The State of Affairs in Russia

[garbon]

The equidistant part is obviously unrealistic, but I do agree that it seems odd for the UN to be headquartered in the US.  Would be better if it is based in, say Switzerland, or some island in the middle of nowhere. 

Here you go, M. And yes, I have quoted Slate.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2013/09/23/u_n_general_assembly_how_did_the_united_states_end_up_hosting_the_united.html

Given the anti-American vitriol sometimes on display at UNGA, it might surprise Americans today that when the location of the U.N. headquarters was originally decided, the United States was the overwhelming consensus choice.

As Charlene Mires writes in her fun new book, Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations, "With so much of the world struggling to recover from wartime destruction, it was a predominantly American crusade."

The big European powers pushed to locate the U.N. on the continent. but even boosters of this plan acknowledged the difficulty of locating the new organization in the midst of the wreckage of war. "There are ruins everywhere, and even where there are no ruins, there are terrible problems," admitted one French diplomat. Relatively unscathed Geneva was a possibility but carried associations with the ill-fated League of Nations.

When a vote on the location of the headquarters was taken in London in 1945, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Canada voted for a European headquarters. As Mires writes, "The rest, from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Mexico), the smaller nations of Europe (Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia), the Pacific (Australia and China), the Soviet Union, and Iran voted for a new start for the new organization, in the United States."

The Soviets were enthusiastic backers of the plan. "The old world has had it once, and it is time for the New World to have it," said Moscow's representative Andrei Gromyko, later to become known as a perennial thorn in the side of U.S. foreign-policy ambitions during the Cold War. The Soviets may also have been calculating that a U.N. presence in Europe would counter their own plans for expansion.

[Valmy]

"over the past 20 years this country has applied illegal sanctions to more than half of all humanity."

I don't even...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the only place on Earth that's roughly equidistant from all capitals be at the center of the Earth? I'm not sure if rock monsters and mole men would approve. 

And bringing up Brazil is really weird. It is located in the same time zone as alot of Brazil. Where would Brazil prefer it to be? Finally why does it have to equidistant to anything? Nobody is riding horses to New York.

[DontSayBanana]

"over the past 20 years this country has applied illegal sanctions to more than half of all humanity."

I don't even...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the only place on Earth that's roughly equidistant from all capitals be at the center of the Earth? I'm not sure if rock monsters and mole men would approve. 

And bringing up Brazil is really weird. It is located in the same time zone as alot of Brazil. Where would Brazil prefer it to be? Finally why does it have to equidistant to anything? Nobody is riding horses to New York.

Also, the Russians have Siberia, and their Chinese neighbors have... well, most of mainland China.  They should be keenly aware that there's distance, and then there's distance.

[KRonn]

This is just more from the Russkies who are saying/doing what they think will diminish the US. I think if we consider the various articles just posted here attacking something about the US then they've been on a real campaign for a while now. Goes hand in hand with their land grabs in Crimea, Ukraine, Mid East and IMO coming soon will be attempts at the Baltic states.

[Syt]

https://www.rt.com/politics/319490-chastity-faith-and-patriotism-/

'Chastity, faith & patriotism': Russian Church offers govt fresh anti-AIDS program

A Russian Orthodox bishop has told the government commission on health that it's wrong to fight AIDS through sex education and the distribution of condoms, suggesting instead to promote chastity, faith and patriotism among citizens.

Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuyevo noted that the church officials were happy that Russia was not adopting the so called "harm reduction" programs like free handover of condoms or replacement therapy.

"We know that we need different methods and programs. I hold that AIDS can be defeated not only by explaining the dangers of this disease, but also through propaganda of healthy moral values," he said.

READ MORE: HIV alarm: Number of infected in Russia may double in 4 yrs, expert warns

The cleric told the government officials that they must promote chastity among the population, especially among children. He also claimed that the word had been completely forgotten in Russia and suggested refreshing its definition as "not simply abstaining from certain pleasures, but a wholesome perception of the world, with the love to family, patriotism, faith and intellectual activities."

The bishop reported that the Russian Orthodox Church had already developed and tested several AIDS prevention programs for children in primary and secondary schools and for college students. He also said that over 10,000 people had already taken part in these programs that focused on traditional family values.

The government commission on healthcare held a special session dedicated to aids on Friday. During it Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev quoted the Health Ministry data that the number of HIV-positive people is growing in Russia at a rate of 10 percent a year. Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova warned her government colleagues that without urgent measures Russia could face an AIDS epidemic as soon as in 2020.

Last year, MP Roman Khudyakov of the Liberal Democratic Party prepared a bill ordering the creation of a national database of people carrying dangerous contagious diseases. If the bill is passed a special agency would collect medical records and make patients undergo fingerprinting. The new rules would apply to Russian citizens and visiting foreigners.

READ MORE: HIV-infected people may face obligatory fingerprinting in Russia

Khudyakov said in press comments that several federal ministries and agencies, including the Federal Migration Service, Interior Ministry, Emergencies Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office had approved his draft, but as of today the parliament has not looked into it.

[Valmy]

Last year, MP Roman Khudyakov of the Liberal Democratic Party prepared a bill ordering the creation of a national database of people carrying dangerous contagious diseases. If the bill is passed a special agency would collect medical records and make patients undergo fingerprinting. The new rules would apply to Russian citizens and visiting foreigners.

This from the Liberal Democratic Party? Well I guess these are the people who created the most totalitarian system in history and called it 'People's Democracy'.

[DGuller]

Last year, MP Roman Khudyakov of the Liberal Democratic Party prepared a bill ordering the creation of a national database of people carrying dangerous contagious diseases. If the bill is passed a special agency would collect medical records and make patients undergo fingerprinting. The new rules would apply to Russian citizens and visiting foreigners.

This from the Liberal Democratic Party? Well I guess these are the people who created the most totalitarian system in history and called it 'People's Democracy'.

Russians sure like misusing such words in an Orwellian fashion.  Or just to troll the civilized world.  Liberal Democratic Party is in fact a fascist party.  Not a real fascist party, but a KGB-created party to attract fascists so that they wouldn't be attracted to real fascist parties.

[Syt]

https://www.rt.com/politics/320475-fm-lavrov-pledges-stronger-support/

FM Lavrov pledges stronger support to Russian diasporas despite Washington & Brussels

Russia will continue to develop the 'Russian World' concept and support compatriots all over the world despite resistance on the part of the US and the EU, Foreign Minister Lavrov says in a newspaper article.
"Rendering multi-sided support to the Russian World is an unconditional priority of Russian foreign policy as stated in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation. As repeatedly emphasized by President Vladimir Putin, we will continue to energetically defend the rights of our compatriots using all means allowed by the international law," the top Russian diplomat wrote in his article published by Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily.

"The Russian World has become more consolidated, with working democratic structures at national, regional and global levels. Anti-Russian actions by Washington and Brussels, including the one-sided sanctions, have failed to have any effect on our relations with [Russian-speaking] communities all over the world that properly reacted to all events and expressed their support to Russia," Sergey Lavrov wrote in his article dedicated to the Fifth World Congress of Compatriots Abroad, which will open in Moscow later this week.

The minister also summed up the results of government support for efforts aimed at unification of ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers all over the world, and coordination of their grassroots bodies with official state programs. He said the Russian government had successfully implemented the 2013-2014 plans developed by the Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Abroad and already approved a similar action plan for 2015-2017.

READ MORE: Champion of Russian Diaspora pledges support for Putin

Lavrov wrote that Russian communities abroad total about 30 million people and make up one of the world's four largest diasporas. He also notes the government program includes measures to support the cultures and traditions of other peoples, in particular Tatars and Jews.

The Fifth World Congress of Compatriots Abroad is due to open in Moscow on November 5. It will be attended by over 400 envoys from various organizations from 97 countries, as well as top officials from Russian federal agencies and regional bodies of power.

"I am confident that by common effort we will successfully fulfill all the current tasks in the interests of discovering the colossal potential of the Russian World," Lavrov concluded.

READ MORE: Moscow creates fund to protect Russian compatriots abroad

I wonder when there will be calls from Volksrussen to be Anschlussed.

[Valmy]

It is true. We just sit around thinking up ways to keep Russians from being supported by Russia.

[KRonn]

Seems more precursor talk to justify and help Putin when it's decided to go after the Baltic nations.

[Valmy]

Seems more precursor talk to justify and help Putin when it's decided to go after the Baltic nations.

Yep.

[Syt]

"Accidentally"

https://www.rt.com/news/321640-leaked-russian-nuclear-torpedo/

'Assured unacceptable damage': Russian TV accidentally leaks secret 'nuclear torpedo' design

The Kremlin has confirmed "some secret data" was accidentally leaked when Russian TV stations broadcast material apparently showing blueprints from a nuclear torpedo, designed to be used against enemy coastal installations.

During President Vladimir Putin's meeting with military officials in Sochi, where the development of Russia's military capabilities were being discussed, a number of TV crews were able to capture footage of a paper that was certainly not meant for public viewing.



The presentation slide titled "Ocean Multipurpose System: Status-6" showed some drawings of a new nuclear submarine weapons system. It is apparently designed to bypass NATO radars and any existing missile defense systems, while also causing heavy damage to "important economic facilities" along the enemy's coastal regions.

The footnote to the slide stated that Status-6 is intended to cause "assured unacceptable damage" to an adversary force. Its detonation "in the area of the enemy coast" would result in "extensive zones of radioactive contamination" that would ensure that the region would not be used for "military, economic, business or other activity" for a "long time."

According to the blurred information provided in the slide, the system represents a massive torpedo, designated as "self-propelled underwater vehicle," with a range of up to 10 thousand kilometers and capable of operating at a depth of up to 1,000 meters.

It remains unclear if such a system is indeed being developed or the slide was presented as just one of the options the Russian military could hypothetically offer. However, according to the leaked paper, the weapons system could be developed by the Rubin design bureau for marine engineering, and may potentially be delivered using nuclear-powered "Project 09852" and "Project 09851" submarines.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that major TV channels had leaked some classified data on Tuesday following the meeting in Sochi.

"It is true some secret data got into the shot, and it was subsequently deleted," Peskov said on Wednesday. "We hope that this won't happen again."

During Tuesday's meeting Putin stressed that Russia will counter NATO's US-led missile shield program through new "strike systems capable of penetrating any missile defenses."

"Over the past three years, companies of the military-industrial complex have created and successfully tested a number of prospective weapons systems that are capable of performing combat missions in a layered missile defense system," Putin said. "Such systems have already begun to enter the military this year. And now we are talking about development of new types of weapons."

[Syt]

Not sure this is a smart move?

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russia-limits-purchases-of-foreign-made-drugs/551479.html

Russia Limits Purchases of Foreign-Made Drugs

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree limiting purchases of imported medicines, according to a document published on the government's website on Wednesday.

According to the authors of the document, the measure is aimed at the development of domestic production and will apply only to state purchases of imported medicines.

The new regulation, due to come into effect on Dec. 7, will affect 608 medicines included in Russia's Vital and Essential Drugs List, according to Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday.

Two hundred and eighty-two of these medicines are currently being produced in Russia by two or more manufacturers, Manturov said.

[Malthus]

No true Russian requires any drug other than Vodka. 

[Liep]

Russia sends law to decriminalise domestic violence to the Duma just in case you didn't already think they were complete arseholes.

http://politsovet.ru/50602-zakon-o-dekriminalizacii-bytovyh-poboev-vnesen-v-gosdumu.html