Mike Nova's starred items
Mike Nova's starred items
via Russia - Google News on 2/26/13
Litvinenko lawyer accuses UK of cover up to help Russia ties
Reuters LONDON (Reuters) - The lawyer for the family of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006, accused Britain and Russia on Tuesday of colluding to try and shut down an inquiry into his death for the sake of trade links. and more » |
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 2/26/13
LONDON (Reuters) - The lawyer for the family of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006, accused Britain and Russia on Tuesday of colluding to try and shut down an inquiry into his death for the sake of trade links. Litvinenko, who had been granted British citizenship and become a vocal critic of the Kremlin, died after someone slipped polonium-210, a rare radioactive isotope, into his cup of tea at a London hotel. The fallout from his death has beleaguered diplomatic relations between London and Moscow ever since. ...
via Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on 2/26/13
Iran's lame-duck president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, has tapped a doctoral graduate of North Korea's most elite university and the purported architect of a "national intranet" to head the Communications and Information Technology Ministry.
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
Russia's Rosneft plans to cut volumes of crude it sells through its biggest six-month tender by almost a third, traders said Monday, as the state oil major prepares to clinch an oil-for-loans deal with traders Glencore and Vitol.
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by The Associated Press <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday rejected criticism from the Dutch government and the European Union about proposed legislation that would outlaw "homosexual propaganda."
via Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on 2/26/13
Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has claimed many victories in the war on terror. Each time a domestic terror suspect is arrested, the public is told that another horrific plot has been averted. But after combing through thousands of pages of court documents, investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson came to a different conclusion -- that most of the men arrested could never have done what they were accused of if the FBI hadn’t given them the tools to do ...
via World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk by Marie Jégo on 2/26/13
A motley battalion is trooping the colours in the snowy yard at the Cossack military school near Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), nearly 1,000km south-east of Moscow. Aged seven to 17, the cadets, wearing camouflage clothing and matching hats, are standing to attention in a line. They are preparing for the ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Red Army's decisive victory over the Germans, watched by President Vladimir Putin.
Obeying orders from their instructor, they turn their eyes right, then left, finally staring straight ahead at the flags blowing in the wind: the colours of Russia and the Nedorubovskaya stanitsa (Cossack settlement) that runs the school, only a few kilometres from the banks of the river Don, in the Cossack heartland.
Cheeks are rosy on this icy morning, but most of the 320 cadets will be going home to their families after a tough schedule of study, military training, singing and prayers.
The cadets file into the refectory, say grace and eat their meal in silence. In the entrance to the boarding house, the Cossacks' commandments set the tone: "Love Russia, for she is your mother and no one will ever replace her", or indeed "Those who march against the Motherland are your enemies".
The headmaster, Vladlen Stratulat, is proud of his recruits: "We have a 90% success rate in the unified state examination [at the end of secondary education]," he says. The curriculum is the same as elsewhere in the Russian Federation, but with military and patriotic training as an extra.
The school has a good reputation. The buildings are modern and the extensive grounds are perfect for exercising and of course riding, essential for true Cossacks. With their military training, the cadets hope to enter the army, police or intelligence service. What is more, the school is free. "Apart from buying the basic uniform, families pay nothing. We supply the ceremonial uniform, teaching, moral education, board and lodging," says Alexander Nikolaevich, the head of the teaching staff. Almost all the funding is provided by the ministry of nationalities and nearby Cossack communities.
The school, which opened in 2009, is a symbol of Cossack resurgence. Almost a century after they were nearly destroyed by the Bolsheviks, these fierce horsemen – recruited by Ivan the Terrible in 1571 to guard Russia's borders – are back in harness. Between the Don and the Volga, and further south near Krasnodar and Rostov, stanitsas have sprung up again. Russia's ongoing demographic worries have played a part in this trend. Ethnic Russians are increasingly anxious about the vibrant Muslim areas of the Caucasus, the only places where the population is growing. This suits the Cossacks, who see themselves resuming their traditional role as the guardians of the southern steppes threatened by Tatar hordes.
The Russian army has had a Cossack regiment since 2005. Some 30 military schools, such as the one in Volgograd, have opened in the country. Strapping fellows, in papakhi (the traditional black Astrakhan hats), now patrol the streets of Moscow and Krasnodar to prevent trouble and acts of blasphemy against shrines. They replace the police in this paradoxical land where the "hierarchy of power" coexists with disintegrating state institutions (police, army, justice) sapped by inefficiency and corruption.
As part of the tsarist army the Cossacks pursued Napoleon's forces across Europe, finally camping on the Champs Elysées in 1814. But during the civil war, which followed the 1917 revolution, they were divided, Reds pitted against Whites. In the early 1930s the triumphant Bolsheviks turned on the Cossacks, who seemed at odds with dreams of a "new man". They were liquidated, along with the kulaks. During the second world war Stalin reinstated Cossack cavalry units, but when peace returned they were again forgotten.
For the past 20 years Russia's leaders have been searching for a new "national idea". With the fall of communism, they wanted to give new impulse to the country, torn between embracing the outside world or withdrawing within its borders. Since the start of his third term as president, Putin seems to have adopted the traditional tsarist line, first expressed under Nicholas I, that promotes "orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality".
Much as his reactionary predecessor, Putin relies on officialdom, the church and the security services to govern. This fits well with Cossack patriotism. "Russia is like a mother, an invaluable gift from God and above reproach," Nikolaevich says. Putin's portrait hangs in every classroom, alongside the Russian flag and the words of the national anthem.
According to Stratulat, a former Soviet air-force pilot, the return to values such as "spirituality, morality and patriotism" is good for the country, which is still recovering from the chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. "The children who are boarders here would spend their time in front of a computer or TV at home with their parents. Some belong to problem families, with feckless, alcoholic parents, so they're better off here," he explains. "We try to give our pupils a sense of brotherhood. They will leave school as law-abiding citizens, profoundly attached to God and their homeland."
• This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
via Russia - Google News on 2/26/13
UPDATE 2-Russia says central bank independence not at risk
Reuters MOSCOW Feb 26 (Reuters) - The Russian government said on Tuesday it was seeking greater representation on the central bank's board under reforms to unify financial market oversight, but said it posed no threat to the bank's independence. Speaking to ... |
via Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on 2/26/13
A video produced by Iranian-Canadian journalist Mazar Bahari, who was imprisoned in Iran in 2009, calls for the release of Iranian journalists who were arrested in late January on charges of 'conspiring' with foreign media.
Mike Nova's starred items
via Russia - Google News on 2/26/13
 BBC News |
'Gay propaganda' bill proves divisive in Russia
BBC News A bill banning "homosexual propaganda" has passed its first reading in the Russian parliament. It still has some way to go before it is made law, but is already proving divisive. "I do not know any homosexuals personally, but I have seen them on TV and ... Russia defends law against 'gay propaganda'FRANCE 24 Russia's foreign minister defends anti-gay billHuffington Post Gay propaganda ban 'not discrimination': RussiaZee News Here And Now -Christian Post all 20 news articles » |
via Russia - Google News on 2/26/13
 Daily Mail |
Russia to ban smoking in public places from June under Putin's plans to make ...
Daily Mail Smoking population: Some 40 per cent of Russians smoke regularly (pictured left is a student in St Petersburg, and right a coal mine worker in Shestaki, Siberia). Almost 400,000 people die each year from smoking-related causes, according to Prime ... Russia: Putin Signs Law to Ban Most Public SmokingNew York Times Putin signs law to curb smoking, tobacco sales in RussiaReuters Smokers have one less paradise as Russia pushes more smoking bansSkift BBC News -International Business Times -Mail & Guardian Online all 57 news articles » |
via NYT > Europe by By LAURIE GOODSTEIN on 2/27/13
A British cleric resigned over allegations of sexual advances, even as many other clerics accused of failing to remove clergymen linked to child sexual abuse gather to choose a new pope.
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 2/26/13
PARIS (AP) — The Obama administration, in coordination with some European allies, is for the first time considering supplying direct assistance to elements of the Free Syrian Army as they seek to ramp up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and end nearly two years of brutal and increasingly deadly violence.
via Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty on 2/26/13
The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Chuck Hagel’s nomination to become the country's new defense secretary, but the 58-41 vote was the closest vote ever to approve a U.S. defense chief.
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
Police summoned for questioning a family member of former Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow prison over three years ago, the company's press service said Wednesday.
via Russia - Google News on 2/27/13
 Fars News Agency |
Russia envoy calls Iran nuclear talks "useful": agency
Reuters MOSCOW (Reuters) - Talks with Iran on its nuclear program were useful, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Russian news agency Interfax. "The meeting was useful," Interfax quoted Ryabkov as saying ... Iran, world powers to meet at expert level in March: RussiaStraits Times Russia Sees Iran-G5+1 Talks as "Useful"Fars News Agency Almaty round of Iran talks useful - diplomatThe Voice of Russia Press TV -RBTH Asia -Voice of Russia - UK Edition all 457 news articles » |
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
The Moscow mayor's office has approved the next opposition march scheduled for March 2, Alexei Mayorov, head of the city's regional security department, said Wednesday.
via World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk by Matthew Weaver on 2/27/13
Follow how the day unfolded as the US continued to hint at more support for Syrian rebels while Russia urged the opposition to show more commitment to dialogue
Mike Nova's starred items
Mike Nova shared Cult Of The Ancient Gods's photo.
As Antinous is often assimilated to Apollo, he therefore substitutes as the twin of Diana, though he can often be viewed as her male double, so that Antinous is Diana. Diana is often compared to Hecate, the supreme goddess of Theurgian magicians, who rose to prominence during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Antinous therefore is the male equivalent of Hecate.
Scientists reconstruct Russia meteor trajectory (+video) - Christian Science Monitor
 Christian Science Monitor |
Scientists reconstruct Russia meteor trajectory (+video)
Christian Science Monitor A duo of Colombian scientists say they have reconstructed the orbit of the meteor that exploded earlier this month over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Skip to next paragraph. In Pictures: Space Photos of the Day: Asteroids. Related stories ... Big Meteorite Chunk Found in Russia's Ural MountainsUniverse Today NASA Explains What Exploded Over RussiaGizmodo NASA explains meteor explosion over RussiaiTWire Financial Express -USA TODAY all 119 news articles » |
via Russia - Google News on 2/26/13
What exploded over Russia? Watch two videos with new answers
EarthSky (blog) Less than two weeks ago – on Friday, February 15, 2013 – an asteroid exploded over Russia's Ural mountains. The explosion, which occurred some 8-12 miles (14-20 kilometers) above ground, shattered windows in and around the city of Chelyabinsk, ... |
Deborah Byrd Feb 27, 2013
Less than two weeks ago – on Friday, February 15, 2013 – an asteroid exploded over Russia’s Ural mountains. The explosion, which occurred some 8-12 miles (14-20 kilometers) above ground, shattered windows in and around the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia and caused some 1,000 injuries, but thankfully no deaths. Scientists are now saying it was the most powerful meteor explosion in Earth’s atmosphere since the Tunguska event in 1908. Since that day, progress has been made in understanding the origin and make-up of the February 15 meteor explosion. Two new videos present some of the latest information. Both videos were just released; you’ll find them below.
The more comprehensive of the two videos is the latest NASA ScienceCast. It’s just under four minutes long and presents NASA scientists’ latest results in a concise way.
View from space: Russian meteor entering the atmosphere
The most important message from NASA scientists – echoed by scientists throughout the world – is that the meteor that exploded over Russia on February 15 was not related in any way to the much-publicized asteroid 2012 DA14, which passed only 17,200 miles from Earth later that same day.
It was one heck of a coincidence that still “has NASA scientists scratching their heads,” according to the video. Still, an analysis of the orbit of the two objects shows they are not related, although both asteroids apparently have orbits that carry them both beyond, and close to, Earth’s orbit.
On that note, you might also enjoy the 45-second video below, showing a preliminary orbit for the Chelyabinsk meteoroid as calculated by researchers Jorge Zuluaga and Ignacio Ferrin at the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia. They used information from dashboard and security cameras that captured the huge fireball to calculate an orbit. According to an article at UniverseToday.com:
The Apollo asteroids can get farther from the sun than Earth, but they also sometimes come within Earth’s orbit. They are considered Earth-crossers, and some can get very close to the Earth, as the February 15 asteroid over Russia clearly demonstrated. There’s been an increasing awareness on the part of astronomers that these asteroids are, potentially, dangerous, and efforts have been underway for some years now to track them. That’s why we hear so much nowadays about asteroids passing near Earth.
The video above shows the orbit calculated by Zuluaga and Ferrin, and you can read more about their research at UniverseToday.com.
Bottom line: Two videos present the latest results – as of February 26, 2013 – on the meteor that exploded over Russia on February 15.
What is the Tunguska explosion?
What exploded over Russia? Watch two videos with new answers
Meteor seen over Russia February 15, 2013
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The more comprehensive of the two videos is the latest NASA ScienceCast. It’s just under four minutes long and presents NASA scientists’ latest results in a concise way.
View from space: Russian meteor entering the atmosphere
The most important message from NASA scientists – echoed by scientists throughout the world – is that the meteor that exploded over Russia on February 15 was not related in any way to the much-publicized asteroid 2012 DA14, which passed only 17,200 miles from Earth later that same day.
It was one heck of a coincidence that still “has NASA scientists scratching their heads,” according to the video. Still, an analysis of the orbit of the two objects shows they are not related, although both asteroids apparently have orbits that carry them both beyond, and close to, Earth’s orbit.
On that note, you might also enjoy the 45-second video below, showing a preliminary orbit for the Chelyabinsk meteoroid as calculated by researchers Jorge Zuluaga and Ignacio Ferrin at the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia. They used information from dashboard and security cameras that captured the huge fireball to calculate an orbit. According to an article at UniverseToday.com:
Using the trajectories shown in videos posted on YouTube, the researchers were able to calculate the trajectory of the meteorite as it fell to Earth and use it to reconstruct the orbit in space of the meteoroid before its violent encounter with our planet … through their calculations, Zuluaga and Ferrin determined the rock originated from the Apollo class of asteroids.
The Apollo asteroids can get farther from the sun than Earth, but they also sometimes come within Earth’s orbit. They are considered Earth-crossers, and some can get very close to the Earth, as the February 15 asteroid over Russia clearly demonstrated. There’s been an increasing awareness on the part of astronomers that these asteroids are, potentially, dangerous, and efforts have been underway for some years now to track them. That’s why we hear so much nowadays about asteroids passing near Earth.
The video above shows the orbit calculated by Zuluaga and Ferrin, and you can read more about their research at UniverseToday.com.
Bottom line: Two videos present the latest results – as of February 26, 2013 – on the meteor that exploded over Russia on February 15.
What is the Tunguska explosion?
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by By Howard Amos <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
The Investigative Committee said Wednesday that anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny fraudulently obtained his credentials as a lawyer.
via Russia - Google News on 2/27/13
 BBC News |
Russia's Alexei Navalny accused of new fraud
BBC News One of Russia's leading opposition figures, Alexei Navalny, has been accused of obtaining his lawyer's qualifications fraudulently. The Russian Investigative Committee said that while applying to be a lawyer he had provided inaccurate information. Russia piles pressure on opposition leader with new accusationReuters Russia Says Protest Leader has Illegal Lawyer LicenseNaharnet Russian opposition figurehead Alexei NavalnyRIA Novosti all 7 news articles » |
via Russia - Google News on 2/27/13
 RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Russia's Putin called for drastic upgrade of the country's aging army in the ...
Fox News MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the country's top brass to deliver a drastic upgrade of the armed forces in the next three years to fend off attempts from abroad to "tip the strategic balance" in the world. In his address to ... French President On First Russia VisitRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Russia's Putin called for drastic upgrade of the country's aging army within 3 ...Edmonton Journal Russia keeps building military potential – PutinThe Voice of Russia Russia & India Report -RIA Novosti all 15 news articles » |
via The Moscow Times Top Stories by The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> on 2/26/13
Former Moscow police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, sentenced to 11 years in prison for his involvement in the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politikovskaya, said he knows people involved in two other high-profile killings, a news report said Wednesday.
via - Europe RSS Feed on 2/27/13
Pope Benedict XVI greeted the Catholic masses in St Peter's Square today for the last time before retiring, making several rounds of the square as crowds cheered wildly and stopping to kiss a half-dozen children brought up to him by his secretary.
via Russia - Google News on 2/27/13
BBC News |
Russia piles pressure on opposition leader with new accusation
Reuters MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators said on Wednesday a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin had gained his qualifications as a lawyer illegally, piling more pressure on the opposition leader who already faces three criminal investigations. Russia's Alexei Navalny accused of new fraudBBC News Russia Says Protest Leader has Illegal Lawyer LicenseNaharnet Russian opposition figurehead Alexei NavalnyRIA Novosti all 7 news articles » |
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 2/27/13
LONDON (Reuters) - A British coroner said on Wednesday he would consider in secret sensitive information which the British government does not want made public about the death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006. Litvinenko, who had been granted British citizenship and had become a vocal critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, died after someone slipped polonium-210, a rare radioactive isotope, into his cup of tea at a plush London hotel. ...
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 2/27/13
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators said on Wednesday a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin had gained his qualifications as a lawyer illegally, piling more pressure on the opposition leader who already faces three criminal investigations. Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger, was a leader of a street protest movement against Putin's 13-year rule that started after mass allegations of fraud in a parliamentary election in December 2011. But the protests have withered and made no significant inroads into the president's grip on power. ...
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