Salem-News.com Russia articles Page 4

Inventor of AK-47 rifle Mikhail Kalashnikov Wished He`d Built Lawnmowers Instead

"I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work – for example a lawnmower." - Mikhail Kalashnikov

(MOSCOW RT) - The inventor of the iconic AK-47 assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has died at the age of 94. His ingenuity earned him widespread admiration, but his legacy became more controversial when his weapons were used in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts.

"Mikhail Kalashnikov's entire life is a shining example of dedication to serving your country," said a statement from Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.

A New Year`s Eve Tale from Sunny Phuket

If we all really set our minds to it, we should be able to do something about changing things in 2014, shouldn’t we?

(PHUKET, Thailand) - Yesterday, I exchanged a few words, in English, with what my keen ear detected to be a Russian woman who was waiting in a KFC queue with a pretty little girl of about five.

A little later, the girl must have asked her mother to take her to the washroom, because they disappeared for a few minutes and returned just as I reached the front of the queue.

Al Qaeda Does Not Exist and Never Has

The basic truth is that Al Qaeda does not exist and never has. Al Qaeda is a manufactured enemy who was created by the Bush Administration in order to have an excuse to wage a war for the control of the world’s oil resources.

(MOSCOW Pravda) - Did an American even hear the words “Al Qaeda” before 9-11?

Or were we told that its alleged leader Osama Bin Laden has family who themselves have personal business relationships with George W. Bush’s family and that both families had financially profited considerably from the “War on Terror”?

`Stop GMOs`: Russian Scientists Urge 10-Year Ban on Genetically Modified Products

In September, Russian authorities temporarily suspended the import and sale of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn after a French study suggested it may be linked to cancer.

(MOSCOW RT) - Russian scientists are calling for a 10-year moratorium on GMOs to thoroughly study their influence on human health, stressing that such examinations are vital.

"It is necessary to ban GMO, to impose moratorium [on it] for 10 years. While GMO will be prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed,” vice president of Russia’s National Association for Genetic Safety, Irina Ermakova, told Interfax news agency.

Russia is the Likely Winner as US and Saudi Arabia Relations Chill

Russia would like a return to the Middle East. Today it only has one window - Syria - but it could easily open several doors.

(VADUZ Liechenstein) - Saudi Arabia has been a staunch ally to the United States for more than 50 years but that relationship is threatened by three unacceptable events which have triggered incomprehension as well as anger in Saudi Arabia.

The first happened almost three years ago with the ‘Arab Spring’ demonstrations in Egypt in January 2011.

Red Rebel and Crimea

Most young people don't know about this American who was so popular in the Soviet Union.

(SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine) - I've often said that some day I will live on a pension and write a book about all those famous men I was lucky to meet during my lifetime. 75 years have passed since the birth of the late singer, the actor and simply fighter for peace Dean Read.

In the autobiographies of the known rebel you will notice Crimea very rarely. The only mention was in September 1985, in the USSR, Crimea. Preparation was underway for a film about American Indians at the Riga film studio. But Dean Read did visit our sunny peninsula a few times.

PETITION: Russia Must Free Greenpeace Activists

On September 18th, Greenpeace activists attempted to peacefully occupy an off-shore oil platform owned by Russian oil giant Gazprom . But when they arrived, the Russian Coast Guard fired warning shots and threatened the activists' lives.

(WASHINGTON DC) -

On September 18th, Greenpeace activists attempted to peacefully occupy an off-shore oil platform owned by Russian oil giant Gazprom. But when they arrived, the Russian Coast Guard fired warning shots and threatened the activists' lives. Then, Russian Coast Guard officers illegally boarded and seized the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise via helicopter.

After nearly two weeks since the action started, the Russian authorities charged 28 international activists, one independent photographer and one independent videographer with piracy. They are to be detained on these charges for two months.

Dangerous Exceptionalism

Anyone who’s been following the fate of whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden has surely become frightfully aware of how deceptive the NSA (National Security Agency) has been spying on people, companies and governments around the world.

(MANAMA, Bahrain) - Paul Schied, commenting in the Harvard Political Review writes, "American Exceptionalism argues that the United States is the best at everything. This isn’t true. Therefore, American Exceptionalism is bunk"

Many Americans express pride in American exceptionalism; but much of that is nothing to be proud of. We’re ignorant and indifferent, deceived and deceptive, warmongers and empire builders.

What Vladimir Putin Got Wrong About American `Exceptionalism`

American exceptionalism, Mr. Putin may eventually come to understand, lies in the fact that our ancestors came from every corner of the world---with every race, ethnicity, religion and language represented.Our free society---this great mixing together---has produced unprecedented creativity and ingenuity.

(WASHINGTON DC) - In his much discussed Op-Ed piece in THE NEW YORK TIMES, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a lot to say about the concept of American "exceptionalism."

He wrote that, "It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."

Truth of US-Russia Confrontation

Aggression was over the Moment those Two Missiles were Fired.

(DAMASCUS) - A well informed diplomatic source told As-Safir newspaper that...

“The US war on Syria had started and ended the moment those two ballistic missiles were fired, leaving inconsistent information, as Israel denied and Russia confirmed, until an Israeli statement was issued indicating they were fired in the context of an Israeli-US joint drill and fell in the sea, and that they were not related to the Syrian crisis.”