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Dozens Arrested at Gay Pride Rally in Russia

Posted on June 30, 2013 by ankakh

Russian police arrested several gay rights activists and Russian nationalists who confronted them at a rally Saturday that was declared illegal under a new law against “gay propaganda.”

Officials in St. Petersburg deemed that the rally, which took place in a space designated for public demonstrations, violated the law. The statute essentially prohibits public displays of homosexuality, as well as talking about it to children.

About 200 nationalists also gathered at the rally, chanting slogans such as “Sodomy will not pass,” and throwing eggs and rocks at the gay-rights activists, who numbered about 40.

The state-run Itar-TASS news agency quoted an unnamed police official as saying police arrested dozens of people, including eight nationalists.

The official said city authorities banned the rally beforehand for violating the “gay propaganda” law, even though using the space does not require the prior approval of city authorities, unlike other public rallies.

Russia’s parliament passed a law banning “gay propaganda” earlier this month. St. Petersburg was one of several cities to pass similar laws at local level before that.

Russian scientist wants ‘Satan’ missile shield to shoot down meteorites in wake of Urals strike

Posted on June 26, 2013 by ankakh

A Russian scientist has said a Soviet-era ballistic missile system dubbed ‘Satan’ should be put back into use defending the earth from asteroids. Senior rocket researcher Sabit Saitgarayev – who spoke out after a meteor burst over Russia’s Ural Mountains earlier this year damaging thousands of buildings – said the old 1960s missiles were ideally suited to destroying any potential threats streaking towards the planet from space. The researcher said the missiles, which use standard liquid fuel based on hydrazine, were ‘well-suited’ to fighting ‘suddenly discovered small [space] objects, according to a report on news.com.au. It means a missile could be launched against an approaching asteroid with a mere 20 minutes warning, in contrast to modern missile systems, which require several days of preparation ahead of a launch. Scientists claimed the meteorite that exploded over the Urals was the biggest space rock to hit earth in more than a century. Mr Saitgarayev claimed Satan missiles would be capable of destroying objects with a diameter of up to around 300ft. If equipped with a booster, the 1960s missile would be able to destroy a space object hurtling towards earth while it was still five to six hours away, he said.

Bolshoi Ballet acid victim is now almost completely blind after 18 operations fail to save his sight

Posted on June 20, 2013 by ankakh

The artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet is now almost completely blind after 18 operations failed to save his sight following an acid attack earlier this year.

Sergei Filin, 42, was left with severe burns to his eyes and face when a masked attacker threw a jar of sulphuric acid in his face as he was returning home late on January 17.

He flew to Germany from Moscow for treatment in March, but despite initial optimistic reports, he has now lost 95 per cent of his vision and is totally blind in his right eye.

A spokeswoman for the Bolshoi told The Times yesterday: ‘He is now blind in his right eye. The problem is that it is acid and it continues to cause damage. He has had 18 operations and I understand that some of them were very difficult.’
She said that his facial burns had almost completely healed and his hair had grown back.

The spokeswoman also said that he continues to speak regularly on company business to Galina Stepanenko, who has been standing in for him.

The Bolshoi, one of Russia’s best-known cultural symbols, filed two reprimands against Tsiskaridze for giving unauthorised interviews after the attack on Mr Filin.

When he arrived at Aachen University Clinic, Mr Filin said he was ‘full of strength and faith’ that he will eventually see well enough to return to work at the famed Moscow theatre.

But it appears his progress has now stalled and the prognosis for his sight is now bleak.

Obama’s own Berlin Wall! US President issues warning to austerity Europe from behind bulletproof glass

Posted on June 20, 2013 by ankakh

Nearly 50 years after John F Kennedy’s historic Cold War speech in Berlin, Barack Obama yesterday called for the United States and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals as he visited the same city.

Speaking at the Brandenberg Gate from behind a wall of bullet-proof glass, the US president used the occasion to suggest a one-third reduction of American and Russian nuclear stockpiles.

He also issued a warning to the eurozone over the wisdom of austerity policies, saying the need to balance budgets should not distract from the ultimate economic goal of improving people’s lives.
His comment seemed particularly aimed at his German hosts and its pressure on southern eurozone neighbours such as Greece and Spain to slash government spending.

Mr Obama was confident Europe would pull through but said leaders would have to moderate their cost-cutting if youth unemployment went too high, to ‘ensure that we don’t just lose a generation’.

Mr Obama gave a more cautious speech than his usual soaring rhetoric – perhaps aware of comparisons with President Kennedy’s historic denunciation of communism with the phrase: ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’

Putin denies stealing Patriots Super Bowl ring and says it’s in the Kremlin museum with all other ‘state gifts’

Posted on June 17, 2013 by ankakh

The Russian President is fighting back against recently-revealed claims that he stole a Super Bowl ring from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

On Sunday, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the $25,000 Super Bowl XXXIX ring was clearly offered by Kraft as a gift.

It is currently housed in the Kremlin’s museum, along with all over state gifts, he added.

Kraft turned the 2005 incident into international news on Thursday when he publicly claimed that Putin pocketed his ring after asking to examine it. Kraft said he was asked by American government officials to later say it was a gift to save international embarrassment.

Peskov told CNN that he doesn’t know why Kraft, a billionaire business magnate, is making the allegations against Putin.

‘What Mr. Kraft is saying now is weird. I was standing 20 centimeters away from him and Mr. Putin and saw and heard how Mr. Kraft gave this ring as a gift,’ he told the network.

That’s not the way Kraft told the story Thursday night in front of a packed crowd at Carnegie Hall’s Medal of Excellence gala in New York, the New York Post reports.

Lead dancer forced out of the Bolshoi theatre over allegations he is linked to acid attack on ballet director

Posted on June 10, 2013 by ankakh

The principal ballet dancer with Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre claims he is being forced out of the troupe over allegations that he was part of an acid attack that nearly blinded its artistic director.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze, 39, has been told he must leave at the end of the month amidst claims by Bolshoi director Anatoly Iksanov that he may have been involved in the attack on Sergei Filin.

The acid hit, which took place in January, left Mr Filin with severe burns to his face and eyes.

Mr Tsiskaridze has denied all allegations, claiming he is the victim of a smear campaign.

Mr Tsiskaridze’s relationship with Mr Iksanov soured sharply after the Bolshoi director suggested that the Georgia-born dancer might have played a role inciting the attack.

The principal dancer has now been told that his contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of June, Bolshoi spokeswoman Katerina Novikova said, but refused to give the reason for the decision.

Anti-gay campaigners in Russia tell Elton John: ‘Wear flamboyant clothes at your concert and we’ll protest in the streets’

Posted on June 8, 2013 by ankakh

Elton John has been told to lose his flamboyant stage costumes for an upcoming concert in Russia – or face protests by anti-gay campaigners.

The singer, who will play in the southern city of Krasnodar next month, has been told by a communist group that his usual outfits are ‘homosexual propaganda’ that could breach local laws where promoting homosexuality is a criminal offence.

The country’s Communists of Russia party has instead suggested that the 66-year-old performer should wear ‘more respectable’ traditional Cossack clothes for his concert.

Local party leader Mikhail Abramyan recommended that Elton don a knee-length kaftan, knee-high leather boots, and a fur hat for the July 14th gig.

He said: ‘It would be more respectable. We have suggested it to the promoters and we hope he’ll wear it.’, according to Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

A spokesman for Elton John did not wish to comment this afternoon.

First woman in space ready for ‘one-way flight to Mars’

Posted on June 7, 2013 by ankakh

Russia’s Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space, said on Friday she was ready to score another coup and fly to Mars, even if it would be just a one-way trip.

“Mars is my favourite planet,” the 76-year old told a news conference in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City) outside Moscow, home to a cosmonaut training centre.

Tereshkova, who became a national heroine at the tender age of 26 when she made a solo space flight in 1962, said she had been part of the group who studied the possibility of going to the Red Planet.

“But we know the human limits. And for us this remains a dream. Most likely the first flight will be one way. But I am ready,” she said.

On June 16, Russia will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tereshkova’s historic flight.

Russian President Putin, Wife Are Divorcing

Posted on June 6, 2013 by ankakh

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have announced they are divorcing.

Married just a few weeks short of 30 years, the Putins announced the decision on state television after attending a ballet performance Thursday evening in the Kremlin.

“It was our joint decision,” Putin said.

Lyudmila Putin was rarely seen in public during her husband’s long tenure at the top of Russian politics.

“I don’t like publicity and flying is difficult for me,” she said.

Moscow Metro fire sees 45,000 people evacuated and two dozen passengers injured

Posted on June 6, 2013 by ankakh

A rush-hour fire in Moscow’s subway today injured dozens of people, forced the evacuation of thousands of commuters and closed parts of the network.

The fire started after a power cable caught fire in a tunnel leading to the Okhotny Ryad station adjacent to Red Square, the Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said more than 45 people sought medical help and seven were hospitalised.

Most of them suffered from smoke inhalation and thousands were evacuated.
As firefighters were putting out the fire, authorities closed one of the subway lines that cuts through central Moscow.

Eyewitnesses say central Moscow streets were thronged with crowds who ended up walking to work.

The subway resumed regular service by noon Moscow time, but half an hour later officials again shut part of the line after they found a smoldering cable at another tunnel next to the Okhotny Ryad station.

Moscow’s subway is an essential transport link, serving up to 7 million people a day.

The Contraband Cat: Feline tries to smuggle mobile phones and chargers into Russian jail just months after similar attempt in Brazil

Posted on June 5, 2013 by ankakh

Prison inmates been known to bribe guards so they can smuggle in mobile phones.

But – for the second time in five months – a cat appears to have been used as an accomplice.

Guards patrolling a prison colony in Russia’s north saw a cat on the fence that was apparently carrying something.

On a closer look, they found two mobile phones and chargers taped to the male cat’s belly.

The federal prison service said the incident happened last Friday evening at Penal Colony No 1 near the city of Syktyvkar in Komi province, 600 miles north-east of Moscow.

It was not immediately clear how the cat was supposed to drop off its loot.

A spokesman for the jail said: ‘Two packages were taped to the animal’s back.

‘When the packages were unwrapped, guards found objects prohibited in the penitentiary facility – two cell phones with batteries and chargers.

‘Obviously we can’t question the cat, but someone somewhere knows who he was delivering these items to and we will hold him until we find out.’

It follows an incident in north-east Brazil in January when a cat carrying a saw and mobile phone was ‘detained’ as it entered a prison gate.
Guards at the jail in Arapiraca city, in the state of Alagoas, were surprised when they saw a white cat crossing the main gate of the prison, with its body wrapped with tape.
A closer look showed the feline also carried drills, an earphone, a memory card, batteries and a phone charger.

‘It’s tough to find out who’s responsible for the action as the cat doesn’t speak,’ a prison spokesman said following the incident on New Year’s Day.

Blown out of proportion? Student arrested for posing by Russian World War Two memorial with an inflatable sex doll

Posted on May 21, 2013 by ankakh

A university student has been jailed in Russia for posing for a photograph in front of a Second World War memorial – arm in arm with a blow-up sex doll.

Anastasia Polnikova, 23, was charged with hooliganism after she and three friends took the inflatable sex aid to the memorial near the FederalUniversity in Stavropol, Russia.

Wearing WWII head gear and waving a Russian flag, the drunk students borrowed the doll from a friend and walked through the park to take the pictures before posting them on the internet.

Detectives are hunting Miss Polnikova’s three unnamed friends who went on the run after police issued arrest warrants for them all.

Stavropol’s Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesman Eugene Nuykin said: ‘The identities of all the people who appeared in this photo are known to us and they will all be punished.

The university confirmed that all four students in the picture as well as the photographer had been expelled.

Russia Scraps Visas for Foreign Athletes

Posted on May 14, 2013 by ankakh

President Vladimir Putin has waived visa requirements for athletes, coaches and other staff attending international sporting events in Russia.

Russia is hosting the Winter Olympics next year and the soccer World Cup in 2018. In August, the Athletics World Championships will be held in Moscow.

The decree Putin signed Tuesday said the visa waiver goes into effect immediately.

To qualify for visa-free status, athletes and others must have documents that confirm their identity and official accreditation from organizers of the sporting event.

Americans, Europeans and others normally have to apply for a Russian visa weeks ahead of their arrival in the country.

Russian daredevil takes his life in his hands as he hangs like a monkey off 1,000ft crane

Posted on May 11, 2013 by ankakh

These pictures taken from footage showing a Russian teenager climbing around a crane 1,000ft up in the sky are enough to make your palms sweat even if you have never suffered from vertigo.

The youth is seen walking along the crane as if it were a tightrope, without showing even a flicker of fear at being so far from the ground.

Without a safety harness, hard hat or even a rope, he confidently walks – and even skips – along the red metal crane in his trainers.

The three-minute clip, posted on Youtube, shows his astonishing courage (or should that read foolhardiness?) as he casually strips off his jumper and puts on a woolly hat for his sky-high work-out

The boy, who looks little older than 16 or 17, then climbs over the side and hangs from just one hand.

The cars in the street below are so tiny they look like toys as he does monkey bars dangling off the crane.

Eventually, just when the viewer’s nerves can take it no longer, the film stops with the logo Dangerous For Life.

It has already been viewed by tens of thousands of armchair adventurers, though most of those who commented on Youtube realised the danger the youth was putting himself in.

One wrote: This crazy kid is probably going to be responsible for so many tragic deaths, if not his own.

Russian prisoner makes rare escape from Moscow jail

Posted on May 7, 2013 by ankakh

A Russian prisoner charged with double murder on Tuesday escaped from one of Moscow’s most impregnable jails by breaking a hole in his cell ceiling and climbing to freedom, the prison service said.

In a rare break-out, reportedly only the fourth in two decades from Moscow’s Matrosskaya Tishina prison, Oleg Topalov “escaped through a hole in the cell ceiling that he had made and made his way onto the roof,” prison service spokesman Sergei Tsygankov told the RIA Novosti news agency.

“From the roof he escaped over the main fence,” he added.

It was unclear how Topalov managed to break a hole in the ceiling since cells are searched for banned objects. The only object he could have used was a spoon, a source in law enforcement told the Interfax news agency.

In an unusual move, the federal prison service released pictures of Topalov, 33, a slim man with dark curly hair, asking the public to call with any information.