Author Archive
Posted on January 29, 2012 - by Venik
Syria hurtling towards a bloodier crisis
Uprising has reached Damascus but Assad regime isn’t giving in – and unless Russia agrees UN can’t do much Syria’s uprising stands poised between intensifying international diplomacy that may achieve little and escalating violence that is taking events on the ground to a new and menacing level. Amid heavy casualties across the country at the [...]
Posted on January 27, 2012 - by Venik
Russian election commission ousts Yavlinsky from presidential race – video
Vladimir Churov, the chairman of Russia’s central election commission introduced a vote resolution to ban the Yabloko party leader from participating in the presidential elections Original article Share on bebo Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about [...]
Posted on January 26, 2012 - by Venik
Russian expat invasion of Cyprus also has sinister overtones
Many Russians have made their home on the holiday island, but the Putin regime seems to be reaching deep into the tiny nation A mysterious Russian cargo ship limped into the Cypriot port of Limassol, this month, forced to seek shelter from a violent storm. Hidden on board the MS Chariot were four containers packed [...]
Posted on January 26, 2012 - by Venik
Doll ‘protesters’ present small problem for Russian police
Police in Siberian city ask prosecutors to investigate legality of protest involving display of toy figures holding miniature placards Russian police don’t take kindly to opposition protesters – even if they’re 5cm high and made of plastic. Police in the Siberian city of Barnaul have asked prosecutors to investigate the legality of a recent protest [...]
Posted on January 26, 2012 - by Venik
Vladimir Putin plans 100-book Russian canon all students must read
The Russian prime minister prescribes his top 100 books for the nation Vladimir Putin has laid out his plans to compile a canon of 100 Russian books “that every Russian school leaver will be required to read” in an attempt to preserve the “dominance of Russian culture”. In an article running to more than 4,500 [...]
Posted on January 26, 2012 - by Venik
Toy figure protests in Barnaul, Russia – gallery
Police in Siberian city ask prosecutors to investigate legality of protest involving display of toy figures holding miniature placards Original article Share on bebo Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on [...]
Posted on January 25, 2012 - by Venik
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s TV show to be aired on Russian channel
State-run Russia Today buys rights to broadcast 10-part series of interviews with ‘political players, thinkers and revolutionaries’ It’s the television channel that has given voice to a thousand anti-western conspiracy theories, while avoiding criticism of the hand that feeds it. Now state-run Russia Today, the Kremlin’s English-language propaganda arm, has forged an unlikely partnership – [...]
Posted on January 25, 2012 - by Venik
David Cameron to Council of Europe: back my reforms or UK steps back
Tories to call for looser relationship with ECHR at next election if prime minister’s reform plan fails The last time David Cameron embarked on a European adventure he had little idea of the endgame. The prime minister genuinely thought at last month’s EU summit there was an outside chance fellow leaders would agree to the [...]
Posted on January 24, 2012 - by Venik
Syria crisis: west seeks support for UN resolution against Assad
Russia pressed to back security council resolution endorsing Arab demands for Syrian president to step down Britain, the US and France are seeking Russian support for a new United Nations security council resolution to endorse Arab demands that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, step down. In a fresh twist to international diplomatic attempts to deal with [...]
Posted on January 23, 2012 - by Venik
Russian liberal leader faces exclusion from presidential election
Grigory Yavlinsky says accusations of mass violations in his application to run for presidency are purely political The head of Russia’s main liberal party has said he expects to be barred from taking part in the country’s upcoming presidential election, as nervous authorities hope to avoid scandal amid growing opposition to Vladimir Putin’s candidacy. Sources [...]
Posted on January 19, 2012 - by Venik
Court battle between Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky ends
Trial ends but judgment to be reserved over allegations of breach of trust until later date at commercial court in London A multibillion-pound high court battle between the Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, and the exiled Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky has come to an end. The judge, Mrs Justice Gloster, reserved judgment to a [...]
Posted on January 19, 2012 - by Venik
‘Fake rock’ Russian spy plot: anti-Putin activists left between rock and hard place
Russian leader Vladimir Putin previously exploited spy caper to discredit non-governmental organisations It was the moment that British spycraft became the laughing stock of Russia. The decision by MI6 to place a fake rock rigged with a hidden transmitter to communicate with agents in Moscow was more Johnny English than James Bond, with Russian state-run [...]
Posted on January 19, 2012 - by Venik
UK did spy on Russia with a rock, confirms ex-Blair aide – video
Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s former chief of staff, has admitted Britain spied on Russia with a device hidden in a rock Original article Share on bebo Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share via MySpace share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the [...]
Posted on January 19, 2012 - by Venik
Putin, Russia and the West talks to everyone but the man himself
Norma Percy’s BBC2 documentary is compulsive viewing for those who want to know what went on inside Russia for the last decade – even if Putin himself is absent Norma Percy is the pre-eminent political documentary filmmaker of our generation. She has set the gold standard in getting history’s movers and shakers to explain their [...]
