Russia Today is a Russian news channel aimed at international viewers. The channel has been broadcasting 24 hours a day since December 2005. Russia Today covers news from Russia but also provides international news with a Russian perspective. You can watch Russia Today live on the internet 24/7.
Link: Russia Today
“The landscape of Siberia is transforming. New lakes are forming in the north, while existing lakes are getting larger. Some buildings and houses built upon the permafrost are sinking and starting to crack.”
This winter has been unusually warm in many European countries and Russia is no exception. According to some news articles, this is the warmest Russian winter in over 130 years. On Tuesday, the Russian Orthodox Church announced that they are considering holding special services to pray for snow.
“Winters in Russia are always tough, but rarely like this – so warm that bears aren’t hibernating and so gray that humans are having trouble waking up.” – AP
Link: Warm Spell in Russia Wakes Up the Bears
Link: The Russian Orthodox Church may issue a new service to pray for snow
Photo by: Yuri Timofeyev
Here is CBC coverage of Expo 67. It compares the American and Soviet pavilions. This clip is an interesting view of the competition that existed between the Soviet Union and the USA.
This year, Russia had official holidays from December 30th through January 8th. It sounds like a great idea, but all that time off work can get boring and expensive for some people. The New York Times has an interesting article on the financial and psychological ramifications of this extended holiday.
Link: Russia’s Extended Winter Holidays: A Binge of Drinking and Spending
A recent report from Reuters Canada talks about the death of a village priest and the state of Russian villages. It’s an interesting look into the conditions of the Russian countryside.
Link: Reuters Canada – Priest’s death shows Russia’s rural rot
According to Sci-Tech Today, Russia will soon be making new space shuttles that could play an important roll in future International Space Station missions.
“Russian space shuttles will ferry American astronauts to the ISS after the U.S. Shuttle program is decommissioned by NASA in 2010. Russia plans to begin construction of its own shuttle, the Kliper (often called the Clipper in English), in 2012.”
Link: For Russia, a Good Year in Space
Relevant Book: Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle
There’s a new project on the horizon in St. Petersburg, Russia. Energy giant Gazprom is planning to build Petersburg’s first skyscraper. Here’s a picture of the winning design and an article about the project from the St. Petersburg Times.
St. Petersburg Times – “Gazprom Winner is ‘Corn on the Cob’”
Some highlights from the article:
“A 300-meter-tall twisting glass tower dubbed ‘the corn on the cob’ beat out five international rivals to win the contentious competition to build a new Gazprom headquarters in St. Petersburg.”
“The tower, if constructed, would be 2.5 times higher than the Peter and Paul Fortress, the city’s highest building, and more than 3 times higher than Smolny Cathedral or St. Isaac’s Cathedral.”
