Russia

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Red Planet of the Apes?
Red Planet
of the Apes?
Apr 14, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

Red Planet of the Apes?

Russia auditions monkeys for possible trip to Mars, drawing activists' ire

(Newser) - The first mammal on Mars may be a monkey. Russia is testing radiation and weightlessness effects on macaques for a possible trip to the red planet. Scientists also want to see how the animals react to isolation and the special diet the 520-day mission would require, reports the BBC. Twelve...

Russian Majority Party Offers Putin Even Tighter Grip

Taking spot as head of United Russia would solidify his next job, as PM

(Newser) - Russia’s largest party will ask Vladimir Putin to lead it after Dmitry Medvedev becomes the country’s president, United Russia's current head said today. Putin says he’ll become prime minister when Medvedev is sworn in May 7, but leadership of United Russia—which holds a large parliamentary majority—...

Bush and Putin Part, Missile Differences Intact

Agreement on a “road map” to “intensify dialogue”

(Newser) - President Bush and Vladimir Putin ended their last meeting as heads of state today by agreeing they like each other—and little else. Washington had hoped the Black Sea summit would yield a compromise over US plans to build a missile defense shield in eastern Europe. “We’ve got...

Bush, Putin Cordial, But Missile Deal Unlikely

President's in Russia amid numerous policy tensions

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin gave President Bush a warm welcome today, but US-Russian relations seem set to remain frosty on at least one foreign policy front, the AP reports. The two are unlikely to reach a consensus on a proposed missile-defense system in Eastern Europe, a White House spokeswoman said. “We’...

Bush Pledges More Troops for Afghanistan

Gates confident new administration will honor promise to NATO

(Newser) - The US will boost the number of its troops committed to NATO's effort in Afghanistan in 2009, President Bush told fellow alliance members at this week's summit, Reuters reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates related the pledge to reporters as he left the Bucharest summit. He didn’t specify a figure,...

NATO Sides With Bush on Missile Defense Plan
NATO Sides With Bush on Missile Defense Plan
UPDATED
Apr 3, 2008 6:02 PM CDT

NATO Sides With Bush on Missile Defense Plan

But alliance leaders won't back US on inviting Ukraine, Georgia

(Newser) - NATO today backed a plan by President Bush to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, the New York Times reports, but would not go along with encouraging Ukraine and Georgia to pursue membership in the alliance. Both steps had been opposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is...

NATO Bars Former Soviet States in Blow to US

Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia blocked

(Newser) - In a blow to the US, a divided NATO has refused to permit membership bids by former Soviet states Georgia and the Ukraine. The decision is an indication that Europe is wary of antagonizing an increasingly belligerant Russia, Bloomberg reports. Germany and France led the opposition to membership. In another...

Bush Asks NATO for More Afghanistan Troops

President sets agenda ahead of NATO summit

(Newser) - George W. Bush urged his NATO allies to join Romania and France in committing more troops to the war in Afghanistan. “We cannot afford to lose in Afghanistan,” he said. “Whatever the cost, however difficult…we must win.” The speech comes ahead of a major NATO...

Bush Backs Ukraine's NATO Bid
 Bush Backs Ukraine's NATO Bid 
Apr 1, 2008 8:20 AM CDT

Bush Backs Ukraine's NATO Bid

President's support sure to irk Russia

(Newser) - President Bush today declared his unequivocal support for the entry of Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, a position sure to anger Russia, Reuters notes. “Your nation has made a bold decision, and the United States strongly supports your request,” Bush said, flanked by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. But...

7 Russian Cultists Quit Cave
 7 Russian Cultists Quit Cave 
Mar 29, 2008 5:49 AM CDT

7 Russian Cultists Quit Cave

Melting snow dooms end-of-the-world cult's hideout

(Newser) - Seven members of a Russian doomsday cult, all women, have emerged from the cave where they have been holed up since November, awaiting the end of the world (note: in May), Itar-Tass reports. Twenty-eight more remain in the cave southeast of Moscow—but they are expected to come out soon,...

Moscow Warns NATO Not to 'Play With Fire'

But US backs bids by Georgia and Ukraine to join alliance

(Newser) - Moscow urged NATO today not to absorb ex-Soviet republics Georgia and Ukraine, Reuters reports. "It's a dangerous game to play with fire," said Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov, who warned that Russia's military ties with NATO were at stake. His remarks come days before a NATO summit in Bucharest,...

Litvinenko Wife Defies Brits, Demands Inquiry

Poisoned spy's widow wants to expose Putin's role in his murder

(Newser) - Alexander Litvinenko's widow calls for a public inquiry into the poisoning of the Russian spy in an op-ed for today's Times of London. Both the British foreign secretary and Scotland Yard have sought to dissuade her from petitioning for an inquest, saying it would prejudge a criminal trial against chief...

Bush, Putin to Lock Antlers on Missile Defense

Russian president will host US counterpart for April 6 summit

(Newser) - President Bush accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation today to continue the two nations' often strained talks over a proposed US missile defense system in central Europe. The two heads of state will meet April 6 in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, the Washington Post reports, for likely...

McCain: US Must Be Tough But Listen to Allies

He says America must do a better job with world diplomacy

(Newser) - John McCain insisted today in a foreign policy address that the US can't abandon its "moral responsibility in Iraq” but that it must do a better job of working with its allies on the world's trouble spots. He distanced himself at times from Bush, rejecting not only brash unilateralism...

Russian Investing in ... WNBA Stars?

'Crazy people to do some crazy things,' billionaire says of his lavish hoop jones

(Newser) - Basketball-crazy Russian billionaire Shabtai von Kalmanovic is pouring money into women's hoops—flying WNBA players to Russia in the off-season and paying them 10 times what they make in the US. Players like Diana Taurasi are put up in luxury digs and chauffeured around. "They should be treated like...

NATO Escorts Russian Bombers Away From Alaska

Jets buzz US airspace

(Newser) - Two bombers from the Russian air force flew uncomfortably close to American territory as they patrolled neutral space off the coast of Alaska, Reuters reports. NATO forces deployed several jets to escort the Russian planes away. The incident is yet another case of the Russian military resuming the Soviet-era practice...

Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans
Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans
Mar 25, 2008 7:46 AM CDT

Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans

Russia unhappy about bid to accept former Soviet states

(Newser) - Dmitry Medvedev has warned former Soviet states not to join NATO, claiming that their membership would threaten the stability of the region. Georgia and Ukraine are angling to join the military alliance and have received strong support from the US. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Russia's incoming...

Donkey Retires From Ballet
 Donkey Retires From Ballet 
Mar 24, 2008 5:54 PM CDT

Donkey Retires From Ballet

Monika ends successful run with Russia's Mariinsky ballet

(Newser) - A veteran Russian artiste is headed for retirement today: Monika, a 21-year-old female donkey. She has performed for 19 years as the trusty steed of Sancho Panza in the Mariinsky ballet's production of Don Quixote. "She loves to perform and she loves applause," said Tatyana Solomatina of the...

2 Journalists Killed in Russia
 2 Journalists Killed in Russia 
Mar 22, 2008 5:55 AM CDT

2 Journalists Killed in Russia

TV reporters killed in Moscow, Dagestan

(Newser) - Two journalists have been killed in separate incidents in Russia, AFP reports. A reporter for state-run television was found strangled and stabbed in his Moscow apartment. Only hours earlier he had written a blog post saying "Now I'm a dissident!" The man had worked in Dagestan and elsewhere...

Docs Not Toasting Ladies' Vodka

Russian spirit targets rich women, prompts alcoholism fears

(Newser) - A made-for-women vodka touted as the perfect salad accompaniment has sobered Russian doctors, who fear high-end spirits like "Ladies" will only worsen already-high rates of alcoholism, Reuters reports. Estimates peg 10 percent of Russia's 142 million citizens as alcoholics, and the chief of one rehab center says 60% of...

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