Russia

By Benedict Moran in Middle East on January 24th, 2012
Syrian protesters have called on Russia to changes its position in the Security Council [Reuters]

By Benedict Moran

Sunday’s Arab League proposal may breathe a gust of fresh air into the hallways of the UN Security Council, which has been long deadlocked on the issue of Syria.

Western countries in the 15-member body, including the UK, France, the US, and Germany, have long backed strong condemnation of what they perceive as a blatant violation of human rights in the country, and seek sanctions or an arms embargo as punitive action against Damascus.

Russia, and to various degrees China, India, and South Africa, have opposed involvement, saying the West is overstepping its bounds and is interfering in the sovereign affairs of a state.  They have continued to call for political dialogue.

In part, the deep divisions over the role of the international body stem from a degree of regret that some members feel since it mandated international intervention in Libya.  

By Kristen Saloomey in Americas on March 22nd, 2011
Photo by Reuters
It was an unusually undiplomatic moment outside the UN security council chamber, and a sign of tension within. 
The Council had just decided not to hold an emergency meeting on Libya.
 
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin was on his way out the door when he publically chastised the spokesperson of another country for speaking to a group of reporters. (I can't tell you which country because conversations at this stake-out are supposed to be off the record, but Western diplomats routinely brief reporters in this informal setting).
 
"Double check with your ambassador," Churkin shouted at the spokesperson. "It's really impolite and rude.
By Neave Barker in Europe on January 21st, 2011
[Source RUleaks.net]

A new website claiming to be Russia's answer to WikiLeaks launched this week with the publication of pictures purported to be a mansion linked to Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister.

 

The site, “RUleaks” http://ruleaks.net/1901 , claims the $1bn h

By Al Jazeera Staff in Asia on November 23rd, 2010
Photo by AFP

19:03 GMT The US plans to consult with allies, including Chin,a to develop a "measured and unified" response to the artillery exchange, the US state department says.

"Everybody involved is stunned by North Korea's provocative actions," Mark Toner, a state department spokesman, said.

"We are working again within an established framework with our partners so we have a deliberate approach to this.

By Neave Barker in Europe on August 11th, 2010
Photo by AP

It was almost as a footnote to the catalogue of catastrophes Russians have faced over the last week when Sergey Shoigu, Russia's emergency situations minister, announced that there might also be a radioactive addition to the nation's woes.

It's already been the hottest summer in 1,000 years.

Wildfires have killed more than 50 people, wiping entire villages off the map and leaving Moscow blanketed for days under a layer of choking smog.

Since the heat wave began more than 30,000 forest and peat fires have ignited nationwide creating a massive plume of smoke big enough to be seen from space.

Today the winds have changed and the skies over the capital have cleared, a welcome respite for thousands of people doomed to spend sweltering nights in overheated apartments with the windows firmly closed.

By Steff Gaulter in Americas on July 30th, 2010
Photo by Getty Images

The State of the Climate report for 2009 has just been released, and it confirms that the past decade was the warmest on record.

Last year wasn't the warmest year on record, and today isn’t the warmest ever day. But these things don’t prove anything, because the time period is just too short. So many things influence the weather on a short time scale, that information can be misleading. 

A decade, though, is a decent amount of time. Longer term averages rule out smaller fluctuations caused by things like volcanic eruptions and natural ocean patterns. 

As well as lengthy, this new report is also extensive. It draws data from 10 distinct records, from the obvious ones like air temperature over land and the amount of Arctic sea ice, to indirect observations like sea level and humidity. 

Tags: Moscow, Russia
By Neave Barker in Europe on July 21st, 2010
Picture from AFP

My Siberian cat greets me at the front door with a grumble before moping off in the direction of the bathroom, now the coolest spot in my sweltering apartment.  The thermometer on the windowsill put there 6 months ago to give me an idea of how many layers to wear during the coldest winter in 50 years, now reads 40 degrees centigrade.

Moscow is reaching boiling point.  It’s hotter here than many African resorts causing asphalt to melt and sales of ice cream and air conditioners to rocket.

There’s even been talk of introducing Spanish style siestas in the afternoon.

Park fountains are now open-air plunge pools for hoards of red-faced teen

Tags: Moscow, Russia
By Al Jazeera Staff in Middle East on June 1st, 2010
The Mavi Marmara nearing Ashdod Monday night. (Photo: AFP)

We'll once again be keeping tabs on the latest reaction to Israel's deadly attack on a flotilla of activists carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Yesterday's live coverage is here.

The death toll has been revised down to 10, according to the Israeli army, which also says seven Israeli soldiers were wounded in the attack. Those numbers have been impossible to confirm independently, because the Israeli army has restricted access to the ships, which have been towed to Ashdod port. (All times are GMT, except where noted.)

If you have comments.

By Marwan Bishara in Imperium on May 3rd, 2010

File 2451

As the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference convenes here in New York this week to assess compliance and to agree on steps to achieve its goals, the world cannot afford a repeat of its 2005 fiasco.

There is a general perception that the NPT regime is in bad shape. In reality, it is worse.

Behind its failures lie double standards and narrow strategic thinking by its five certified nuclear powers, which hampers implementation of its decisions and erodes its credibility.

At the heart of the NPT crisis are three failures relating to the treaty's three main pillars: Disarmament, non-proliferation and access to civilian nuclear energy.

How significant is a "significant" reduction? How new is a "new weapon"?

A central goal of the NPT, which has 189 signatories, is the disarmament of its nuclear powers.

By Neave Barker in Europe on March 5th, 2010
Photo from GALLO/GETTY

Lukoil, Russia’s biggest oil company faces mounting public outrage after one of its vice-presidents was involved in a car crash that led to the deaths of two women.

 

Police were quick to pin the accident on gynaecologist Vera Sidelnikova and her daughter-in-law Olga Alexandrina who authorities said pulled out into the path of Anatoly Barkov's Mercedes.

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