Russian news, notes and thoughts

October, 2011 / RSS notes

31 October, 2011  // Russia is prepared to help Europe cope with its debt crisis by making as much as $10 billion available through the International Monetary Fund and hasn't ruled out offering bilateral help to European Union nations. Nobody wants the bankruptcy of Europe.

30 October, 2011  // An unmanned Russian cargo ship launched toward the International Space Station packed with nearly three tons of supplies for the orbiting lab's crew in what marked the first delivery run to the station since an August rocket crash.

28 October, 2011  // Georgian negotiators said they had accepted a Swiss compromise that would clear Russia's path to join the WTO in December, bringing an end to Moscow's 18-year application process. Really?

27 October, 2011  // Russian government plans to spend nearly $200 million building a motor racing circuit in Sochi to host the country's first Formula One grand prix in 2014.

26 October, 2011  // Russia's Bolshoi Theater reopens on Friday with a star-studded gala performance after a more than six-year, $700-million restoration dogged by delays and financial scandal to reclaim its place as one of the world's cultural jewels.

24 October, 2011  // Russia's Emergencies Ministry is ready to send rescuers and mobile medical unit to Turkey, where hundreds are feared dead after powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake. However Turkey has so far declined all offers of assistance. Can there be too much help in such circumstances?

23 October, 2011  // Top NASA officials are quietly working to extend a contract with Moscow that would continue using Russian rockets to fly U.S. astronauts into space until 2016 and beyond. For how long will Russia have the profits of being space monopoly?

22 October, 2011  // Russia and European Union said they had removed their final bilateral barriers to Moscow's accession to WTO. The deal puts the biggest economy outside WTO the closest it has ever been to membership since it started negotiations 17 years ago. The last word is for Georgia now.

20 October, 2011  // The secret is out and making Russia proud: Apple has picked Russia's Glonass navigation system to run alongside GPS in its iPhone 4S models that hit stores this month.

19 October, 2011  // Russia and seven other post-Soviet states, including Ukraine, signed an agreement on creating a free-trade zone, in another step in Moscow's drive to rebuild economic ties among former Soviet republics.

18 October, 2011  // On this day in 1867, the United States took possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia. The transfer price was $7.2 million, or about $110 million in today's dollars (about 187 USD per 1 square mile). Great deal for the U.S., not sure about Russia.

17 October, 2011  // An explosive eruption is taking place at Russia's Shiveluch volcano, located in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting no fly zones to be imposed in the region. Ash plumes have risen to 34,500 ft (10.5 km).

16 October, 2011  // European Space Agency has issued a formal invitation to Russia to join the U.S.-European Mars exploration program in a last-ditch attempt to save the project from being cut in half. Good opportunity to spend money on something worthwhile.

14 October, 2011  // Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying that UN Security Council's decision to prolong the mandate of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan would promote security in the region. International forces are doing really good job there for the safety of Russia.

12 October, 2011  // Team Russia has officially booked a place at next year's Euro 2012, after destroying Andorra 6-0 in the final qualifying game at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Congratulations!

10 October, 2011  // Russia is ready to buy Spanish government debt once the euro zone's member states have put in place a strategy to overcome the currency bloc's debt crisis. Still very risky investment or Spain will be Russian in case of default?

9 October, 2011  // Talks between Georgia and Russia on the Russian bid to join the World Trade Organization made no progress at the latest meeting in Geneva, said Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze. The price Russia pays for that stupid war.

8 October, 2011  // Russia agreed to lend Venezuela $4 billion through 2013 for defense spending in return for gaining access to heavy crude and offshore gas fields in the South American country. Another $4 billion that will be never returned but who cares Russia is so rich and prosperous.

7 October, 2011  // Syrian opposition leader accused Russia and China of putting their economic interests first and showing "hostility" toward Syrian people by blocking United Nations resolution demanding an end to violence.

6 October, 2011  // Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed his condolences to the family, friends and fans of Steve Jobs. "People like Steve Jobs change our world" - Medvedev wrote in his Twitter blog.

5 October, 2011  // Utah Jazz star forward Andrei Kirilenko is headed back to Russia, signing a three-year deal to rejoin CSKA Moscow. Kirilenko has an option in the contract that would allow him to return to the NBA when a labor lockout ends. Welcome home!

4 October, 2011  // Russia's subpolar regions may find themselves affected by a newly discovered hole in ozone layer above the Arctic. The depletion of ozone layer this year is the most serious on record and that the hole is likely to expand even further.

3 October, 2011  // Russia's inaugural Rugby World Cup campaign has ended. Russia lost all four of their group games, but rugby specialists marked their performance in New Zealand as they became the most successful World Cup debutants in history.

2 October, 2011  // A new Russian manned drifting weather station Severny Polyus-39 started operating in the Arctic Ocean. SP-39 has a crew of 16 specialists, including marine and ice scientists, hydrologists and meteorologists. Good luck in exploration!

Archive

2010: December (32), November (43), October (5),
2011: December (12), November (16), October (24), September (23), August (20), July (23), June (19), May (19), April (20), March (27), February (24), January (29),
2012: December (4), November (5), October (9), September (10), August (9), July (7), June (8), May (6), April (8), March (10), February (7), January (11),
2013: December (2), October (3), September (5), August (1), July (4), June (2), May (2), April (2), March (4), February (5), January (6),
2014: December (2), November (1), October (1), September (1), August (1), July (2), June (1), May (4), February (1),
2015: December (2), November (2), October (2), September (3), August (1), July (3), June (2), May (1), April (1), March (2), February (2), January (1),
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2019: December (1), November (2), October (2), September (2), August (2), July (2), June (1), May (3), April (3), March (4), February (2), January (3),
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The comments of our visitors

Paul Manoli
News reporting
Excellent reporting. Interesting content.

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