Financial Times: Putin learns from mistake of 2004

RIA: Cuba, Russia agree to mutually recognize diplomas, academic degrees

Russia and Cuba signed on Monday an agreement to reciprocally recognize education diplomas and academic degrees.

The document was signed by the countries' education ministers Andrei Fursenko, on a visit to Cuba's capital, and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

The two countries reached preliminary agreement on the issue in 2009, and then procedures to coordinate and formalize it started.

"The agreement is aimed at protecting the interests of each specific person, and reflects our efforts to develop science, economics and education both in Cuba and Russia," Fursenko said.

"The agreement reflects historical ties between our nations," Diaz-Canel Bermudez said.

HAVANA, February 9 (RIA Novosti)

Onlanka News: President Rajapaksa- Face to face in Moscow

http://www.onlanka.com/?p=273

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa met his counterpart, President of Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow this afternoon on 8th February. Both leaders discussed issues about security, development, trade and other relevant matters related to both countries at the round table conference. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Export Development & International Trade Prof.G.L Peiris, the Secretary to the President Mr.Lalith Weeratunga, the Russian language speaking Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Moscow Mr Udayanga Weeratunga and the Russian government officials were present at the meeting.

President Rajapaksa is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with former President and the present Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin and other government officials before conclude his three day visit to Russia.

Last evening President Rajapaksa visited the Red Square in Moscow and paid his respect to the mausoleum of Vladimir Ilich Lenin (1870-1924), the principal figure in the Russian October Revolution and the first Premier (1918-24) of the Soviet Union. He also visited the Kremlin Museum where the crown jewels and regalia of the former Czars and the Russian Royal family are on display.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 2:03 am and is filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

The Financial: Court to Hear GPB, Eutelsat Dispute in Two Weeks http://finchannel.com/Main_News/Geo/57815_Court_to_Hear_GPB,_Eutelsat_Dispute_in_Two_Weeks/

09/02/2010 10:27 (00:27 minutes ago)

Civil.Ge -- Paris court of commerce will launch hearing Georgian Public Broadcaster’s (GPB) case against Europe’s leading satellite operator Eutelsat on February 22, the French news agency, AFP, reported.

Eutelsat has strongly denied GPB’s allegations, including the one on coming under Russia’s pressure.

Eutelsat said on February 4 that “no contract has come into force between GPB and Eutelsat” and that the First Caucasian was broadcasting on its new W7 satellite operating at the 36 degrees East - a key location for broadcasting in Russia and other CIS states, as well as in Europe and Africa – on trial basis for less than two weeks.

According to the operator company, in 2009 it was negotiating with several customers interested in the same capacity on W7 satellite and decided to allocate this capacity to MOSCOW -based Intersputnik, which leased 16 transponders on W7 for Gazprom Media Group’s NTV-Plus. Eutelsat said that it had received “a firm commitment” from Intersputnik “for significantly more capacity than that requested by the Georgian broadcaster.”

“Eutelsat accordingly informed GPB that the solution offered on W7 was no longer available, and that it could satisfy GPB’s requirements with another satellite in its the fleet, namely W2A,” the company said.

But GPB said that shifting from W7 to W2A satellite was “not acceptable”, citing that the newly offered location was not properly covering the geographical area it was interested in. GPB also said that W7 had an advantage over W2A of direct access to consumer satellite antennas already pointed at W7 to receive major Russian TV platforms.

Eutelsat, however, denied this clam by GPB and said that “the offer on W2A involves no additional constraint compared with the initial offer on W7.” It also said that both satellites had the same technical specifications, which would require Russian consumers to either change their equipment or add a second dish to receive Russian TV services from W7 satellite.

“The W2A satellite offers improved coverage of Georgia and western Russia than W7, as well as higher power, enabling smaller dishes of 80cm to be used in comparison to minimum one metre dishes required for W7,” Eutelsat said.

GPB’s First Caucasian is currently available on internet and it also goes out on cable in Tbilisi .

French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bernard Valero, said on February 5, that Paris wanted Eutelsat and Georgia “to find common ground so that this project can develop."

25% of Eutelsat shares are owned by the French state investment fund.

By Martin Parry (AFP) – 4 hours ago

VANCOUVER — IOC chief Jacques Rogge said he was so concerned about the slew of positive doping tests in Russia that he had met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and demanded action.

Russia has been dogged by drug scandals in recent times with Alena Sidko, one of the country's most experienced nordic skiers, the most recent cheat to be exposed.

She was thrown out of the country's Winter Olympics team last month after testing positive for the banned drug EPO.

"I have been very clear on this, we have indeed been concerned by the number of positive cases," said Rogge.

"I had a meeting with the minister of sport Vitaly Mutko. I alerted him and he said he would do everything in his power to improve the situation.

"I also had a meeting with the president of Russia Mr Medvedev and insisted on strong action on doping. He promised he would launch that and he was very explicit also in public declarations after that."

Rogge, who did not say when he met Medvedev, added that the IOC was working with the World Anti-Doping Agency to clean up the problem.

"We have also addressed this with our partners at WADA. WADA has offered the possibility of the Russian authorities benefitting from a consultancy with the anti-doping authorities.

"So, yes, we have alerted the Russian authorities and we expect them to cooperate."

As well as Sidko, triple Olympic champion Julia Tchepalova and fellow Russian nordic skier Natalia Matveeva were slapped with doping bans by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in December.

Tchepalova is among the most successful women nordic skiers of the past decade, winning Olympic gold in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and claiming world titles in 2001 and 2005.

Another Russian skier, Nina Rysina, tested positive for EPO while competing in France in January.

And in July the International Biathlon Union suspended three Russian athletes for two years for doping violations.

Albina Akhatova, Yekaterina Iourieva and Dmitri Yaroshenko tested positive for EPO during a World Cup event in 2008 in Ostersund, Sweden.

While they are not competing in Vancouver, biathlete Olga Medvedtseva is.

She came second in the women's 15km individual race at the last Olympics in Turin but was disqualified and stripped of her medal for failing a drug test.

Medvedtseva was subsequently banned for two years from all competition, but is now back.

"In law, once you have served your time, you are entitled to enter back into society. What more can I say?" said Rogge.

The Russian city of Sochi is due to host the next Winter Olympics in 2014 and Rogge said the authorities must crackdown on doping.

"I understand people are worried by the number of positive tests, they are legitimate to be worried and the IOC, I believe, has shown its concern by speaking to the Russian president," he said.

"It is up now to the Russian sports authorities to respond."