The UN global plan for combating the trade in humans came into force on September 1st. It was approved by the delegates of the latest session of the UN General Assembly and is aimed at doing away with this phenomenon, which is regarded as a hateful one for the 21st century. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the countries to remit... →
The Moscow International Book Fair opened in Moscow on Wednesday. By tradition on this very day a special jury names the winners of the national Book of the Year 2010 contest. Here are some of the prize winners. This year it was not a book but rather a library that won the contest. The jury gave the nomination to a series of books under the... →
The US pretext for invading Iraq was groundless and far-fetched. Baghdad did not have weapons of mass destruction. The head of the Pentagon said these words when talking to journalists in the Iraqi town of Ramadi. Speaking frankly, Minister Gates disclosed the secret of Polichinelle. He has only confirmed what Moscow has been saying all along... →
"The hard work is only beginning. Neither success nor failure is inevitable," US President Barack Obama commenting the direct Palestinian-Israeli talks which have started in Washington. The path towards this dialogue was thorny and now nobody dares to forecast the outcome. The US decided to supervise the negotiating process, when... →
Two decades of the sovereignty of the Pridnestrovie Moldavian Republic are a dramatic and instructive experience of an alternative development of a territory, politically unrecognized, but having all the political and economic features of a state. Pridnestrovie is marking the 20th anniversary of its independence these days.It is an interesting and... →
The 7th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club opened on the 1st of September onboard the Kronstadt cruise ship in northwestern Russia’s Valdai area. Prominent experts on Russia from 15 European countries, the United States and Asia arrived to attend the week-long event.The annual Valdai Club aims to create an international... →
Russia’s authorities are actively working on a new privatization plan, which was mentioned for the first time nearly one year ago. Very soon foreign investors will learn about shares of Russian companies, which will be sold on the market over the next 3 years. It is not ruled out that the shares of the Savings Bank of the Russian... →
Today we talked to Ian Shapiro, professor of Politology at Yale University, concerning his ideas about the forum. Like some other participants, Mr. Shapiro attended last year’s forum and formed an opinion about it. He agrees that this is an important political event in the life of our country, and sees prospects for developing democracy in... →
Azerbaijan views Russia as the main buyer of its gas and it is expected that an additional agreement to increase the amount of gas to be supplied to Russia could be signed during President Medvedev's upcoming state visit to Azerbaijan. The supplementary agreement will cover gas delivery from Azerbaijan for... →
Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council in August was successful and helped to upgrade its efficiency, says the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin.Unlike many other international institutions, which go on summer vacation, the UN Security Council chaired by Russia continued to work as usual. Russia was one of the... →
Russia plans to get valuable fuel from gas the byproduct of crude oil, which is also a chemical raw material. For many years, the gas was flared and the problem became serious for the country since up to 90 per cent of such gas went up in flames. In recent years though, the situation has taken a turn for the better, said Gennady Shmal, president... →
On September 2, 1945 the Supreme Commander of the Allied armies, US Army General Douglas MacArthur suggested praying for peace that had been reestablished. On that day, the ceremony of signing the Act of Japan’s unconditional surrender took place in the Bay of Tokyo aboard the US battleship “Missouri”. On one side of the table... →
Speaking at a press conference during a traditional governmental Open Day, the German Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg presented the proposal on reforming the national armed forces. Der Spiegel magazine stresses that one of the key points of the proposed reform will be the increase of number of servicemen in foreign missions. Last... →
The first Russian eco-buses, which are ecological, or environmentally-friendly buses, are running along the streets in Krasnodar, the capital of Kuban. The model Trolza-5250 resembles an ordinary trolley-bus, but on the roof, instead of electric current catchers, there is a power installation producing the current. To make passengers notice the... →
A historical documentary film “Allies. With Good Faith and Fidelity”, timed for the 65th anniversary of the end of World War Two, has premiered in Moscow. On the eve of the movie’s premiere, its director Sergei Zaitsev shared his thoughts on the ways the memory of fighting against Nazism is preserved today. The filmmaker spent a... →
An intensive and continual use of the Internet results in changes in man’s brain performance. According to US psychologists, people who spend too much time in cyberspace lose the ability for in-depth thinking and systemic analysis. The conclusion has been indirectly corroborated by neurosurgeons who claim that the Internet helps develop the... →
Many people hope to live 100 years but very few manage to, and only the Old Testament prophet Methuselah was granted a life-span of 969 years. Still, long-lived people exist and their numbers in some countries keep growing. The number of people who are over 100 years old has sky-rocketed in Cuba. 53 more people have joined that group in... →
