Word: moscow
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Though not even two decades have passed since the Soviet state collapsed in 1991, the Orthodox Russians who came to France to flee communism say they're starting to view Moscow with mistrust again. The reason: the recent move by Russia to take control of a dazzling Orthodox cathedral built in Nice during the reign of Czar Nicholas II, which some opponents say is part a wider, nationalistic power play by Moscow to regain symbols of Russia's historical, cultural and religious grandeur abroad...
...Vietnamese prickliness at what many see as Chinese encroachment has led to Hanoi beefing up its own naval capabilities. Last month, it penned a landmark $2 billion deal with Moscow to acquire six Kilo-class Russian submarines. The government is also formulating plans to improve its coastal-defense operations and to better protect Vietnamese fishing fleets. Still, considering China's size and wealth, there's little talk of an arms race in the region. "Vietnam is subject to the tyranny of geography. It's like a mid-sized Chinese province," says Carl Thayer, an authority on the Vietnamese military...
...Institute for National Unification government think tank in Seoul, believes that this time the North will do a credible deal on its nuclear program. "But," he adds, "I know I'm about the only optimist left standing these days." In Washington and Seoul, not to mention Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow, somber realism, not giddy optimism, is the prevailing sentiment on North Korea diplomacy. When dealing with Pyongyang, that's about as good as it gets...
Vodka's origins are murky, but the favored legend traces its arrival in the country to Genoese merchants who traveled to Moscow in the 14th century and met with Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. Monks in the Kremlin's Chudov Monastery began distilling the first Russian spirits some time in the 15th century. Ivan the Terrible served vodka to his oprichniki - the special police force that carried out his violent and, well, terrible orders. To facilitate their drunken revelry, Ivan opened kabaks, or taverns, that served vodka and other alcohol (no food). By 1648, with Russians developing a strong taste for drink...
...Rosspirtprom, a government-owned company, oversees more than 100 vodka distilleries and controls an estimated 40% of Russian market. While President Medvedev's move, praised by the state-sanctioned vodka producers, almost certainly will fail to solve Russia's drinking problem, it's likely to generate significant income for Moscow...