Free Republic

Tbilisi. April 27 (Prime-News) – Further expansion of NATO and affiliation of Georgia and the Ukraine will make Russia increase its military expenditures, Mikhail Kamynin, Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia says. Russia has questions to NATO with regard to possible deployment of military bases in its new member states, in particular in Romania and Bulgaria, Mikhail Kamynin was quoted as saying by RIA Novotsi. "We hope that the alliance will observe its political and legal commitments in terms of military restraint when deciding on the deployment of the bases, and in particular the commitment not to...

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's Socialist-led coalition won a general election on Sunday with an increased majority in parliament to become the country's first government to retain power since communism fell in 1989. With 98 percent of the vote counted in the second round of polling, the election commission projected the Socialist Party and its Free Democrat allies would increase their majority from 198 to 210 seats in the 386-member parliament. It was a personal triumph for 44-year-old Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who rescued the Socialists from what looked certain defeat when he became premier in 2004, and provides him with...

The first one to feel the bite of pure alcohol on his tongue was probably an Arab alchemist of the eighth century, living in the area of present-day Morocco. Vodka, which in some of its forms comes very close to being an almost purely alcoholic brew, appeared in Europe later – we know that alcohol was being distilled from wine in Italy by the 11th century. It was called spiritus vini or "spirit of wine." The 13th-century alchemist Arnaud de Villeneuve of Montpelier wrote that it "strengthens the body and lengthens life." Because of this belief in the blessings of...

Knowing that there is a widespread misconception about the origin of and operation of the Nazi German Auschwitz Birkenau death camps, the Polish government is taking steps to change the name of the camps to emphasize that the camps were Nazi German facilities. This proposal to change the name has met with resistance from some quarters. At the same time it has stirred a sudden debate in Poland that has raised the ire of both the Jewish people who were prisoners at the camp, Polish veterans groups and the families of Polish people who were also prisoners at the camps....

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin demanded manual recalculation of ballot papers of Central Election Committee. Putin declared about it during press conference in Moscow, ForUm’s correspondent reports from the Russian capital. Vladimir Vladimirovich claimed that in his opinion there were falsifications on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine. “I don’t believe that ‘Party of Putin’s policy’ gained only 0.12% of votes,” noted Putin. According to him, manual recalculation will show that this party won seats raising 3.15%. The Russian leader also informed that in the near future he would visit Ukraine to express his support to “Party of Putin’s...

After the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the fiercest and bloodiest conflicts of the Second World War, many accounts emerged of the bravery and heroism of the soldiers. But perhaps the strangest story of all was of an Iranian brown bear who served alongside the allied soldiers in the worst heat of the battle. Despite the incessant bombardment and constant gunfire, the bear carried vital supplies of ammunition and food to his fellow-soldiers fighting on the mountainside. Many observers who witnessed his remarkable actions doubted the reality of what they were seeing. But the story was no legend. At...

First Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov two more steps toward legal confirmation of his status of lord of Chechnya. The bureau of the high council of the United Russia Party decided to recommend him as party leader for Chechnya, and Kadyrov himself announced his intention to expel from the republic Danish humanitarian organizations working with Chechen refugees. Referring to the caricatures of the Islamic prophet that appeared in a Danish newspaper and created a worldwide scandal, Kadyrov said that Danes “play with the feelings of a billion and a half people and act as provocateurs… Danish social organizations...

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's new president - a conservative former Solidarity activist jailed by communists in the 1980s - heads to Washington on Wednesday for talks with President George W. Bush on NATO's future and US-Polish trade. Kaczynski, whose opposition to abortion and gay marriage gives him some common ideological ground with Bush, took over in December from former communist Aleksander Kwasniewski, who had served the maximum two five-year terms. He meets Thursday with Bush for formal talks and a working lunch, and is also to see Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials. Kaczynski told The Associated Press...

Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov signed a new law under ordering the authorities to stop paying pensions to 1/3 elderly people and cutting pensions to another 200,000. Under that all pensioners should return the pensions they have received in the past two years from the state. Thus, Niyazov, one of the world's most authoritarian dictators, is trying to cut the state expenses. As a result the number of the people receiving pensions in Turkmenistan has gone from 336,000 to 229,000 and the morgues in the country are full with dead pensioners, newsru.com reports. Last years Turkmenistan's authoritarian President Niyazov banned the...

As a result of the attacks on two gas pipelines supplying Russian gas to Georgia and Armenia during the night of 21 January, the two states were completely cut off from any gas supplies whatsoever. Several hours later, another explosion destroyed an electric power line, interrupting supplies of electricity from Russia to western Georgia. These events sparked a severe diplomatic conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi, with Georgia accusing Russia of organising the attacks. The explosions took place against the background of ongoing Armenian- Russian negotiations concerning the gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia (which is presently under construction, and which...

The emergence of new oil companies suggests that the present ruling team in Russia is taking ownership of economic assets In recent years, thriving new private-owned oil companies have emerged in the Russian energy sector. We know of the existence of two of them: Russneft and the North-West Oil Group (also known by its Russian acronym SZNG). Indirect evidence suggests that the success of these companies may be because President Putin's team has been granted property rights to them. Putin's people came to power after the principal share of state property had already been divided as a result of the...

Renewed interest in natural gas project with cold snap, lower Russian deliveriesPrime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány last Thursday pledged to bolster efforts to help Croatia gain membership of international organisations and work on a new pipeline to meet energy demands during a joint meeting between their two cabinets. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that Croatia becomes a member of both the EU and NATO within the shortest possible time,” said Gyurcsány. He said that Croatia, home to an ethnic Hungarian minority of around 17,000 people, shared a common fate and future with Hungary. “There have been bloody...

MOSCOW has plunged into a fresh gas row with its neighbours Ukraine and Georgia as freezing temperatures strain supplies to the limits. Zurab Nogaideli, Georgia's prime minister, accused Moscow of imposing an "energy blockade" on his country after Russia failed to repair two pipelines destroyed in mystery blasts over the weekend. And Russia's state gas company, Gazprom, has for the second time in a month accused Ukraine of stealing gas destined for western markets, promising unspecified retaliatory action. Georgia and Ukraine have had strained relations with Moscow since each held pro-democracy upheavals - the so-called Rose and Orange revolutions -...

President Mikheil Saakashvili said on January 22 that explosion of two gas pipelines was a “heavy sabotage” against Georgia “by the Russian Federation” and described Moscow as “an unprincipled blackmailer.” Gas supply to Georgia was halted as a result of blasts which occurred on two pipelines in North Ossetia on Sunday. “Three major energy arteries have been cut off: high-voltage power line Kavkasioni [delivering electricity from Russia] has been exploded this morning. Sabotage has damaged two gas pipelines in Russia… Georgia is experiencing a heavy sabotage by the Russian Federation,” Saakashvili said on Sunday in his televised address to the...

The agreement which ends the several weeks-long gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine benefits both sides, but Ukraine gains more On 4 January, Ukraine and Russia reached a compromise that ended their prolonged gas dispute. Financially, the agreement is beneficial for both sides, although Ukraine has managed to win more for itself: Gazprom will sell gas to Kiev through its daughter company RosUkrEnergo at US$95 per 1000 m3, i.e. at nearly twice last year's price, but the price is still much lower than what the Russian monopoly had tried to impose during the conflict (the price quoted by the Russians...

A few Ukrainians, presumably activists of nationalist Student Brotherhood, have set today to filming and making photos of facilities of the RF Black Sea Fleet, in particular, of Mars-75 radio navigation station that is located close to Genichensk, said Four-Stripper Captain Igor Dygalo, who is the aide to commander-in-chief of Russia’s Navy. ”From around 8:50 a.m., MSK, a group of Ukrainians, presumably, from the nationalist Student Brotherhood, is making video filming/pictures of Mars-75 radio navigation station of the RF Black Sea Fleet,” Dygalo said as quoted by ITAR-TASS. “So far, there have been no attempts to enter the military facilities...

NEW YORK -- From Peru to the Philippines to Poland, U.S.-based conservative groups are increasingly engaged in abortion and family-planning debates overseas, emboldened by their ties with the Bush administration and eager to compete with more liberal rivals. The result is that U.S. advocacy groups are now waging their culture war skirmishes worldwide as they try to influence other countries' laws and wrangle over how U.S. aid money should be spent. "We don't expect to see the United Nations change, or Western Europe change," said Joseph d'Agostino of the Population Research Institute, a Virginia-based anti-abortion group. "But with the Bush...

ASTANA, January 11 (Itar-Tass) -- President Vladimir Putin does not rule out a possibility of the reduction of the price of Russian gas delivered to Ukraine. “It is not the present-day price, but the European formula of its calculation, that matters for us. Today the price is 230 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres. Tomorrow it could be greater or smaller. Of course, we shall agree to the reduction of the price,” Putin said here on Wednesday. “We are happy that a compromise has been reached, which is sure to be beneficial both for the energy sphere and for other spheres...

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to sack Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov's government over a controversial gas deal with Russia. A no-confidence motion was backed by 250 deputies in the 450-seat parliament, angry over the deal with Moscow which will force Ukraine to pay nearly twice as much for its gas imports this year. Yekhanurov will remain as acting prime minister until President Viktor Yushchenko names a new premier. Ukraine is due to hold a parliamentary election in March. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, sacked by Yushchenko last September after the partnership that swept them to power in...

The gas contract made between Russia and Ukraine prompted Romania to demand official explanation from Russia concerning the gas prices, the Echo of Moscow reports. In Romania, they cannot understand why they have to pay more than the neighboring Ukraine and Bulgaria. It appears a new gas contract made between Russia's Gazprom and Ukrainian Naftogaz Ukrainy has evoked certain questions in some countries of Europe. Romanian Economy Minister Ioan-Codrut Seres, for instance, is eager to know why the gas costs more to Romania than to Ukraine. Intermediaries that import gas from Russia to Romania, had rejected the contract on shipping...