25 million UK pounds) on programmes to increase health and childcare benefits and buy homes and cars for elderly war veterans. Another two billion dollars (47.382 billion roubles. 1.285 billion euros. 1.01 billion UK pounds) will go to support farming with a view to containing food prices.

28 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27650&cid=46&p=28.05.2008

Russia intends to become one of the world’s leaders in aircraft building

Sukhoi Superjet 100, new Russian civil airliner design

Russia intends to become one of the world’s leaders in aircraft manufacturing. Aleksei Fedorov, the head of the Allied Aircraft Building Company, said this at the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA-2008 in Berlin. According to Mr Fedorov, priority is being given to civil aviation since Russia’s share in the military sector of the market has long been quite substantial. Russia plans to win some 10 to 15 percent of the world market in airliners.

28 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27599&cid=50&p=28.05.2008

Russian Academy of Sciences elects new members

Artur Chilingarov (1939- ), honoured Arctic explorer and scientist, Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Russian Federation, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and RF Gosduma deputy… whew! Rock on, Artur Nikolaevich!

The Russian Academy of Science (RAN) elected 44 new full members and 112 corresponding members, among them the prominent scientist and politician Sergei Glazyev, Khabarovsk oblast governor Viktor Ishayev, International Relations Institute Director Anatoly Torkunov and the famous Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov. The 14 new foreign members also elected include former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Speaking at today’s meeting of the RAN in Moscow, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that two years fron now, the RAN would receive 10 times as much money as it received in 2000. The government has earmarked funds to develop such promising fields as nano- and biotechnologies, nuclear energy, and aerospace research.

29 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27714&cid=50&p=29.05.2008

By 2010, the budget of Russian Academy of Sciences to increase ten-fold

Prime Vladimir Putin (1952- ) at the Russian Academy of Sciences meeting

By 2010, the budget of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) will exceed 60 billion roubles (2.533 billion USD 1.627 billion euros. 1.279 billion UK pounds), a ten-fold increase from the year 2000. Breaking the news on Tuesday during his visit to the RAN, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the government has earmarked considerable resources for the development of nano- and bio-technologies, nuclear power engineering, and aerospace research. Priority will be given to creating modern scientific laboratories, stimulating new approaches to research management, and developing competition in science.

29 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27684&cid=46&p=29.05.2008

Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East celebrates its 150th anniversary

A ceremony to unveil a statue to its founding father opened the events in Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the city. A bronze likeness of Captain Yakov Dyachenko stands near the site where he led a landing from boats travelling along the Amur River. Khabarovsk is named after Yerofei Khabarov, a 17th-century Russian explorer of Siberia and the Far East.

30 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27769&cid=48&p=30.05.2008

Over a half-million people in the Crimea support the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet

Russian guided-missile-armed corvettes of the Black Sea Fleet at anchor in Sevastopol Roads

Over a half-million people in the Crimea supported a Communist-led petition to perpetuate the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in their Peninsula. By mid-June, the support may grow to two million. The appeal was launched in early May, following the celebrations in the historic port of Sevastopol on the 225th anniversary of the founding of the Black Sea Fleet. The current Russian lease on bases in the Crimea will expire in 2017.

30 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27772&cid=48&p=30.05.2008

Foreign investment in Russia reaches $220 billion

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov (1956- )

Vast reserves and wise management policies have immunised Russia against the global credit crunch. Foreign investment in Russia continues to grow, and has already topped 220 billion US dollars (5.221 trillion roubles. 141.35 billion euros. 111.1 billion UK pounds). Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Zhukov stated this to an international conference on economic globalisation and corporate management in Moscow on Friday.

30 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27771&cid=46&p=30.05.2008

President Medvedev confirms the reelection of Professor Yuri Osipov to the post of President of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Professor Yuri Osipov (1936- ), President of the Russian Academy of Sciences

President Dmitri Medvedev has confirmed the re-election of 71-year-old Russian mathematician Professor Yuri Osipov to the post of President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Professor Osipov has been at the helm since 1991, and steered the Academy through a difficult period in the 1990s.

31 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27798&cid=48&p=31.05.2008

Delegations from across Russia and the Ukraine are headed for Sevastopol to join the celebrations of the city’s 225th anniversary

The harbour at Sevastopol, one of Russia’s main naval bases

All Russian and Ukrainian oblasts and many other international entities are sending delegations to Sevastopol for the celebration to mark the 225th anniversary of the foundation of the city, in the week starting 7 June. The programme includes galas, parades, and reenactments of historical events in the naval citadel. Early May saw the 225th anniversary of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which continues to operate from bases at Sevastopol.

31 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27799&cid=48&p=31.05.2008

Russia believes it is largely immune to the global food crisis

Russia categorically dismisses allegations that the global shortage of food may force it to ration bread. In a newspaper interview Saturday, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko spoke about incentives for farmers, good harvests, and a vast food export potential. He says Russia protects its domestic food market in a way that does not harm other nations. Russia is the world’s second biggest exporter of grain products.

31 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27801&cid=46&p=31.05.2008

Patriarch Aleksei serves Divine Liturgy at the Butovo Field

Memorial Church of the New Martyrs of Russia on the Butovo Field, in suburban metro Moscow

Patriarch Aleksei of Moscow and all the Russias served Divine Liturgy and a molieben for the New Martyrs of the Butovo Field at the Church of the New Martyrs in the Moscow suburbs. During the religious persecutions in the former Soviet Union, tens of thousand people, both clergy and laymen, who refused to compromise their faith, were executed and buried there. Patriarch Aleksei emphasised that this was both a holy place and a tragic place. This is a holy place because the saints are resting in peace, whilst it is tragic because our compatriots were done to death here. Many of the New Martyrs of the Butovo Field remain unknown. Metropolitan Yuvenaly Poyarkov of Krutisky and Kolomna and other clergy concelebrated with the patriarch.

1 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27818&cid=48&p=01.06.2008

1 June is International Children’s Day

Moscow marks International Children’s Day with ice cream, games, competitions, and the start of “working summer”. According to city hall, today, dozens of cultural, sport, and educational programmes will be held for our children.

1 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27820&cid=48&p=01.06.2008

Russian airlines switch to e-ticketing

Russian airlines that are members of the International Air Transport Association will switch to e-ticketing. The passenger will have to submit a printed copy of the ticket from the Internet, and, in some cases, the passenger has only to confirm his name. The technology involved is now in universal use. E-ticketing can be used to issue tickets for both internal and international flights.

1 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27828&cid=48&p=01.06.2008

Voice of Russia World Service