RIA Novosti

Women Talk: Eat, Pray, Love - and Eat Again!

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:06:00 GMT

On one of my recent trips to Italy, I was to take a bus from the quaint Tuscan town of Siena to Rome, and then catch a plane back to Moscow.

Deeper Than Oil: Under The Gaze of a Kazakh Poet

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:52:05 GMT

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently at Moscow’s week-old opposition camp, the gathering of anti-Putin activists that sprang up overnight in the center of the capital, under the gaze of a 19th century Kazakh poet philosopher named Abai Kunanbayev (born Qunanbaiuli).

Trendwatching: The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Russian Pilot

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:28:18 GMT

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking the same things I am thinking. You’re asking yourself: after the Sukhoi Superjet-100 crash - what exactly is it going to take to reform the Russian aviation sector?

Transmissions from a Lone Star: March of the Pygmies

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:02:00 GMT

Right now it seems as if the leadership of the entire planet is coming up for election. At least that’s the impression I get from the news: there are changes of leadership everywhere, or at least in those places where the population is allowed to have a say in such matters. But when I look at the results, I can’t help thinking that the people coming into power are completely incapable of meeting the challenges of our times.

Uncertain World: Putin and Washington: Is Conflict Inevitable?

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Vladimir Putin, who was inaugurated as president of Russia on May 7, has instructed the Foreign Ministry to ensure compliance with the New START Treaty, focusing on the issue of ballistic missile defense. The views expressed in this article are the author’s and may not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Due West: What’s in a Third Term?

Wed, 09 May 2012 05:40:00 GMT

Does Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin mean more of the same Putin we know? Yes and no.

Sam's Exchange: Are We Being ‘Mushroomed’ with Oil Prices?

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:50:00 GMT

You know what it is to treat someone like a mushroom? Keep them in the dark and feed them bullshit. This is the best way to grow a mushroom and is an Australian colloquialism used when we want to keep the truth from someone, and in fact feed them disinformation.

Deeper Than Oil: Rocking Red Square

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:14:13 GMT

Some 20,000 people gathered just off Red Square, screams of passion and rage, a heavy police presence, an air of abandon…No, that’s not a description of an out-of-control anti-Putin protest, but a free concert by the English techno/breakbeat group The Prodigy in Moscow in 1997.

Trendswatcher: Of Parking and PR Disasters

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:34:04 GMT

Should one pick sides in a conflict between a pro-Kremlin youth group and the alleged relatives of a big-time Chechen government official? Or should one just reach for the popcorn?

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Watching Kim Jong-un

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:08:00 GMT

What would it be like to be told at age 27 that for the next four decades you were going to have to kill, starve and oppress millions of people if you wanted to stay alive? A strange question you may think, and yet not an unreasonable one. It is after all, precisely what happened to Kim Jong-un, the son of Kim Jong-il and now leader of the world’s most oppressive state.

Uncertain World: Putin on the Threshold of His Third Term

Thu, 03 May 2012 09:59:00 GMT

Vladimir Putin is poised to take the oath of president of Russia for a third time. It was in August 1999 that he essentially began to run the country, having been appointed prime minister by an ailing President Boris Yeltsin. He served as president for eight years and then returned to the position of prime minister for four, but he continued to call the shots. After his third term as president, Putin will be 65, and he will have been in power for almost 19 years.

Due West: Conviction Politics in Russia

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:44:00 GMT

The audience was small and the location in central Moscow - a Christian cultural center - probably not the most glamorous. But that did not stop Mario Mauro from giving a sparkling performance on his favourite subjects: persecution of Christians around the world, aggressive secularism in Europe, and the way forward toward closer spiritual bonds between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Women Talk: Is Today Sexier Than Tomorrow?

Wed, 02 May 2012 08:24:00 GMT

The 1920s are back. Or, rather, we are back to the 1920s. Culture, fashion, social life – the “Roaring Twenties” nostalgia has been thriving on many fronts lately.

Deeper Than Oil: An Early Morning Elektrichka

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:11:00 GMT

I’ve been spending the short May holidays here in the Moscow countryside, but took an elektrichka – an electric suburban train - back into the capital this morning.

Trendswatcher: So an Ax-Wielding Maniac Walks into Court...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:38:00 GMT

Getting Russians to agree on things is a bit like herding cats. Yet I think it’s fairly safe to say that most Russians hate cops and judges - a phenomenon directly responsible for the fact that criminal culture continues to endure, methinks.

Uncertain World: Jury Still Out on Boris Yeltsin

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:59:00 GMT

Five years have passed since the death of the first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, and twelve years have passed since he quit politics. Yet it’s still too soon to judge Yeltsin and his political era objectively.

Women Talk: Having It All For a Woman – a Utopia or Reality?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:05:20 GMT

“Of all CEOs among Fortune 500 companies, only 18 are women,” wrote Joanna Coles, Marie Claire USA editor-in-chief, in the magazine’s latest issue devoted entirely to career.

Sam's Exchange: The Energy Conspiracy

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:03:00 GMT

Most of us understand that the real 21st century wars are economic.

Deeper Than Oil: Priests, the Lot of Them

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:45:00 GMT

Russia’s Orthodox Church has been at the center of a storm of controversy of late – from Pussy Riot’s anti-Putin “punk prayer” in Moscow’s largest cathedral to the comical “now you see it, now you don’t” saga of Patriarch Kirill’s luxury watch.

Trendswatcher: Punk’s Not Dead - in Russia

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:37:00 GMT

People began using the phrase “punk is dead” before I was even born - but just when everyone starts believing it, someone comes along to prove them wrong. The latest people to do that, sadly, are the jailed members of feminist punk band Pussy Riot.

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Sacred Monsters - A Conversation About Russian Literature

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:13:00 GMT

Lev Danilkin is the most influential literary critic in Russia today. Recently I interviewed him about the past, present and future of the book in the homeland of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Uncertain World: Why Russia Doesn’t Care Who Wins the French Presidency

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:00:01 GMT

The world’s attention is fixed on France’s presidential election, one of this year’s four most prominent elections, along with Russia, the United States and China, where power will change hands, although in a different way.

Due West: Struggle Between Opposition, Kremlin Moves to Regions

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:43:55 GMT

The Russian authorities barely had time to breathe a collective sigh of relief – presidential elections are over and opposition activity in the two capitals, Moscow and St. Petersburg, has perceptibly declined - than the Russian regions started up with their own brand of protest.

Deeper Than Oil: The Sad Tale of Dmitry Butakov

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:43:00 GMT

A lot of strange and sad things that happen in Russia. Many occur and fade away, lost to us with the relentless passing of time, tragic weirdness transformed slowly into nothingness. Today, lest he also be forgotten forever, I bring you the strange tale of Dmitry Butakov – a man who dreamed of lasting fame.

Trendswatcher: Death Becomes Us

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:17:00 GMT

In the Russian media in recent weeks, the issue of the death penalty has been suddenly revived - with both the likes of government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta and colorful TV host Arkady Mamontov weighing in.