Daunted Afghans find refuge in former foe Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Signs in Dari decorate the creaky lifts of a Moscow hotel heaving with Afghan merchants and schoolchildren who have found refuge in a former foe.
Although still haunted by the decade-long war in which 15,000 Soviet troops were killed, Russia has renewed interest in Afghanistan, quietly allowing the local Afghan community to thrive as a gesture of goodwill.
Russia’s love affair with dill more than a sprinkle
By Anna Andrianova and Amie Ferris-Rotman
MOSCOW, July 26 (Reuters Life!) – Sprinkled on almost every
dish, grown by old ladies in their homes and boiled to combat
sweating: the herb dill is a matter of Russian national pride.
Pungent and strong-tasting, the Russian love for the spindly
herb appears to know no bounds, bewildering foreigners who are
not used to such heavy use.
Top Kremlin aide says Putin is God’s gift to Russia
(Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lights a candle as he attends an Orthodox Christmas service in the XIX century church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in Turginovo village, about 160 km. (100 miles) northwest of Moscow January 7, 2011/Alexander Zemlianichenko )
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was sent to Russia by God to help his country during one of its most turbulent times, the Kremlin’s chief political strategist said on Friday in rare public remarks. “I honestly believe that Putin is a person who was sent to Russia by fate and by the Lord at a difficult time for Russia,” Vladislav Surkov, a staunch Putin supporter and one of Russia’s most powerful men, was quoted by Interfax news agency as telling state-run Chechen TV.
Cold War flashbacks as Americans rebuild Soviet tunnel in Afghanistan
Under blazing June sunshine in the Hindu Kush mountains, U.S., Russian and Afghan officials gathered by the entrance of the Salang tunnel, arguably the most important stretch of highway in Afghanistan, linking the country’s south with its north.
They had come to celebrate emergency repair works carried out by the U.S. government on the 2.6 km (1.6 miles) of concrete passageway that the Soviets built in 1962. Constantly congested and leaking, the tunnel is on the brink of collapse.
Women-run Afghan media offer untold side of story
KABUL, July 5 (Reuters) – Farida Nekzad has faced threats of
kidnapping, acid attacks and a plot to blow up her apartment
since she founded her first news agency in Afghanistan seven
years ago.
Members of the Taliban e-mailed some of the warnings;
others arrived over the phone. One caller warned she would be
murdered and disfigured so horrendously that her family would
not be able to recognise her body.
Russia says abortion ads must carry health warning
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian lawmakers, worried about a falling birth rate, passed a law on Friday that abortion advertisements must carry a health warning.
Russia has one of the world’s highest abortion rates and cutting this could help it stem a demographic disaster that is looming as its population shrinks.
Russia eyes bigger role in Afghanistan, wants to rebuild: envoy
KABUL (Reuters) – Russia wants to enlarge its presence in Afghanistan and rebuild the country where Soviet troops fought a disastrous decade-long war, Russia’s envoy to Kabul said, describing ties between the two former foes as the best in 20 years.
Although Russia has refused to send troops to join the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, Moscow has been flexing its muscles in the region bordering much of ex-Soviet Central Asia, which Russia views as its traditional sphere of influence.
Russia eyes bigger role in Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) – Russia wants to enlarge its presence in Afghanistan and rebuild the country where Soviet troops fought a disastrous decade-long war, Russia’s envoy to Kabul said, describing ties between the two former foes as the best in 20 years.
Although Russia has refused to send troops to join the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, Moscow has been flexing its muscles in the region bordering much of ex-Soviet Central Asia, which Russia views as its traditional sphere of influence.
Family, Taliban scare off actresses in Afghan film industry
(Afghan film actress Nafisa Nafis puts on make-up at the sets of a television series directed by Saba Sahar in Kabul June 7, 2011/Ahmad Masood)
A young bride silently sobs on the floor watching her mentally disturbed husband gorge on chicken, rub his greasy hands through his hair and scream at her for more, just another chapter in the couple’s violent life together. Film director Saba Sahar anxiously watches the scene by the cameraman, squatting in blue jeans and wearing a bright pink headscarf. “Cut!” she calls.
Family and Taliban scare off actresses in Afghan film
KABUL (Reuters) – A young bride silently sobs on the floor watching her mentally disturbed husband gorge on chicken, rub his greasy hands through his hair and scream at her for more, just another chapter in the couple’s violent life together.
Film director Saba Sahar anxiously watches the scene by the cameraman, squatting in blue jeans and wearing a bright pink headscarf. “Cut!” she calls.
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