Jan Bednar: Hunger Strike Over Radar Base in Czech!

Jan Bednar on the right!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & reading an article about the:

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The hunger strikes in the Czech Republic, that the government is acting undemocratically in refusing to consult the public on the issue, even though the latest opinion polls show that 65 per cent of Czechs are against the radar base.

Jan Bednar from the ‘No to the Base’ campaign group has lost 10 kilograms in weight in just over two weeks. His liver is failing and jaundice is setting in, so doctors are urging him to end his hunger strike. But he’s refusing. He may look weak, but his will is strong.

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Seems that there are some issues that America has caused in the Czech Government structure. Wonder how much money the Czech Government was bribed with by the USA to put in a Radar Base?

Poland, I think is holding out for much more money than Czech did!

I think that this is called buying your friends, so do not miss a payment...... :)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Soviet Union War Hero On Trial In Estonia!

Arnold Meri

Hello,

Estonia has put an 88 year old veteran of the WWII. Moscow is having some real issues over this.........
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Arnold Meri is being tried in Estonia for genocide during WW2. But in Russia the 88-year-old veteran is considered a hero, and streets and schools are named after him.

Arnold Meri is an Estonian national who was awarded the highest state medal during the war. Estonia accuses him of taking part in the deportation of hundreds of his countrymen to Siberia after the war. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

A village in Russia’s Pskov region is naming a school after the veteran. It educated the regiment under Meri’s command in 1941. Back then, Meri organised the region’s defences against the invading Nazis. He was wounded several times in action.

And the city of Gorno-Altaisk in Southern Urals is giving Meri’s name to a street. He lived there after he was stripped of all honours in 1952. Meri says he was accused for his criticism of the very deportation he is now being tried for in Estonia.
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What do you think? Was he a barbaric criminal that needs to be put away for life? Or is he a war hero of a brutal war that changed the history of the world forever?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Upgrades NATO's MiGs!

MIG-35 NATO Name Falcrum F

Hello,

I think that this is a good example of what Russia is up to in the world scene! I doubt that press will give this much time on the air because it says good things about Russia and her MiG jets.
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The upgraded MiGs have also been completely overhauled, enabling them to stay in service until the early 2030s. During this time they may undergo several more refits and may be provided with more advanced equipment to keep them in proper fighting condition.

The success of the Slovakian contract shows that Russia's defense industry can stand its own against the West in its home field - aircraft for NATO's air forces. And not only in aircraft - Greece's purchase of Russian ships and air defense systems is another fine example. Hopefully, contracts, both filled and to be filled, are only a beginning, the beginning of the Russian defense industry's comeback to the European market. (Link)
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But I will give it time on the air because I think it is important. The NATO MiG is a crucial part of many air forces in the European Region.

Just something else that you may not have known about Russia.....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Deadly: Mongolian Snowstorms in May!

Hello,

Looks like Spring is not as much fun in Mongolia.......
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MOSCOW, May 28 (RIA Novosti) - At least 21 people are reported dead and 100 are missing after snowstorms battered Mongolia over the past two days, the Xinhua news agency cited the country's emergencies officials as saying Wednesday.

Seven provinces in west and central Mongolia were hit hardest, with wind speeds reported at up to 40 meters per second. Buildings and power transmission lines have also been damaged.

Over 300 rescuers and more than 70 vehicles are involved in search and rescue operations.

Snowstorms are common in Mongolia during spring.

Update: 5-30-2008
Mongolia will observe a nationwide day of mourning on Saturday for 46 people killed in heavy snow and sandstorms that have battered the country this week, China's Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

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How would you like to live in Mongolia and have a blizzard for Spring welcome?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Georgia: Up To It Same Old Games!

Hello,

Seems that Georgia is up to its usual: "It was a planned terrorist act aimed at escalating tensions in the region, and there is no doubt that the date was specifically chosen to coincide with Independence Day celebrated in South Ossetia today," Eduard Kokoity said.

"Georgia continues its policies of state-level terrorism," Kokoity said.

South Ossetia and the other Georgian breakaway region, Abkhazia, are a sensitive issue in relations between Georgia and Russia. Georgia, which has moved to join NATO under pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili, is seeking to regain control of the republics and accuses Moscow of encouraging separatism.

A group of international peacekeepers and observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) headed to Tskhinvali to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, police in the southern Znauri district of the self-proclaimed republic reported another incident allegedly linked to Georgia.

A car with several South Ossetia residents came under fire early Thursday. Three people were reportedly injured in the incident.

"The car, presumably, came under mortar fire from Georgian territory," a spokesperson for South Ossetia's Interior Ministry said.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Meeting Over Artic Oil!

Hello,

Remember a while back when Russia upset the world by planting a flag under the North Pole at the Seabed? No! Well to refresh your memory here are my articles on the subject....
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/07/russia-north-pole-ice-station-zebra.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/08/russians-claim-to-north-pole.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/08/russia-plants-flag-under-santas-home.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/09/russians-have-made-their-claim-and-they.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2007/09/russia-here-we-go-again.html
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Officials from the five nations with Arctic coastlines are meeting in Greenland for talks on the territorial status of the polar region. According to geologists, up to 25 % of the world's oil and gas reserves could be buried under the ice. The controversy over exploration rights intensified last year after a Russian research vessel planted a flag on the sea-bed at the North Pole. (Link)

Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and the U.S. all claim rights over the Arctic. All own a part of the region, but each is vying for the area that lies beyond.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has the ultimate say over issues concerning continental shelf borders. It says a country’s shoreline can be extended if the sea bed is a continuous part of the continent.

Last year Russia became the first country to plant its flag at the bottom of the Arctic Sea at the geographical North Pole. However, Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Monday in Denmark that this doesn’t mean Moscow is about to claim the area as its own.
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Looks like Russia was on to something & made sure that they caused a little stink over it......

That is another reason why I like Russia.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Gazprom Wants The Number One Spot!

Hello,

While I was drinking my morning cup of coffee I was thinking that Gazprom had to have its sights on the number 1 spot in the world. For the last few weeks there has been article after article about how fast Gazprom is growing and that they have their sights on Exxon.
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MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom is seeking to become the world's number one company, CEO Alexei Miller said during a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday.

"...Very important steps will be taken, including making Gazprom the world's number one company," Miller said, adding that his company had experience, resources and over 300,000 employees to achieve the goal.

Miller said Gazprom was now ranked the world's third-largest company for market capitalization, which currently stands at $362 billion.

Financial statements say Gazprom produced 548.6 billion cubic meters of gas last year, excluding output by its subsidiaries, up 1.3% against 556 billion cubic meters in 2006.
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I guess we will see what happens. This is apples to apples comparison. Exxon and Gazprom are both energy related businesses.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian Hot News: Rotus Tries To Scoop Windows To Russia?

Hello,

Today a blog by the name of Rotus tried to scoop a news story before Windows to Russia posts it. (Which is not hard to do by the way!) So I took this as a challenge & here are our articles that have to do with Medvedev and corruption in officials!

http://news.kylekeeton.com/2008/05/russia-what-is-president-medvedev-doing.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2008/05/russian-news-05-20-2008.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2008/05/russian-news-may-27th-2008.html
http://kylekeeton.com/2008/05/russia-what-is-president-medvedev-doing.html

Rotus scooped??? me on the Judicial aspect but the judicial end of it is just a small part of the whole process. Medvedev is reforming the whole system of the Government.
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"The judicial system is completely corrupt, and to reverse this, what is necessary is a change of the ruling elite and not just the judges," Belkovsky said.

He predicted that the reform would "contribute to the consolidation of power in Medvedev's hands," as the winnowing-out and replacement of judges, and the appearance of new high-profile cases or review of past decisions could reinforce the president's authority with the people.

Tuesday's meeting appears to be part of a larger message from the Kremlin concentrating on the need to battle corruption. In one of his first major steps as president, Medvedev said Monday that he would head a new federal council to fight against graft, giving a group of senior Kremlin, government and law enforcement officials a month to draw up a "national plan" to deal with the issue. (Link)
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So thank you Rotus, this is a very good thing for Russia. Like all over the world Government has a tendency to be corrupt at times. Medvedev is very serious about this & I think that he will succeed. Now Government Officials have two Big Bosses to deal with. Makes for good little kids (I mean officials.) when they all play.......
http://rotus.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/medvedev-spurs-judicial-reform-in-russia/

Kyle & Svet

PS: Now we have an article on the Judicial reform :)

comments always welcome.

Russian Government Has Problems Finding Workers!

Hello,

Do you need a job? Russia has openings:

Perceived prestige of being a government worker is not enough, the personnel shortage in the central state system exceeds 15 percent, according to a report published yesterday by Rosstat. Even though top state jobs pay twice the national average, the government is unable to compete with the private sector on the labor market. As a result, government service has become woman’s work. In the first quarter of 2008, women made up 71 percent of federal officials, 58 percent in Moscow. (Link)


Kyle & Svet

Russia: We Have Bigger Bombs & Laser Canons Than You Do!

The pistol contains pyrotechnic flash bulb which generates initial impulse.

Hello,

I have come across this article in several forms in the last few days. I get a chuckle out of it when I see it. In Russia you always have to build something better or first. It seems to be a Russian trait. It is a trait that I saw all my life in the USA & a trait that is very strong in Russia. I did an article months ago about the "Father Of All Bombs" it is a Russian bomb that is more powerful than the "Mother Of All Bombs" that the USA built. Like I said this is an important trait that Russians have......... (Link)
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MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Russia started developing tactical laser weapons before the United States and has several prototypes of high-precision combat chemical lasers in its arsenal, a defense industry source said on Tuesday.

The Boeing Company said recently it had test-fired a high-energy chemical laser fitted aboard a C-130H aircraft for the first time. The successful ground tests, "a key milestone for the Advanced Tactical Laser Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program," took place on May 13 at the Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Commenting on the announcement, the Russian expert said: "We tested a similar system back in 1972. Even then our ‘laser cannon was capable of hitting targets with high precision."
"We have moved far ahead since then, and the U.S. has to keep pace with our research and development," he added.
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This is something that the USA & Russia have in common, they always want to be the best. That is another reason why I like Russia.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Georgia Plays games Again? Or Russia Shot Down My Drone!

Hello,

This is an article about the UN findings about the downed drone in Georgia. Articles have sprung up all over the Western presses about that the UN had said without a doubt the drone was shot down by a Russian Jet! The fact is that the UN failed to reach a positive conclusion.....Now the UN says that it was a Russian Jet...... Cool!
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Russia’s Jet Might Have Downed Georgia’s Drone
The UN mission in Georgia has released a report on April 20 accident, when a spy drone of Georgia’s Interior Ministry was hit in the air of Abkhazia. It appears the experts failed to reach a final conclusion.
It emerged that the UN experts based their investigation on the tape allegedly made aboard the drone by Georgia’s military in online mode. The experts were even provided with the 12-second portion that hadn’t been released at first.

The expert conclusion appears at least vague, as there are no evidences explicitly proving that the drone was hit by Russia’s jet. The nine-page report of the UN representatives gives no idea what jet was shown on the video tape.

What’s more, the international experts were unable to find an airport from which the jet could have taken off. It might have been Krasnodar, but then, the jet would have to fly 366km in one direction and another 366km back to the airport. But its maximum flying range is just 700km.

The experts were probing into the events of April 20, which anew aggravated the relations of Moscow and Tbilisi. In Georgia, they claimed that Russia’s jet hit the drone of Georgia that day, violating the cease-fire agreement. Moscow rebuffed by saying that the same document banned Georgian aircraft from flying in Abkhazia’s air.
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UN Got On Russia’s Back
UN mission in Georgia blamed on Russia the destruction of Georgia’s spy drone in Abkhazia’s air April 20. Based on that conclusion, Tbilisi again referred to Russia as to the conflict party rather than its intermediary and called for the urgent replacement of Russia’s peacekeepers in Abkhazia. Official Moscow denies the involvement, but some members of the State Duma leave room for such possibility.
The yesterday’s statement of the UN experts advanced the dispute around the destruction of Georgia’s spy drone to a new level. The conclusion says the tape provided by Georgia shows either MiG-29 or Su-27. The radars first spotted the jet at roughly 12 kilometers from Gudauta airport, Abkhazia, at the altitude of 2,800 meters, i.e. it could have taken off exactly from that airport. Having hit the drone, the jet flew back to Russia’s air space and headed for the Maikop-Krasnodar line, the experts specified.

Once the conclusion was ready, the UN lashed out at Russia blaming on it violation of cease-fire agreement coupled with the recent strengthening of peacekeepers contingent in Abkhazia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry bluntly denied the involvement. “Any violation of Georgia’s state border, the more so hitting its drone is completely out of the question,” said Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, who heads the press service of Defense Ministry.

In the RF parliament, however, they don’t completely cross out the possibility of Russia’s involvement. “More likely than not, it was Russia’s jet,” Gennady Gudkov said yesterday, calling on the authorities “not to react to the UN conclusions.” Gudkov is the deputy head at State Duma’s Security Committee.

But it appears that Moscow will have to explain in the end, at least Slovenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitri Rupel voiced exactly that demand Monday on behalf of EU, where Slovenia presides nowadays.
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The story changes by the day.......

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russians Say: Seveastopol Needs To Belong To Russia!

Sevastopol' - Monument

RBC, 23.05.2008, Moscow 18:25:22.Just over two thirds of Russians (68 percent) believe that a major sea-port Sevastopol must belong to their country, a poll held by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center showed. A mere 5 percent of the respondents said that the city could remain part of Ukraine, while 27 percent are undecided on the matter. The percentage of those who think that Sevastopol must be part of Russia is lower among people aged 18-24 (59 percent) than among older respondents (66-71 percent).

More than half of those who believe that Sevastopol must belong to Russia explain their position by saying that it was a Russian city in the past (56 percent). Other respondents said that Sevastopol is a strategically important port and a place of Russia's military glory (6-7 percent). Meanwhile, 31 percent of respondents said that it was more important to return Sevastopol to Russia than to maintain good relations with Ukraine, compared to 18 percent of Russians who believe otherwise.

The poll was conducted among 1,600 people in 153 locations in 46 regions and republics of Russia on May 17-18, with the margin of error of no more than 3.4 percent.

Russia to Ukraine: Lets Fight Over The Crimea!

Crimea is in the middle of the map, in the Black Sea!

Hello,

It gets better everyday around here. I had a comment from a reader (MattMacL) he came up with this suggestion that Russia should stress the issue of the Crimea, before NATO can bring Ukraine into its arms.

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MOSCOW, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on Monday Russia could claim back Sevastopol, a Russian naval base on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko recently ruled not to extend lease terms for Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine after May 28, 2017.

"Undoubtedly, we must raise the issue ourselves, and if necessary, with the Ukrainian authorities," Mironov told reporters commenting on Yushchenko's decision.

"We should study the issue more closely. If Yushchenko is making such statements, we can also start looking into the issue properly," the senator said, describing Yushchenko's instructions as "illogical and untimely."

Mironov pledged to give instructions to a number of Federation Council committees to consider drafting a bill on Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

There have been frequent disputes between Russia and Ukraine over the lease of the base. In the latest dispute, Moscow Mayor Yury Lyzhkov was barred from entering the former Soviet republic over similarly provocative statements.

According to Luzhkov, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave the Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 as "a token of brotherly love," but under a 1948 decree Sevastopol was assigned special city status "under the governing central authorities," and, therefore, could not be included in the list of territories transferred to Ukraine.

On Thursday Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that in response to Ukraine's decision to prohibit Luzhkov from entering Ukraine, Russia announced a number of Ukrainian politicians would not be allowed entry into Russia.

The Crimea, now an autonomous region within Ukraine, is a predominantly Russian-speaking territory. Since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, the Crimea has unsuccessfully sought independence from Ukraine. A 1994 referendum in the Crimea supported demands for a broader autonomy and closer links with Russia.
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Well MattMacL looks like Russia may be listening to you.....

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia + China = Power!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & realized that Medvedev has long term connections with China....

Medvedev knows China. For two years he was in charge of a difficult job - organizing the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia. He had to make numerous trips and conduct many talks. In a way, he closed down the old era in bilateral relations. Now his task is to open a new one. (LINK)

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BEIJING, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's relations with China are becoming a key factor in the development of international affairs, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday, the second day of his official visit to Beijing.

Medvedev told Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference: "My visit to China is aimed at developing the strategic dialogue that has been progressing over the past few years between our countries."

"We have achieved major progress. Now Russian-Chinese relations are becoming a key factor in international developments."

The committee chairman told the Russian leader that his visit to China "will not only help the development of strategic partnership between the two countries," but also open a new page in the history of their relations.
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Looks like a new ballgame is in the works. This is a powerful combination of countries. Medvedev has long and solid ties with China. He goes way back and has a lot of respect in China. These two countries working together will be hard to push around!

Something to think about......

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: What Is Minimum Wage?

MOSCOW (Moscow News) - The minimum wage per month in the capital (Moscow) is to come to 10, 900 rubles by the end of 2010. Currently the minimum wage in the city is 6,800 rubles. After September 1, it will be 7,500 rubles.

Additionally, pensions in the capital are to exceed the cost of living by the end of 2009, Igor Antonov, the chairman of the budget and finance committee of Moscow State Duma, said.
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That in American Dollars: (at exchange of 23.5 rubles per dollar)

Per Month:
6800 rubles = $290 (now)
7500 rubles = $319 (Sept.1st 2008)
10,900 rubles = $464 (2010)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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Russia & Ukraine: Like Two Kids!

Hello,

Now this statement could cause some fun times in the future:

The head of the State Duma committee on CIS affairs, Alexei Ostrovsky, said in April that Russia could reclaim the Crimea if Ukraine was admitted to NATO. Media reported that President Vladimir Putin issued a similar threat during a closed-door speech to NATO leaders at the Bucharest Summit earlier in April.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080522/108125688.html

Now lets have tea!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

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Russia: What Is President Medvedev Doing?

Hello,

Yesterday I wondered what Prime Minister Putin was up to. So today while I was drinking my coffee I thought that I would see what the President of Russia Medvedev is doing!

1. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to discuss space exploration and military cooperation with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, during his first trip abroad as president on May 22-23. Medvedev's visit to Kazakhstan will be followed by a two-day trip to China, during which the countries will sign a number of documents, including a joint declaration on key international issues.

2. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he will hold one-on-one talks with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy during the G8 summit in Japan in July.

3. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for reforms in Russia's judicial system to prevent bribery and corruption, and make the courts truly independent.

4. Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev signed an order on May 14 allowing Manchester United and Chelsea fans holding tickets for the final at Luzhniki Stadium to enter the country without visas.

5.