Foreign Ministry confirms EU-Ukraine association agreement to be initialed on March 30.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the EU-Ukraine association agreement will be initialed on March 30, 2012.

“The ceremony to initial the association agreement with the European Union will take place in Brussels on March 30,”the director of the ministry’s information policy department, Oleh Voloshyn, said at a briefing on Wednesday.

He said that the Ukrainian delegation would be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and that the European delegation would be led by Managing Director of the European External Action Service for Russia, Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak.

Earlier, a diplomat in Brussels told Interfax-Ukraine that Brussels had confirmed March 30 as the final date for the initialing of the EU-Ukraine association agreement.

Tags: EU-Ukraine

Michel Platini: Ukraine’s Success is Extraordinary.

The President of the Union of European Football Associations Michel Platini noted the progress Ukraine made in preparations for the European Football Championship EURO 2012. According to Platini, modernization plans have been 95 percent implemented. “Difficult births often lead to beautiful babies,” is how Michel Platini referred to the project.

Michel Platini reckoned that the organization of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine was a complicated and difficult adventure, reports AFP. The upcoming football tournament played a key role in developing the much-needed infrastructure in the host countries. Ukraine has built new airports, hotels and roads, taking its infrastructure 30 years into the future. Such legacy of the UEFA football championship will last, said Platini.

In 2010, Michel Platini urged Ukraine to intensify the preparations for the football championship: “The championship is 2012, not 2030.” But in 18 months Ukraine dispelled all concerns. The country introduced four renewed airports, with the last one opening next month. On April 12, 2012, Michel Platini will inaugurate the Danylo Halytskyi International Airport in western Ukrainian Lviv.

Ukrainian authorities also saw to the reconstruction of the country’s four stadiums, the opening of hundreds of new hotels, and the introduction of numerous new transportation routes. Ukraine made sure the street signs were available in English. It even amended some of its legislature in order to employ the EU standards.

Railway stations, taxi, and public transport in Ukraine experienced major adjustments to provide smooth service to hundreds of thousands of EURO 2012 tourists. Medical, security and maintenance personnel received special training in tourist management and English. Thousands of guide books were designed and printed specially for the football fans coming to Ukraine in June.

One of the popular concerns of the international community was accommodation in Ukraine. As its tourism industry is only developing, the country may not have as many hotel rooms as major European capitals. Nevertheless, Information centre Ukraine-2012 reported over 60,000 beds available in Ukrainian EURO 2012 cities with only 20 percent of accommodation booked by February.

Tags: Michel Platini-Ukraine

The third European-Ukrainian energy day.

On May 29-30, 2012, Kyiv will for the third time host the European-Ukrainian Energy Day, organized by the European-Ukrainian Energy Agency (EUEA) and the Conference House Company.

Over two previous years the European-Ukrainian Energy Day has become a leading platform for dialogue about Sustainable Energy development of Ukraine and gathered about 600 Ukrainian and international experts in energy efficiency and alternative energy.

This year event will focus on energy efficiency in Housing. Problem of energy efficiency in housing and communal service is one of the most complicated topics in Ukrainian economy. The complexity of the subject is primarily caused by its close connection to the quality of life of citizens, and as a result – with excessive politicization. Besides, energy efficiency in housing cannot be considered in isolation from the construction industry, where the technological basis of buildings that are energy efficient should be seen. A culture of efficient energy use by the population itself is also an integral part of reforming the energy market of Ukraine.

Jointly with the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Utility Services of Ukraine, we will consider two most complex and important issues:

• Energy Culture and Ukraine – tipping the balance between EE & RE.

• Utilities and housing infrastructure modernization: EPC and ESCO.

Also on the 2012 Agenda:

• Civil Society and the Energy Sector – achieving positive change.

• Electricity market and grid sustainability. Smart grids.

• B2B dialogues with market leaders on wind energy, biogas and hydro power.

Detailed information, agenda and registration at the event’s Web site www.energyday.com.ua or by phone +38 044 541 1838.

Energy day will be held with the support of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Utility Services of Ukraine. Partners of the Event: Saint-Gobain Group, owner of the ISOVER brand and LF Arzinger. General Air-carrier – International Ukrainian Airlines (IUA). The Event is supported by: American Chamber of Commerce and British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (BUCC).

Information.European-Ukrainian Energy Agency (EUEA) – is a non-profit Association founded in Kyiv in 2009 with the goal of establishing a solid platform for joint EU-Ukrainian actions to create sustainable society, support the efficient use of energy resources and promote energy friendly technology transfers. EUEA aims to address issues of energy efficiency and the development of the renewable energy sector at each stage of the energy chain, (from generation to consumption, including transport) by providing up-to-date information, promoting the adoption of EU legislation and standards in Ukraine as well as initiating and supporting projects at their initial stages.

The Conference House Company specializes in organizing and conducting public events of different formats from local business-luncheons up to international summits. Since its creation, the company has organized more than 100 events of various kinds and become the leader of Ukrainian market of conference operators. The organization of public events is an interesting and complicated business. We like this business – which is at the same time creative and systematic – which and greatly value the opinion of our clients.

Tags: European-Ukrainian energy day

Ukraine, China to hold meeting of sub-commission on space cooperation in April.

Ukraine and China are preparing to hold a second meeting of the Ukrainian-Chinese sub-commission on cooperation in the space sector in Beijing in April, the State Space Agency of Ukraine has told Interfax-Ukraine.

The participants in the meeting will discuss the implementation of the Ukrainian-Chinese space cooperation program for 2011-2015.

Ukraine and China signed a new program for cooperation in the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes for 2011-2015 in September 2010.

The program includes over 50 priority and promising joint projects. They concern the creation of a joint space system for Earth observation, a joint ionospheric satellite to create an earthquake prediction system, as well as the creation and delivery to Chinese partners of a wide range of equipment for rocket and space technology.

Cooperation between Ukraine and China in the space sector is based on an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, which was signed in 1995, as well as on long-term cooperation plans.

Tags: Ukraine-China

Ukraine,EU: An incomplete debate on nuclear energy.

Tags: Ukraine-EU

Ukrainian helicopter comes under fire in Congo; one soldier injured – ministry.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported an attack in Congo on its Mikoyan Mi-24 helicopter from the 18th Separate Helicopter Squad of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the United Nations mission in this country.

“As a result of the shooting, interpreter Captain Serhiy Vaskivsky sustained a gunshot wound in the leg. He was urgently taken to the military hospital of the Indian peacekeeping forces, where he underwent a surgery,” the ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

The injured peacekeeper is said to be in a stable condition, the Defense Ministry said.

The Defense Ministry has set up a special team to investigate the incident, the ministry said.

It was reported that on December 22, 2011, Verkhovna Rada approved the president’s decision to send Ukrainian peacekeepers as part of the UN mission to stabilize the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The document stipulated 200 Ukrainian troops.

The expenses relating to the Ukrainian peacekeepers’ participation in the stabilization of Congo are covered by the Ukrainian state budget and further compensated by the UN.

Currently, Ukraine has deployed 157 peacekeepers and four Mi-24 helicopters as part of the UN mission in Congo.

Tags: Ukrainian helicopter in Congo

Hryschenko: Ukraine striding toward full integration into European Union.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has stated that Ukraine is moving towards full integration into the European Union step by step.

He expressed his opinion in a publication entitled “Ukraine Responds” dated March 21 published by The New York Times in response to a publication written by the foreign ministers of Sweden, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany on the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the negotiations on the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.

“I read with interest the recent opinion article by five EU foreign ministers. I respect their opinion. Yet for me it is not perception that matters, but facts. I would therefore like to offer five important ones here,” reads the article.

“We’re not sliding but striding toward full integration with the European Union. Last year, we successfully completed negotiations with the EU on the association agreement, creating a deep and comprehensive free-trade area. This agreement serves the best interests of both parties – both Ukraine and the EU,” Hryschenko wrote in the article.

He added that “an ambitious reform agenda is underway in Ukraine.”

“These reforms were long overdue. Previous governments did not dare to address painful issues of development,” reads the article.

The third item of the article reads that the current government has achieved 5% GDP growth at a time of global financial crisis.

“This came even as we paid last year a draconian price for Russian natural gas, the price we are obliged to pay as a result of 2009 [former Ukrainian Premier Yulia] Tymoshenko gas deals with Russia. It is ridiculous but today this deal makes it cheaper to import Russian gas from Germany than from Russia itself,” reads the minister’s respond.

The foreign minister also recalled that his European colleagues criticized trials of former Ukrainian officials on corruption charges.

“Those cases are very similar to indictments of former officials across Europe (trials in Croatia or Iceland are examples). The principle is the same: Whatever the court’s decision is, it is to be respected — domestically and internationally. The way to challenge it is to go to a higher court of law,” reads the article.

In the last item of his article, the minister noted that in 2010 President [Viktor] Yanukovych came to power after beating Tymoshenko “fair and square.”

“The presidential elections were universally recognized as meeting international standards. It was Tymoshenko alone who did not recognize the election result,” reads the article.

“Today, Ukraine is approaching parliamentary elections. The president has stated publicly his commitment to hold them freely and fairly, in accordance with our new election law, based on European standards and endorsed by both coalition and opposition parties. Meanwhile, Ukraine has sent early invitations to international observers to monitor the election process,” reads the publication.

As reported, on March 4 the New York Times published an article by the foreign ministers of Sweden, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.

According to the article, the process of the Ukraine-EU association is at an impasse today, and the Ukrainian leadership holds the key to this deadlock. The authors of the article mentioned “the criminal prosecutions” of Ukrainian opposition figures, selective justice and pressure on the media by the authorities.

Tags: Ukraine and European Union

Russian jet takes off with ‘hole in wing’.

What looked like a large hole in the wing did not stop a

Russian airline jet from taking off for Siberia with

dozens of panicked passengers on board.

The Boeing 737 jet was delayed on the tarmac of a Moscow airport when one of the passengers looked out of a window and noticed an oval-shaped gap on the left wing above one of the engines.

A video posted on the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid website showed the man complaining to a cabin crew member and the incident being reported to the cockpit.

The paper said the Transaero pilot had by that stage already abandoned one attempt to take off because his indicators had issued a warning.

A second attempt was then called off when passengers began “rushing for the exits,” Komsomolskaya Pravda said.

An airline spokesman said 27 of the 70 or so passengers on board were let off the flight on Monday but denied that the pilot had to abandon any takeoff attempts.

“The flight was delayed,” Transaero spokesman Konstantin Tyurkin told AFP.

The plane eventually landed more than three hours behind schedule in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

The private airline called the incident little more than a misunderstanding.

Tyurkin said the pilot had simply been alerted to a malfunction in the jet’s air conditioning system and was investigating the incident without alerting the passengers on board.

The delay apparently gave one person time to notice the missing wing element and raise the alarm.

Tyurkin said all that was missing from the wing was the cover to a hatch workers use to check the left engine. It was not immediately clear who had misplaced the hefty piece of equipment or why.

“This was a technical element. Its absence doesn’t prevent takeoff,” said Tyurkin. “It does not affect safety.”

Russian news reports said Moscow transportation officials had opened a preliminary probe into the case.

Tags: Russian jet

Gorbachev says revive Russian social democratic party.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev proposed on Wednesday reviving a social democratic party in Russia in the hope of uniting leftist groups opposed to President-elect Vladimir Putin.

Gorbachev, 81, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying he was ready to relaunch a movement he led from 2001 until 2004 but that he would not be its leader.

He has little public support because he is widely blamed for the Soviet Union’s collapse, and his party made little impact in its previous incarnation, when it failed to win any seats in the lower house of parliament before it was dissolved in 2007.

Many Russians were skeptical about Gorbachev’s proposal.

“It is not productive. Despite all my respect for Mikhail Sergeyevich’s state service, he can’t move this rock alone,” said Gennady Gudkov, a protest leader and opposition lawmaker.

“Gorbachev is popular abroad, but it would be a gross exaggeration to speak of his popularity at home,” he said, adding that the opposition should look to reforming leftist parties with seats in parliament.

Gorbachev, who launched “perestroika” (restructuring) reforms and “glasnost” (openness), appears worried that leftist groups are too disunited to take advantage of draft reforms that would make it easier to register political parties.

“There is a lot of confusion about party-building in Russia now and a social democratic party could bring together a wide circle,” Interfax quoted him as saying.

“I don’t intend to lead this new party but am ready to play a very active role in its creation and I encourage all those who were in the last team of Social Democrats to get involved.”

Gorbachev, one of Putin’s most vocal critics, ran in the presidential election in 1996 but failed miserably. While unlikely to have wide appeal, his proposal could serve as a wake-up call.

Other leftist leaders have been discussing joining forces to challenge Putin, inspired by the biggest protests against him since he rose to power 12 years ago and the announcement of moves to ease party registration.

The Kremlin, responding to complaints that Putin and his United Russia party dominate the political system, submitted a draft bill to parliament in January that would reduce the number of members a party needs to register from 40,000 to 500.

The draft has completed two of the three readings needed for passage through the lower house and could become law by the time Putin is inaugurated on May 7 for his third term as president following four years as prime minister.

Political analysts say opposition leaders need to unite if they want to challenge Putin because changes in the party registration law could lead to the creation of numerous small parties which would cause him little trouble individually.

Political reform, including the registration of more political parties, has been one of the main demands at rallies triggered by outrage over fraud allegations in a parliamentary election won by United Russia on December 4.

There are seven registered parties in Russia, four of which are represented in the lower house.

Tags: Gorbachev

Currency Flexibility, Oil Boom Make Russian Ruble Emerging Star.

Russian-ruble trading is suddenly the hottest corner of the ever-growing emerging-markets currency landscape.

Boosting the ruble’s use is a burgeoning oil market and more flexibility from Russia’s central bank, with the bank’s lighter touch in the foreign-exchange market a primary force. Russian-ruble futures contracts traded on markets run by CME Group Inc. (CME) nearly tripled in 2011 from the previous year.

Among emerging-market currencies, the ruble now trails only the Mexican peso in foreign-exchange futures trading volume on the CME.

“The ruble has become more flexible and [is] less predictable,” said Dmitry Polevoy, economist for Russia and Kazakhstan at ING Commercial Banking in Moscow, noting what is attracting traders to the Russian unit.

So far this year, the ruble has strengthened 9% against the dollar, which bought RUB29.263 late Wednesday, according to CQG.

This torrid pace of growth in volume has continued early in 2012. Volume through the first two months of the year is up 46% compared with the same period in 2011, according to CME data. Using futures as a proxy, the ruble even trades more heavily than the widely watched Brazilian real, popular for its large commodities market and high interest rates.

Driving the increase, since the 2008 financial crisis, Russia’s central bank has eased its interventionist stance and also widened the ruble’s trading band against a two-currency basket of the U.S. dollar and euro, drawing more market participants to the ruble.

The central bank “continues to make it more and more flexible, and that just encourages many exporters or importers on the other side to engage into more hedging activities,” said Vladimir Kolychev, chief economist for Russia at Societe Generale.

As Russia’s central bank reduced the amount it spends to intervene, a looser exchange-rate policy has created wider swings in the currency. Currency traders have flocked to this higher volatility, and corporations often must hedge against that volatility, further adding to volume.

Rising crude oil prices, up 8% so far in 2012, have also boosted interest, with Russia now sitting as the world’s second-largest crude oil producer, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“The main background driver is the oil price,” said Carolin Hecht, emerging-market strategist at Commerzbank. “Currently correlation between the oil price and ruble is quite high.”

Even so, volumes can grow still. Holding the ruble back somewhat, liquidity is still not yet deep enough for investors to use the ruble itself as a hedge for emerging-market currencies or commodities exposure, analysts say.

The ruble’s increasing liquidity and its play as a commodity currency could draw in more investors in the near term, but what truly will be a turning point for the currency will be when Russia liberalizes its local government bond market for foreign investors, market participants say. Its government is considering allowing ruble-denominated government bonds to be traded via foreign clearing-settlements systems like Euroclear.

That shift could happen by the end of this year and could lead to more ruble exposure for investors through higher-yielding local government bonds, said Alexander Kozhemiakin, portfolio manager at Standish in Boston.

“When that happens, the investors’ interest in the Russian ruble would increase even more,” he added.

Tags: Russian Ruble

This really is space junk: Russian space experts examine 200-kilo metal ‘UFO dustbin lid’ which fell from the sky in Siberia

• Six foot metal fragment fell near remote village in Siberia
• Does not appear to be from earthly missiles or rockets
• Russian space experts say, ‘The object is not related to space technology’
• Under police guard as experts examine it

Space experts are trying to solve the mystery of ‘a UFO fragment’ which crashed close to a village in Siberia.Locals insist the metallic object – which resembles a large rubbish bin – fell from the skies but initial checks by experts have concluded it is neither from a rocket nor a missile.It is now under police guard as interest in the ‘visitor’ intensifies.

Weighing 200 kilograms and around two metres in height, locals fixed it onto a trailer and took across the snow to the village where local inspectors checked it. ‘The object found is not related to space technology. A final conclusion can be made after a detailed study of the object by experts,’ said the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Locals insist the metallic object – resembling a large shiny rubbish bin – fell from the skies. The object is six feet long and is at least partially made of titanium steel.It’s now under police guard as interest in the ‘visitor’ intensifies.

It was found near a village called Otradnensky some two thousand miles and three time zones east of Moscow.

The Russian media immediately claimed ‘fragments of a UFO’ were discovered in the remote forest.Locals had heard strange sounds in the thick woodland in December, it was claimed. But it was only on Sunday that the find was reported to local police who then alerted Moscow.

Yuri Bornyakov, head of rescue service department of Kuibyshevski district of Novosibirsk region, said: ‘We measured the radiation level near and inside the object. We found no radiation here.’

Initial theories that it was part of a space rocket or a satellite form a failed launch in Kazakhstan have been denied.

Head of Department for Civil Defence and Emergency Situations of the Kuibyshevski, Valery Vasiliev, said part of the fragment was made of ultra strong titanium.

Finder Sergey Bobrov undertook in an official statement that he would keep the UFO safe, but locals reported that  ‘police came during the night and secretly removed it’.A local police spokesman confirmed the object was now under guard by the force on orders from unspecified authorities.‘You can see inside it, all is open, it’s empty, no danger here. We were asked to take and store it. We brought it here. And now we are going to wait until they come to take it if they need it’ said Sergei Sulein.

Tags: Russian space

Anna Chapman Right to a Smile: Exclusive Interview.

I meet Anna Chapman, the alleged “Russian secret agent” who hit the headlines after her arrest in Washington in the summer of 2010, in an Indian restaurant in downtown Moscow.

Despite rarely being out of the news since her return home as part of a dramatic “spy swap” in Vienna, Chapman, 30, has been remarkably reluctant to speak to the media.

“I don’t need publicity for myself,” she says, picking at a lamb korma. “I don’t sell records.”

Our interview takes place a few hours after the end of an opposition protest against Vladimir Putin’s March 4 election victory. Chapman’s support for Putin, whom she famously joined for a karaoke session after her return to Moscow, is well-known.

“He is a strong leader,” she says, when I bring up the subject. “And that’s what Russia needs.”

Her fondness for Indian food – born of her former residence in north London – is not quite such common knowledge. “I’m not fond of spicy stuff,” she admits. “And I’ve learnt to only order one dish at a time.”

But we are not here to talk about either Putin or curry.

Chapman is keen to discuss her Right to a Smile charity fund, which works with blind and partially blind children in her hometown of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), some 900 km to the south of Moscow.

She was inspired to begin her charity work by a meeting in Moscow with the late Rolf Schnyder, CEO of Swiss watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin. “He told me not to worry about anything and just do it,” she recalls. A large proportion of the money for the charity is raised through the sale of specially-designed Ulysse Nardin watches, called Lady in Red. Coincidentally or not, she is wearing a red dress when we meet.

It has been almost two years since Chapman returned to Russia, and in that time she has hosted a TV show, posed for men’s magazine Maxim, and worked with pro-Kremlin youth group Molodaya Gvardiya.

She is also editor of Venture Business News, which reports on news from President Dmitry Medvedev’s Skolkovo project, Russia’s under-development “answer to Silicon Valley.”

But it is her charity work that seems to have captured her enthusiasm.

“I became less selfish after I returned to Russia following my arrest and I had to do something that was not just for me,” she says.

“I’m trying to break the stereotype that you can’t do charity in Russia,” she goes on. “When I lived in England and the United States, everyone around me was doing charity and social work.”

“But charity has a very bad reputation in Russia. Not many people do it. And if they do, it’s usually for the wrong reasons. For PR, for example. There is also a lot of distrust and suspicion about corruption, as well.”

And while Chapman may prefer to avoid giving interviews, she recognizes all too well that her celebrity status is a distinct advantage when it comes to putting her charity in the spotlight.

“I don’t enjoy being a media celebrity at all,” she says. “But I understand that I have to use it to benefit other people – that’s why I keep on being one.”

“Being a celebrity only means disadvantages for my personal life,” she adds. “I cannot date anyone, especially publically. You know, I don’t like to make my private life public.”

It’s an odd experience meeting Chapman. Instead of the popular image of a flirtatious, calculating femme fatale, she appears, well, extremely normal. She is also – it immediately becomes apparent – very protective of her privacy.

Chapman was recently the subject of a feature-length article in a New York magazine – one that she says made up for the “absence of real facts – no interviews, no answers,” by “using a little imagination” – and she is clearly wary of being misrepresented in the press.

“For a year or so I didn’t even say it was my charity fund that was helping children in Volgograd,” she says. “The press had written I was going to run in the parliamentary elections – even though I’d never said I would – and people would have thought it was just for publicity.”

Media reports in the run-up to December’s parliamentary polls had suggested that Chapman would stand as a candidate for Putin’s United Russia party. But she declines to reveal if she was sounded out about a possible bid. “That’s a political question,” she smiles.

Chapman’s attempts to help the blind community in Volgograd have not always gone entirely smoothly, with a project to install sound in traffic-lights running into the notorious red-tape of Russian officialdom. Or what she calls “nightmare bureaucracy.”

“We could only do eight sets of traffic lights in the end, so we asked the blind what the best places for them were.”

“But can you imagine anything simpler?” she asks, exasperated. “It took us over nine months of going from office to office to sort it all out.” “If I hadn’t known the governor of Volgograd, we would never have been able to do this.”

“As you know there is a big problem with guide dogs in our country,” she says, as we continue to discuss the problems blind people face in Russia, especially in the less-developed regions far from Moscow.

“What problem?” I ask

“There aren’t any,” she deadpans.

Chapman and her team have also been trying to set up a scheme to test every child up to the age of seven in the sprawling Volgograd region for possible eye problems, but have been unable to get the project off the ground, so far.

“Officials have been busy with elections,” she sighs.

But it’s not only the visually-impaired who have it tough here, with even Moscow’s public amenities lacking in basic facilities for the physically handicapped.

“Yes, most people with disabilities have a hard life in Russia,” Chapman says, turning serious. “But this is changing rapidly.”

Attempts to reassure donors that their money is being wisely spent have also failed to go smoothly.

“We wanted people who help our charity to see the results of the money they had spent. I wanted everything to be completely transparent,” she explains. “So we asked the children to speak into the camera after their operations, but a lot of parents were against this.”

“They were so suspicious that we were going to in some way misuse the clips,” she says. “I don’t blame them though, because no one has ever helped them.”

Chapman has also attracted a number of Russian stars to help out with her charity, including the “amazing example” of the blind-from-birth, Georgian-born pop singer Diana Gurtskaya. “She runs master-classes for blind children and inspires them so much,” she enthuses.

She also reveals that she spends time helping at children’s homes in Moscow and surrounding regions. I wonder what the kids there make of being visited by the woman at the center of one of the world’s biggest media stories of recent years. Are they, I wonder, aware of who she is?

“No,” Chapman grins. “They don’t care. I’m just Anna to them.”

Tags: Anna Chapman

Russia Launches Anti-Racism Football Taskforce.

The Russian Football Union has launched a dedicated taskforce to tackle racism in the game, just days after a banana was thrown at Anzhi defender Christopher Samba after a game, the federation said Wednesday.

“The RFU’s ethics committee has decided to create a special working group made up of members of the committee,” the federation said on its website, adding that the body would address “racism, xenophobia and extremism.”

The banana was apparently thrown from the VIP seats at Lokomotiv Moscow’s stadium after a 1-0 league win for the home team, and landed near Samba, who threw it off the pitch.

Russia is set to host the 2018 World Cup, but there are fears it could be disrupted by racism, as the domestic game has been plagued by racist incidents.

Earlier this season, Anzhi’s Roberto Carlos was the victim of two incidents involving bananas, while fan groups at Spartak Moscow have been known to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday at games.

Russian Premier League clubs Zenit St. Petersburg and Krylya Sovetov were each fined $10,000 after their fans racially abused Roberto Carlos.

After a meeting of the federation’s disciplinary committee Wednesday, it was announced that the Samba case would be dealt with at an unspecified later date.

Last week, the federation ordered Torpedo Moscow to play their next home game behind closed doors after fans shouted racist slogans and threw snowballs at Ivorian-born Alania Vladikavkaz defender Dacosta Goore.

Tags: Russia Launches Anti-Racism

Tags: Alexander Radulov

NATO chief says Russian President Vladimir Putin unlikely to attend summit in Chicago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to attend NATO’s summit in Chicago due to his busy schedule at home, the alliance’s top official said Wednesday.

Relations between NATO and Moscow have become increasingly strained over U.S. plans for a missile shield in Europe, putting Putin’s attendance in doubt.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he had spoken to Putin, who is scheduled to be inaugurated as Russian president shortly before the May 20-21 meeting, and that they “agreed that the timing is difficult because Russia has a very busy domestic political calendar.”

However, Putin will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at a Group of Eight meeting of leading industrialized nations summit at Camp David, Maryland, just before the NATO summit.

Fogh Rasmussen told reporters that a bilateral meeting would be held as soon as possible after Putin’s inauguration on May 7, and that Russia would attend a meeting of NATO’s foreign ministers in Brussels on April 18.

“That shows that we are all committed to dialogue and to practical co-operation, and this will continue until Chicago and it will continue after Chicago, because our relationship with Russia isn’t just about one day or one meeting, it’s about the long term,” he said.

NATO maintains that its missile shield is aimed at potential threats from nations that have, or are acquiring, missile technology. But Moscow has objected, fearing it will eventually grow powerful enough to intercept Russian missiles, thus undermining its nuclear deterrent.

It has generally been assumed that Putin would not come to Chicago because of this disagreement.

Despite their differences NATO and Russia have co-operated closely in the war in Afghanistan and in other missions. Their navies also have worked together in suppressing piracy off the Somali coastline, and there has been growing co-operation in other areas such preventing terrorist attacks.

Russia has continued to provide one of the main transit routes for supplies to coalition forces in landlocked Afghanistan. The importance of the overland link from Europe has grown significantly since Pakistan partially blocked NATO supplies from crossing its territory following an alliance airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani border troops in November.

Last month, Moscow unveiled plans to permit the U.S. and other NATO nations to use a Russian air base in the city of Ulyanovsk on the Volga River, as a hub for their air bridge to Afghanistan. It would be the first time alliance members have been allowed to set up a logistics facility for troops and cargo on Russian territory.

Fogh Rasmussen was speaking after a meeting with Montenegro’s Prime Minister Igor Luksic. Montenegro had hoped to be invited to become NATO’s 29th member at the summit, but enlargement of the alliance is not on the meeting’s agenda.

Tags: Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia says near deal on two new Indian reactors.

Work on Russian-built reactors resumed after protests

* Russia hopes to sign deal for 2 more reactors soon

* India plans to build 30 reactors by 2032

By Alexei Anishchuk

VOLGINSKY, Russia, March 21 (Reuters) – Russia’s ability to restart long-delayed work at India’s Kudankulam nuclear plant has paved the way for a deal with Delhi to build two more atomic reactors in the near future, Russia’s nuclear chief said on Wednesday.

The first two reactors at the plant in the state of Tamil Nadu were meant to be operational last year, but work by Russian engineers was delayed after protesters blocked access to the site following Japan’s nuclear catastrophe.

Work to launch the reactors restarted on Tuesday, however, after Indian police arrested dozens of protesters.

“The resolution of the political dispute over the first two reactors paves the road to sign the agreement on the third and fourth (nuclear) generators,” Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russian state nuclear monopoly Rosatom, told Reuters.

“The decision (on the third and fourth) reactors was linked to the launch of the first and second generators.”

Kiriyenko said Moscow was ready to sign the agreement with India on the third and fourth reactors “starting tomorrow,” adding he already had initial political approval for the project despite the fact that talks have dragged on for years.

However, he ruled out sealing the deal during President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to India for a summit of the BRICS group of nations.

Russia is keen to cash in on its nuclear know-how and has ambitious plans to triple nuclear exports to $50 billion a year by 2030. It possesses about 40 percent of the world’s uranium enrichment capacity, and exports some $3 billion worth of fuel a year, offering discounts to clients who buy its reactors.

India meanwhile continues to suffer from huge electricity shortages which are hampering its growth, and is therefore anxious to get more nuclear power stations built as quickly as possible.

WORLD’S SAFEST NUCLEAR PLANT

Kiriyenko hailed the Indian authorities’ decision to press ahead despite domestic opposition to the project, saying the plant more than complied with stricter safety rules brought in after the Fukushima crisis.

“There is nothing safer that this project compared to other plants across the globe,” Kiriyenko told Reuters.

Rosatom has argued that the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl more than 20 years ago helped it hone its safety technology.

Kiriyenko did not say when the first two reactors at Kudankulam could go online, stressing that the halt in construction meant additional checks would be necessary.

“We need to carry out an inspection of the equipment that has been idle,” Kiriyenko said. “This of course may take some time because we have put all the equipment in storage.”India plans to add 64 gigawatts of nuclear power to its power generating capacity by building 30 reactors by 2032.

Tags: Indian reactors

Revised Syria draft aims to win Russia support.

In a bid to win Russian and Chinese support, France has watered down a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling on the Syrian government and the opposition to immediately implement proposals by international envoy Kofi Annan to end the yearlong bloodshed.

The original draft presidential statement would have called on the council to review implementation of Annan’s six-point proposal in seven days and consider “further measures” — which could include sanctions or military action — if there wasn’t sufficient progress.

But a revised draft circulated late Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press drops this threat and instead asks Annan to update the council regularly on the progress of his mission. “In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate,” the new draft said.

Security Council ambassadors discussed the text behind closed doors Tuesday and then sent it back to their capitals. If there are no objections by 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) Wednesday, diplomats said the statement will be read by the council president, Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, at an open meeting later in the day, signifying its adoption.

A presidential statement, which needs approval from all 15 Security Council members, becomes part of the council’s permanent record. But unlike a council resolution, it is not legally binding.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that the Syria crisis is the most pressing issue facing the world.

“We have no time to waste, no time to lose. Just one minute, one hour delay will mean more and more people dead,” Ban told reporters in the Indonesian city of Bogor, his first stop on an Asian tour.

The revised draft was discussed hours after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is ready to support a U.N. resolution endorsing Annan’s plan for settling the Syrian crisis. But Lavrov warned that a resolution shouldn’t turn into an ultimatum to the Syrian government.

Russia and China have twice vetoed European and U.S.-backed resolutions condemning President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protesters, in which more than 8,000 people have died. Moscow and Beijing called the resolutions unbalanced because they demanded an end only to attacks by government troops but not by opposition forces. Russia also argued that the resolutions promoted regime change in Syria.

The Kremlin has offered strong support to Annan, a former U.N. secretary-general who is the joint U.N. and Arab League special envoy on Syria. Lavrov said over the weekend that Annan’s plan doesn’t contain a demand for Assad to step down.

One of the sticking points between Russia, Syria and the West is the sequencing of a cease-fire. Syria says the opposition must lay down its arms first. Russia says the government and opposition must stop fighting simultaneously. Western countries insist that since Assad’s forces started the fighting and are responsible for most of the killings, they must stop first.

The revised draft resolution would require the Syrian government to immediately stop troop movements and halt the use of heavy weapons in populated areas. As these actions are taking place, it says the government should work with Annan to bring about a halt to violence under U.N. supervision.

The draft says Annan should seek similar commitments from the opposition — with no mention of a time frame.

It would commit Assad’s government to work with Annan “in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people,” and both sides “to work in good faith with the envoy towards a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis.”

Tags: Russia support

Russian Santa Claus Grandfather Frost, the Snow Maiden and Orthodox Christmas Gifts

The Russian version of Santa is called Grandfather Frost or Dyed Moroz. However, he does not slide down a chimney on Christmas Eve nor do children see gifts under the trees on Christmas morning. Instead, Grandfather Frost distributes the gifts on New Year’s Day, the most revered holiday in Russia. His granddaughter, the Snow Maiden, Snegurochka, helps him pass out presents to awaiting children.

In Soviet times of widespread poverty, if Russians dared to exchange homemade gifts, this small celebration would have been observed in the lesser-known provinces, where the State would not notice.

Today, traditional Christmas gifts vary. For children, Russians buy toys, dolls or books of timeless fairy tales. Buying for adults is more modern with popular choices such as amber jewelry (native to the region) and tea sets for women. For men, bottles of vodka and cognac will do.

Russian Christmas is a beloved affair, especially since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Historically, Russian traditions have not changed, but have become more modernized and embrace the freedom of celebrating religion openly.

Tags: Russian Santa Claus

The usual date for celebrating Christmas is December 25th. However, for Russians, this date is different and so are their unique traditions.

Holiday Traditions in Russia

Russians enjoy celebrating Christmas, especially since the fall of communism. Starting in 1917, Christmas was banned in Russia to solidify a secular state for the ruling communist party. But as of 1992, with the fall of the Soviet Union, Christmas traditions are stronger than ever.

For example, if a Russian was a regular church goer during Soviet times, that person would be under suspicion from the state. Yet today, being “a believer” is completely acceptable, especially since prime minister Vladimir Putin attends an orthodox church service every year with his family on Christmas Eve.

The actual day of Russian Christmas is January 7th. This day falls as December 25th on the Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar which most orthodox churches use. Historical traditions begin on Christmas Eve, January 6th, when Russian families sit down to a meal when the first star is spotted in the sky. The usual traditional meal is kutya, a meatless porridge. Often, people throw the kutya on the ceiling, and if it sticks, good luck will come to them.

Russians also attend church Christmas Eve (not Christmas Day). A person should beware if s/he is invited to a Russian church service. It is extremely long, lasting an average of around three to four hours into the wee hours of the morning. In addition, only pregnant women and older people are generally allowed to sit. Others must stand the entire duration.

There is a traditional tree called the yolka. Historically, in the 1700s, reforming ruler Peter the Great brought the Christmas tree back to Russia with him from one of his many trips to the West, and the concept flourished.

In less prosperous times, the yolka was decorated by any means possible. Poor Russians used homemade decorations, but nowadays, they trim their trees with typical, modern ornaments and lights.

Tags: Russian Christmas Traditions

Ethnic dances, music, food and hand-crafted items await visitors at the seventh annual Russian and Slavic Cultural Festival that will be held at 200 Alexander Ave., Howell, from noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 2.

The event, known as Russianfest, will be held on the grounds and in the buildings surrounding Our Lady of Tikhvin Church and the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral that are off Route 9 north.

“Russianfest is a great familyoriented event with continuous live entertainment for adults and children, fantastic food and drink, and an introduction to the culture, heritage and religion of the people of Russia,” said Bill Mackanic, who directs the public relations for the festival. “Everyone is welcome to share and learn about the many facets of Russia today and yesterday.”

Mackanic, who has been a member of St. Alexander Nevsky parish for more than 20 years, said the entertainment will showcase the culture of various countries that once formed the Soviet Union, and not only Russia. He said about 1,500 people attended last year’s festival, including visitors from surrounding states.

“This year we are very proud to have the Barynya, a premier folk ensemble, which will dress in authentic costumes during their presentation of Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Jewish and Gypsy Roma traditional dancing, music and songs,” said Mackanic. “This ensemble is the real deal.”

The live entertainment schedule will also include performances by the Troika dance group, singers Yuri and Ilona, music by Alyosha Olhovsky, as well as the church’s liturgical choir and the Russian school students.

“The women of the parish have worked very hard to prepare homemade ethnic food specialties,” said Mackanic, who is a resident of Howell. “Also, we will have baltika, an imported Russian beer, that is ordered by numbers that correspond to its alcoholic content.”

Other food that will be available for purchase includes shish-kabob, golubtsi (stuffed cabbage), Russian borscht, Siberian pelmeni (dumplings) and pirozhki (little pies stuffed with sweet or savory fillings). Wine and soft drinks will be available, too.

“The main hall of the parish school will be turned into a Russian tea room where desserts including torts, pastries, coffee and tea will be available,” said Mackanic.

Vendors will be on the grounds offering arts and crafts such as the Russian matryoshka dolls, a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size that are placed inside one another, and items carved from wood, including wooden eggs. The parish bookstore will offer icons and religious items, too.

Russianfest, Mackanic said, is really a day of fun and a day to meet Russian people.

“During the Cold War the people of Russia and the Soviet Union received an unfair reputation,” he said. “This festival offers to show the real heart and soul of the Russian people now as they go back to their cultural and religious roots.”

The Rev. Valery Lukianov, pastor of St. Alexander Nevsky parish for 43 years, said short guided tours in English of the St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral that contains beautiful icons and relics will be available during the festival. A brief history of the parish, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, will be included, too.

“There will also be a concert in the cathedral by a Slavic men’s quartet,” he said. “We are lucky to have beautiful grounds and buildings for the festival.”

The pastor said the parish now consists of about 300 families. It was established in 1936 in honor of a great prince, St. Alexander Nevsky. When the new cathedral was blessed in 1997, the original church, located opposite the new cathedral, was rededicated in honor of the Icon of Our Lady of Tikhvin. “This festival helps the people of the parish to come together, work as a team, and have pride in their culture and religion,” Rev. Lukianov said. “Sometimes the festival is also a means for lax members to come back or new members to join the church. For the community at large, it is an opportunity to know us and discover what we do.”

He said the proceeds of the festival are administered by the St. Alexander Foundation and support the maintenance and ministries of the parish, as well as community organizations such as first aid squads and fire departments.

“To the best of our ability, we try to help every one we can,” the pastor said.

Planning for the festival, he said, started in March and required a lot of work from many people.

“It takes many people to make the festival a success,” Rev. Lukianov said. “So, come and enjoy a wonderful day and experience some Russian culture.”

Tags: Russian Festival

Russia is a huge country that’s why the climate is different in different parts of the country. Foreigners usually think that winters are very cold and snowy on the whole territory of Russia. This isn’t true: the weather in the European part of Russia is not very cold in winter; some winters do not even have much snow. Of course it’s connected with the problems of global warming. It’s usually warmer in big cities and there is less snow there than in small villages.

Winter can start very early – in the second half of November. It often snows and average temperatures can be – 2 – 4 C. The snow falls but melts quickly; it doesn’t stay on the ground. In December and in January temperature can go down –10-15 C, and snow can create big problems for transport.

November and December are the darkest months in a year. It’s getting light only in 8.30 am, and it’s already dark in 4 pm. The sun appears very rarely, the sky is grey and lifeless and this is a big problem for people. There’s even a term “autumn depression”.

In February it snows a lot and the sun comes often. This is the best winter month. Sometimes winter continues in March too. It may snow in March and temperature is not higher than –2-5 C. Real spring comes only in the middle of April.

Tags: Winter in Moscow

Foreigners often put this question to themselfs, because they pay attention to it immediately in Russia. ” May be a smile is not expression of politeness in Russia?” – they think.- ” May be Russians can’t smile and laugh at all?”- think others. “We head that Russians are gloomy and agressive -that’s true, we see it now with our own eyes”,- other group decides. So is it true that Russians don’t like to smile?

Of course not! Russians like anecdotes and jokes, they prefere comedies instead tragedes. One can see a lot of spectetors at the performances with comic actors and showmen. Russian like to laugh very much!

Howeveer a Russian used to smile and laugh when he feels absolutely relaxed – with close freinds, at home with his family. But there is not a common rule, a habbit to smile politely to unknown person in the street or to a neighbouer in your house. This rule of behaviour did’t become a standard form of politeness in modern Russia yet. Because of pecularities of Russian culture, history, traditions formal smile to unknown person ( it’s very impotrant that’s the person is unknown, alien) was not an obligatory element of Russian traditional communicative culture ( if you compare for examper with such easten countries like Japan or China).

Now Russia if under both influences -from East and from West, and you can see how formal polite smile appears on russian faces: you see smiles in a good restaurant, in a fashinable boutique, in a hotel – everywhere in the places where you are beloved client. In othere spheres of live the process goes not so fast.

You can be convicted that Russians are friendly, polite and well-disposed – let’s addrees with a question or request to unkown person even in the street. Smile and say:” Exuse me, please, I am a foreigner and don’t know the town (country, language etr). I don’t know how (to buy a ticket, to find the stop or metro station, to have some coffer etr). Could you help me, please!” You see the result with your own eyes!

Tags: Why Russians don't smile?

A trial began in London on Monday pitting one of Russia’s most famous businessmen against his former protégé Roman Abramovich, in a $5 billion case that shines a rare spotlight on the complex business dealings of Russia’s oligarchs.

At the heart of Boris Berezovsky’s lawsuit is an allegation that Mr. Abramovich intimidated him into selling his 21.5% stake in the Russian oil company OAO Sibneft for much less than its real value. He is claiming $5 billion in damages, and an additional $565 million on a related claim regarding aluminum company United Co. Rusal PLC.

Mr. Abramovich, best known in Britain as the owner of Chelsea Football Club and one of the country’s richest men, disputes the claims.

The case opens a unique window on the world of Russia’s oligarchs, a group of tycoons who came to wield unparalleled power in the chaotic years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and could reveal details of Mr. Abramovich’s extensive ties to the Kremlin. .

A former mathematics professor, Mr. Berezovsky came to epitomize the new breed of politically connected moguls who came to prominence in the 1990s, with a huge business empire spanning cars, banking and television. But his fortunes were to turn with the advent of Vladimir Putin, who came to power vowing to curb the oligarchs’ influence.

Mr. Berezovsky had initially supported the former KGB spy, but the two later fell out and he was forced to leave Russia. For the past decade he has been living as a political exile in the U.K.

In his opening arguments, Mr. Berezovsky’s lawyer Laurence Rabinowitz claimed Mr. Berezovsky and Mr. Abramovich had worked together to acquire Sibneft, an oil company formed from privatized state oil assets in the 1990s, and in the process became good friends.

But when Mr. Berezovsky was forced to leave Russia, Mr. Abramovich was faced with a choice: “to remain loyal to Mr. Berezovsky, his friend and mentor and the person to whom he owed his newly acquired great fortune, or instead, as we submit, to betray Mr. Berezovsky and to seek to profit from his difficulties,” Mr. Rabinowitz said.

He said that in a meeting after Mr. Berezovsky’s flight from Russia, Mr. Abramovich had intimidated him into selling his stake in Sibneft, threatening that if he refused, he would ensure the shares were expropriated by the Kremlin. Mr. Abramovich said that unless the stake was sold at a price he was willing to pay, he would take steps to prevent the release from custody of a close friend of Mr. Berezovsky, the businessman Nikolai Glushkov, Mr. Rabinowitz contended.

Mr. Abramovich, who later sold Sibneft to OAO Gazprom, the state gas company, for $13 billion, denies making such threats. His lawyers are expected to make their opening argument on Tuesday.

Mr. Abramovich also denies a related claim that he breached an agreement with Mr. Berezovsky by selling shares in the aluminum company Rusal without telling him, causing a loss of $565 million.

Mr. Abramovich says Mr. Berezovsky had no interest in either Sibneft or Rusal. He acknowledges that he was close to Mr. Berezovsky, and paid him large sums of money, but that this was merely a reward for Mr. Berezovsky’s political patronage as he built up his business.

Mr. Abramovich failed this year in an attempt to strike out the lawsuit before it proceeded to trial. He is expected to take the witness stand next month.

Tags: Abramovich

One well-known news paper raised a question about Slavonic girls abroad. They published a couple of articles named “Russian wife” telling about the way of life female emigrants living there. It caused a big discussion. One’s said that all the Russian guys are drinkers,others said that American dream its only a myth. But the most surprised thing was an email from a lady. She sent her book named “confession of a Russian wife “She wrote what she knew good: long searches of soul mate, marriage agencies, lies and humiliation.

Everything started from a big and painful love, after that she got big experience of unsuccessful relationships. Finally she went to the dating agency! Starting from there she described how it really works. She said that there are 3 types of guys that come to see their brides: young but not that really attractive, old ugly men and mentally disabled people.

They come only because in States nobody of them has a chance to meet a Russian wife or moreover to get married. After hundreds of contenders. She finally met American guy, he was small and 18 years older than her. She didn’t like him much but she thought “with this guy i could live”.

Its still continue, but she wrote this allowance for everybody to know how it really is.

Tags: Russian wife

The Russian dating site is very popular and become greater, on line dating is very popular last years, it helps to find second half and live happy life with beloved person, if you still do not use  Russian dating site but looking for happy marriage with beautiful and sexy Russian women you should try it, lots of girls looking for nice men, may be you can me one of them, and you will find a good woman to be with. It is very easy and comfortable to use marriage dating agency, you would be able to meet a nice girl easily inspire of thousands kilometers between you. If you want love and warmness, Russian dating site will gladly help you, you want to meet a second half? Russian dating site is what you need! you can meet pretty ladies of any age, and feel and see who do you need and who do you feel to be with, get in contact with this girl, start romantic correspondence and arrange phone conversation, even meet later and start a happy dream life!!! Lots of wonderful women longing for a nice man, do not miss your chance, Russian dating site is a road to heaven, road to happy life with second half, you will not be alone anymore, you will feel and know that someone need you, love you and wait for you.

Tags: Russian dating site

Real Russian women never leave friends in trouble . If you come to the site and get to know them, you become their friend . Real Russian women always come to your aid . If you will be lonely rainy nights you can always talk with real Russian women on Russian dating. If you”re bored on a hot day or a frosty morning , If flowering spring morning or a quiet autumn night, you”re bored and lonely real Russian women always melt the ice in your soul! Real Russian women always welcome new people and communicate.  Real Russian women will tell you a lot of beautiful stories about the country, about love, friendship, romance and stars . Real russian women will never lie to you about feelings, they never tell you wrong. You will find they have the support and understanding in virtual communication and in person! When you go with them on the night city, you will see that there is no one better . They will always be with you, you will never forget them ! And real russian women will always remember you. You”ll always be seen in your dreams, their eyes and smile . Their beauty you remember forever . Real russian brides will always be with you.

Tags: Real Russian women