Today Sergei Iushenkov presented the draft law “on the early curtailment of the term of office of the President of the Russian Federation”. He says that the procedure for a President taking power is set out quite precisely in the Russian Constitution, but there are loopholes in the law concerning the procedure for ending his term ahead of time. The presentation of this draft law brings several things to mind: Full Story...
The International Criminal Court (ICC) as any promising undertaking was born in the throes. Its peculiarity is that there were not so many throes for diplomats, parliamentarians and other high-profile officials but pain and blood of innocent victims suffering from international crimes. For those doomed to death and oblivion a hope for justice had suddenly gleamed. Not in the better world where the Most High will reward everyone according to his deserts and beliefs, but in this one where from now on arbitrary authorities, mercilessly and easily playing with people’s lives in their political games, will seem to be kept in check and brought to justice. Full Story...
In the course of celebrating the Easter, Christians seem to have received a present. As it was reported today, the Bethlehem Church of Nativity will probably be set free soon. Full Story...
We can only guess at what motivated the British Supreme Court to take its decision. It recognised the right of a 43-year-old woman the now sadly famous Miss B, to die. A year ago she was paralyzed by a ruptured artery in her neck vertebrae. She was unable to move or to breathe independently, but remained conscious and able to talk. Her chances of recovering even partial movement were practically nil. In March 2002 a British court agreed to Miss B’s wish to end her life. Full Story...
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan’s attempts to “clear” the television network off disagreeable TV companies are likely to face a collapse. The opposition demanding to take “A1+”, which has been recently shut down by the authorities, back on air has found an outlet of the situation. A huge television screen was hung out in one of the Yerevan squares on the fourth demonstration in support of freedom of speech April 26 which showed the news block “Aib-Fe” of “A1+”. “If “Aib-Fe” is shown every week in the square instead of demonstrations and actions of protest, it will influence several times more and bring more people to the square”, said editor-in-chief of the internet-periodical “Open Pages” Vaan Ishhanyan. Full Story...
Moscow is holding today a funeral of the governor of Krasnoyarsk Aleksander Lebed, who tragically died this Sunday. The fact that he is being buried in Moscow rather than in Novocherkassk where he was born or Krasnoyarsk where he worked until the end can be regarded as a symbol. Whatever the formal causes would do top explain it, the main thing is that Aleksander Lebed was not a “local” politician. He was a pretty interesting and peculiar figure of the post-Communist era, a politician included in the top power echelons. Full Story...
Russia’s two perennial troubles, fools and roads, were brought to light by Nikolay Vasilyevich Gogol a long time ago. Russia has acquired the third one by now – MPs of the State Duma. Once Bulat Okudzhava sang a song “And still it goes through our times – an ebb for each flow, a smart for each fool – everything’s equal and fair”. In case everything was equal, as Bulat Shalvovich asserted, there would be not more than half of fools in the State Duma. Why does this body adopt then such idiotic drafts and decisions at times? Fools are not the point. MPs appear as a separate trouble of Russia adding to those existing ones. The gains of the new Russian democracy, to put it this way. Full Story...
The Shatoi Region is considered to be the most quiet in Chechnya. However, it’s different in reality. The impressions of the week I spent in Shatoi prove that the situation there is far from being quiet. What is in store for its residents in near future?…. Full Story...
The results of the presidential campaign in France have turned to be highly unlooked-for. The acting President Jacques Chirac with 19 percent of votes and far-right leader of the National Front Jean-Marie Le Pen with 17 percent were the only to surmount the second round run-up out of 16 candidates. Socialist Lionel Jospin, who was predicted to challenge Chirac in the round-off, now is left overboard. Full Story...
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has come back. As he stated, a “counterrevolution” had outburst in the country this weekend – a term more congenial for his friend Fidel Castro.
On the eve of his return in power, there were demonstrations of Chavez’s supporters in Caracas. Unlike the anti-president action late last week, which resulted in a military coup d’eta, this demonstration featured a fewer number of participants though - up to half a million against dozens of thousands. Yet, that was enough to set up a mass unrest. Chavez’s supporters were breaking windows, turning over cars and crashing all around.
It was time for Presidential Guards loyal to Chavez to come into play then, and the second power takeover consequently occurred. Chavez made a speech on TV in which he vowed not to take revenge. Full Story...