Sukhodrev translated for presidents and leaders at meetings beginning with Nikita Khrushchev's 1959 visit to the US The Soviet interpreter who for three decades brought the words of Kremlin leaders to the English-speaking world has died in Moscow at the age of 81. Ekho Moskvy radio first reported the death of Viktor Sukhodrev. No cause of death was immediately announced. Continue reading... ...
A representative for Moscow's security department has announced that the Wurst parade was rejected because of concerns it would provoke clashes between 'gays and their opponents' Conchita Wurst pledges to promote tolerance after jubilant welcome home Russian officials have banned fans from staging a parade in honour of Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst. Citing the risk of violence and the need to "respect...
Space agency grounds Proton rockets and opens investigation after launch of £17m Express-AM4P satellite goes awry A Russian Proton rocket carrying an advanced communication satellite fell back towards Earth shortly after liftoff on Friday. Officials said the rocket's control engine failed 545 seconds after it took off from the Baikonur space centre that Moscow leases in Kazakhstan. Continue reading......
It may still be a crime to be gay in 77 countries, but at least now thousands of people are speaking out LGBT rights around the world an interactive Recent headlines in Europe and the US could lead you to believe that the momentum is building in favour of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people. A deeper look at the data, however, reveals a more complicated story unfolding around...
Russia announces decision to halt export of crucial rocket engines in response to US sanctions over annexation of Crimea Russia's deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, has announced it will halt the export of rocket engines crucial to the US military defence and space programmes. The move marks a serious deterioration in US-Russian cooperation in space, which for two decades had remained largely above...
As Kiev struggles to wrest back control of east from pro-Russia fighters, irregular units of 'Ukrainian patriots' are stepping in The men, dressed in irregular fatigues and with balaclavas pulled over their heads, fingered their Kalashnikovs nervously and jumped at every unusual sound. Eager to aid their country's military struggle, the so-called Donbas Volunteer Battalion was ready to fight, but appeared...
A Russian politician breaks into song during a parliamentary session to protest against Austria's Conchita Wurst winning the European song contest. MP Oleg Nilov sings a verse from a Russian folk song, featuring the lyrics 'Black raven, why are you circling, above my head?'. He says 'dark forces' prevented Russia's entry, the 17-year-old Tolmachevy twins, from winning the contest Continue reading......
Prime minister to chair discussions on OSCE peace proposals day after six Ukrainian soldiers killed in rebel ambush The Ukrainian government has agreed to launch discussions on giving more powers to the regions under a peace plan brokered by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) a roadmap backed by Moscow but regarded with scepticism by Kiev. Continue reading... ...
Chief of rally's fighting wing aims to co-opt Kiev protesters into battalions opposing pro-Russian rebels Andrei Vlasov admitted that it used to be more exciting. Since November the 33-year-old has been living in a tent in Kiev's Maidan, or Independence Square, the focal point for Ukraine's protest movement. But revolutionary fervour has faded and instead of the pitched battles with riot police that...
Moscow says it will reject US request to prolong life of ISS beyond 2020 in retaliation for Washington's sanctions Russia cast doubt on the long-term future of the international space station, a showcase of post-cold war cooperation, as it retaliated on Tuesday against US sanctions over Ukraine. The country's deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, said Moscow would reject a US request to prolong the...
Washington's role in Ukraine, and its backing for the regime's neo-Nazis, has huge implications for the rest of the world Why do we tolerate the threat of another world war in our name? Why do we allow lies that justify this risk? The scale of our indoctrination, wrote Harold Pinter , is a "brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis", as if the truth "never happened...
Attack comes as separatists repeat assertion that pro-Kiev forces are considered to be an 'occupying force' in east Ukraine A solution to the crisis in east Ukraine seemed as far away as ever on Tuesday, as six Ukrainian army servicemen were killed in an ambush by rebels and attempts to get Kiev and the armed separatists to negotiate came to nothing. Ukraine's defence ministry released a statement...
Rejection letter to woman in Neuchatel accuses Russia of provoking a civil war in Ukraine and abusing international law A Russian woman turned down for a teaching post in Switzerland has been told that she was not given the job because of her country's aggressive foreign policy. The rejection letter from the director of the Issal Institute in the city of Lausanne in western Switzerland read: "Many...
Foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier aims for quick launch of dialogue after two eastern regions declare independence The German foreign minister has arrived in Ukraine saying he hopes round-table talks between politicians and civil groups this week will help disarm pro-Russia separatists and improve the atmosphere for elections in the country later this month. Frank-Walter Steinmeier met the acting...
Ukraine's Donetsk region declares independence following the weekend's referendum on self-rule. In front of a crowd of around 250 people Donetsk separatist leader, Denis Pushilin, stands on stage on Monday and declares the 'People's Republic of Donetsk' an independent country. Crowds cheer and let off fireworks Continue reading... ...
Youth unemployment and the need for more democracy are among the hot topics at three-day European Youth Event It is not everyone's idea of a weekend Euro-break: a conference in the sprawling maze of parliamentary buildings in Strasbourg to debate the virtues of European democracy. Yet they came in their thousands more than 8,000 young people from 28 member states to celebrate the European Union and...
Russian actor who starred in the only Soviet film to have won the Palme d'Or At the 1958 Cannes film festival, in a competition that included films by Ingmar Bergman , Jacques Tati and Satyajit Ray, the Palme d'Or was presented to Mikhail Kalatozov's The Cranes Are Flying, the first and last Soviet film ever to have won it, and a special mention was given to Tatiana Samoilova, its captivating 23-year-old...
The foreign secretary, William Hague, discredits the validity of a referendum in Ukraine that aimed to grant independence to Donetsk and Luhansk. Hague claims the votes in Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest 'carried greater weight' than the self-imposed referendums. Donetsk, which claims the result was 90% in favour, has asked to join with Russia Continue reading... ...
Steve Bell on Luhansk and Donetsk's efforts to join Russia - cartoon Comment is free theguardian.com Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Jump to content [s] Jump to comments [c] Jump to site navigation [0] Jump to search [4] Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK US AU Your activity Email subscriptions Account details Linked services Sign out Profile...
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe needs to hold Geneva II talks as soon as possible Events in Ukraine took an even darker turn on Sunday when ballots were held in two provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk. The Russian separatist organisers claimed 86% voted for some form of self-rule in Donetsk and 96% in Luhansk . On the back of these results, some of them called for union with Russia....