Russia

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Tough-as-Nails Pooty-Poot Is Also an Artiste

Russian PM's painting fetches $1.15M at charity auction

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin has a murky past with the KGB, a black belt in judo, and the public image of a tough guy, so when the Russian PM tried his hand at fine art, patrons sat up. Putin painted a scene of snowfall seen through a window for a charity auction...

Russia, Ukraine Reach Natural Gas Agreement

Russian gas to resume gas exports today

(Newser) - Russian gas will resume flowing into Ukraine’s domestic market today after the two countries settled their frosty dispute, the New York Times reports. As is customary for Western Europe, Kiev will now pay Moscow rates tied to the price of oil, but will receive a 20% discount, unlike Gazprom’...

Newly Assertive Medvedev Takes Swipe at Putin

Russian president, once seen as a puppet, castigates his mentor

(Newser) - Dmitry Medvedev publicly rebuked the government of Vladimir Putin yesterday for its handling of the country's severe economic crisis, in yet another sign that the Russian president is becoming increasingly independent. At a factory outside Moscow, Medvedev said the rescue was moving "more slowly than the current situation demands....

Cold War Ends: Russia, Ukraine Settle Gas Dispute

Both sides agree to international inspectors monitoring exports

(Newser) - Russia and Ukraine have settled their feisty gas dispute, allowing fuel supplies to start flowing to shivering European nations “within hours,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Both sides agreed to international teams monitoring the pipeline system in Ukraine, which Russia accuses of stealing EU gas for its own...

EU Strikes Deal to End Russian Gas Freeze

Thousands of eastern Europeans left in the cold by Russia-Ukraine dispute

(Newser) - Gas could be flowing back to a frozen Europe within days after Russian and Ukrainian officials agreed yesterday to an EU-brokered plan to have independent observers monitor pipelines, the Guardian reports. Russia cut off all its gas supplies via Ukraine Wednesday over a pricing dispute, leaving hundreds of thousands scrambling...

Flocke Gets Russian Comrade
 Flocke Gets Russian Comrade 

Flocke Gets Russian Comrade

(Newser) - Celebrity polar bear Flocke has a new companion, the AP reports. The Nuremberg Zoo's resident superstar was a little tense upon meeting the unnamed 1-year-old Russian polar bear, but the two soon teamed up for some joyous romping. The new bear arrived from Moscow in late December and will remain...

Russia Halts All Gas to Europe Via Ukraine

Last pipeline shut as shortages spread as far as France

(Newser) - Having slowed to a trickle yesterday, Russia today shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine, the latest move in a pricing dispute that has affected fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap. Gazprom, the Russian state gas company, blamed Ukraine for shutting down...

EU Faces Crisis as Russia Cuts Off Gas

Spat with Ukraine leaves half of continent short of fuel

(Newser) - European nations from Austria to Greece lost most or all of their gas supplies today, as a showdown between Russia and Ukraine imperiled the entire continent. Last night Gazprom, the Russian state gas company, cut its supply by 60% to punish Ukraine for allegedly stealing fuel that should flow through...

Russia Stops Supplying Gas to Ukraine

Europe worried about supply disruptions if dispute continues

(Newser) - Russia's gas export monopoly has cut off Ukraine's supply over a contract dispute, and has boosted European supply to head off worries about reliability, Reuters reports. The EU gets 20% of its gas from Ukrainian pipelines. Kiev has already tapped the country's reserves, and maintaining the pressure in the supply...

US to Expand Routes Into Afghanistan

Safer roads will depend on cooperation of Central Asian nations

(Newser) - More than four-fifths of the supplies for allied troops in Afghanistan travel via Pakistan along a treacherous route, prompting the US to plan new supply lines in the embattled region. The fragility of the current setup was laid bare after a Pakistani counter-militant offensive shut down the Khyber Pass yesterday,...

The Pride of Russia, Tanking Gazprom Seeks Bailout

A symbol of Moscow's resurgence a year ago, the natural gas giant is foundering

(Newser) - Just a year ago, Russian natural gas titan Gazprom was burning through global competition on its way to becoming the world's largest corporation. Now the state-owned darling of investors worldwide is deep in debt and flirting with a government bailout. A symbol of Russia’s resurgence as a global economic...

Hey NATO, Lay Off Russia: Qadaffi
 Hey NATO, 
 Lay Off Russia: Qadaffi 
OPINION

Hey NATO, Lay Off Russia: Qadaffi

West should stop meddling with nuclear giant: Qaddafi

(Newser) - Barack Obama would be wise to harken back to the no-meddling Monroe Doctrine and stop the West’s “addiction to interfering in the affairs of other countries,” Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi writes in the Washington Times. He blames NATO expansion to Russia’s border for moving the nuclear...

Russia Tycoons Seek $78B Kremlin Bailout

Looming foreign debt forces oligarchs to return power to state

(Newser) - A dozen years after bailing out the Soviet government, Russia’s oligarchs are seeking $78 billion in Kremlin handouts to weather the credit crunch, Bloomberg reports. Russian businesses have racked up some $110 billion in foreign debt due in 2009. The one-year loans, sought by more than 100 companies, would...

Russian Warships Dock at Havana Bay

(Newser) - Russian warships arrived in Havana yesterday for the first time since the end of the Cold War, the London Times reports. The visit comes at the end of a 3-month South American tour that Russia expected would raise hackles in the US. “I guess they’re on R&R,...

Pirates Step Up Attacks After UN OKs More Force

Security Council says foreign forces can pursue Somali miscreants onto land

(Newser) - Pirates attacked more vessels off the coast of Somalia today despite a UN Security Council decision green-lighting foreign military forces to pursue them on land, reports the BBC. Four ships were attacked, and three—a tugboat, merchant ship, and private yacht—were being held by the pirates. A Chinese ship...

Disney Channel Coming to Russian TV
Disney Channel Coming to Russian TV

Disney Channel Coming to Russian TV

Mickey and pals get first Western foothold in massive market

(Newser) - Disney has become the first Western company to crack the potentially lucrative Russian TV market, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company and a Russian broadcaster are finalizing plans to introduce Disney programming on 30 stations nationwide. Disney will have a 49% ownership stake in the deal with Russia's Media-One...

25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash
 25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash 

25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash

Russian tourists among victims of accident

(Newser) - At least 25 people were killed when a bus full of Russian tourists plunged into a ravine in Israel today, Haaretz reports. At least 12 more are in serious condition. The bus contained roughly 60 passengers traveling from St. Petersburg to the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The incident is...

Russian Slaps &trade; On ;-)
 Russian Slaps ™ On ;-) 

Russian Slaps ™ On ;-)

Entrepreneur seeks to nudge businesses into paying $$$ for use of emoticon

(Newser) - A Russian businessman says he has been granted the trademark for the ;-) emoticon and will start charging for its use, the BBC reports. The entrepreneur, president of the Superfone mobile phone advertising company, doesn't plan to go after individual users but intends to ask corporations to pay for a...

Despite Reforms, Russian Firms Most Likely to Bribe

Survey names Belgium, Canada most graft-free nations

(Newser) - Russian and Chinese companies are most likely to mix business with bribes when traveling abroad, a corruption watchdog found, despite promises from their governments to root out graft. Transparency International, which said the kickback trend points to firms from emerging economic powers, cited the practice’s “damaging impact on...

Russia's Credit Rating Lowered
 Russia's Credit Rating Lowered 

Russia's Credit Rating Lowered

Putin in trouble

(Newser) - The plummeting ruble might just bankrupt Russia, the Financial Times reports. Standard and Poor’s has dropped the G8 member’s credit rating from BBB+ to the lowly BBB, warning that the country may have to spend all $200 billion in its sovereign wealth funds to recapitalize the banking system...

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