Chechen rebels claimed responsibility on Friday for a Siberian dam disaster as part of an economic war against Russia, but the Kremlin dismissed the claim and financial markets ignored it.

Most of the world now condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but Russia has mounted a new defense of the 1939 treaty as it seeks to restore some of its now-lost sphere of influence

Chechen rebels claimed responsibility on Friday for a Siberian dam disaster as part of a new "economic war" against Russia but the Kremlin dismissed the claim and financial markets ignored it.

Georgia's defense minister said Friday that training the U.S. military is giving to the country's soldiers headed to Afghanistan involve skills that could be used in any new outbreak of fighting between Georgia and Russia.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday made an emotional visit to Russia's largest hydroelectric power plant after a disaster this week that he acknowledged had left up to 75 people dead.

An Islamist group Friday claimed it carried out deadly attacks on the same day this week against Russia's biggest hydroelectric power station and a police station in the Caucasus that left dozens dead.

Sergey Kirdyapkin of Russia won the 50-kilometer walk Friday at the world championships, building a late-race surge into a commanding victory.

Aug. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Russia’s foreign direct investment plummeted an annual 45 percent, the most on record, to $6.1 billion in the first six months of the year as the economy of the world’s biggest energy producer contracted at a record pace.

Russia has declassified top-secret surveillance documents in an attempt to justify its occupation of Eastern Europe under the Nazi-Soviet pact, signed 70 years ago on Sunday.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, keen to project an image of a tireless leader, clocked up 12,000 km (7,500 miles) in just over 24 hours on Friday visiting diamond miners, a stricken dam and Russia's newest oil field.

The pirates that took the cargo of the Russian vessel Arctic Sea were arrested by Russian authorities in a brilliant operation. Eight (8) people were arrested.

"Alcoholism has become a national disaster," Dmitry Medvedev claimed. According to official data, average Russians, including newborns, consume about 18 liters of alcohol a year. According to the World Health Organization, if alcohol consumption per capita exceeds 8 liters a year in Russia, the health of nation will find itself in serious danger

London police have charged a third man in connection with Britain's largest-ever jewelry heist, they said Friday. Clinton Mogg, 42, of Bournemouth, England, was charged with conspiracy to rob the Graff jewelry store in London's Mayfair neighborhood August 6, London's Metropolitan Police Service said.

A Seattle woman claims that illusionist David Copperfield repeatedly sexually assaulted her on his private island in the Bahamas during a horrifying two-day ordeal, according to a bombshell federal lawsuit. The magician raped the 22-year-old victim, sexually assaulted her on two other occasions and threatened to kill her, court papers filed in Washington state claim.

A small plane attempting to land at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey crashed into an industrial area just past 3 a.m. on Friday and burst into flames, and its two occupants were taken to a hospital with serious burns and broken bones, officials said; no one on the ground was injured.

The Israeli blockade of Gaza Strip, now in its third year, has shown the extremely deep seated hypocrisy in what is put forth as pristine, faultless, superior “western values.” Westerners have been inoculated against any sympathy for the victims by the skillful portrayal in the western corporate media of them as perpetrators and mad suicide bombers, instead of people in the midst of a serious crisis of human dignity and people fighting for the right to live on their own land.

Afghanistan's elections were welcomed as relatively peaceful after extremist attacks killed 26 people but fears mounted Friday that Taliban intimidation could have stymied turnout. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, whose alliance has 64,500 troops in Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban-led insurgency, hailed the election a "success" in security terms and said it had been well run

After more than five years, writer-director Quentin Tarantino ­returns to full-length features today with the World War II adventure drama "Inglourious Basterds." The deliberately misspelled title refers to a team of Jewish soldiers — led by a Kentucky fried colonel (Brad Pitt) with a rope burn around his neck — on a "Nazi hunting" mission in 1944 France. Their paths cross with a young movie theater owner (Melanie Laurent) who has her own plans to bring down the Third Reich and, especially, a vicious Nazi colonel (Christoph Waltz).

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany, have presented the first empirical evidence that people do end up walking in circles if lost in unfamiliar terrain. The study, published in the journal Current Biology, examined the trajectories of people who walked for several hours in the Sahara desert in Tunisia and in the Bienwald forest in Germany

Police in the United States and Canada hunted Friday for a television reality show contestant charged with the murder of a model whose mutilated body was found inside a suitcase in a dumpster. Ryan Alexander Jenkins, 32, was charged with the murder Thursday after days of being a "person of interest" in the gruesome case of 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore's killing.

Scientists in California are using computer scans to help unwrap the mysteries of a more than 2,500-year-old mummy. The mummy, believed to be an ancient Egyptian priest named Irethorrou, belongs to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. On Thursday, it was in a lab at Stanford University Medical School undergoing tests that could help determine what Irethorrou looked like and how he died

Average temperatures of waters at the oceans’ surface in July were the highest ever recorded, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The agency said the average sea surface temperature was 1.06 degrees higher than the 20th-century average of 61.5 degrees.

From the early 1800s, the West, in an affront to God, has moved ever more rapidly into a culture of death and destruction, away from the teachings of Christ. At its present state, the most significant thing that the West is bringing to humanity is a culture of totalitarianism and death, one on such a nuanced level as would only be celebrated by the most brutal of Pagans and Lucifirians and would even be an affront to the most blood thirsty of the Islamic radicals

Ideal men's drinks are red wine and milk. Though beer is considered the ultimate drink for all males, it contains phytoestrogens acting like female hormones. Therefore, the excessive consumption of beer can result in feminization. Wine contains resveratrol protecting from bacony liver, cardiovascular system and the whole organism from other negative effects. Moreover, it has an effect close to Viagra

In the Earth's past there was powerful geological activity which could have easily spewed dirt and gigantic rocks, some possibly containing microbes, into outer space. Our meteors and comets may have actually originated from Earth. In fact NASA scientist, Dr. Kenneth Nealson, has claimed that such dirt and geological debris could have eventually reached even Mars

Walter Cronkite helped change how news was presented on television, but Don Hewitt shaped how it was produced. Hewitt died Wednesday and journalists and commentators remembered him as the inventor of the first presidential debate on TV (Kennedy-Nixon), the 30-minute newscast, and the original TV newsmagazine, "60 Minutes

What happens when Top Chef moves to Las Vegas? If Wednesday’s premiere episode was any indication, there will be showgirls, a sibling rivalry, hot tempers (and food!) and games of chance. The action-packed premiere had the 17 contestants splitting into teams for a classic Quickfire challenge: the mise en place relay race

We have officially touched bottom in the doldrums of summer TV. It came at 8 p.m. Wednesday with the start of "Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage" on Fox

A county sheriff's office in Washington state said Thursday that a former reality television contestant wanted for questioning in the death of his ex-wife has apparently escaped into Canada

Diagnostic tests that look for specific genetic or molecular characteristics may be the key to helping doctors decide which lung cancer treatments work best for patients, two studies released on Wednesday suggest.In one, researchers found AstraZeneca's ( AZN.L ) lung cancer pill Iressa, or gefitinib, worked far better than chemotherapy in people from East Asia whose tumors had specific mutations in genes for the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR

There’s nothing that says romance like a candlelit dinner – but scientists say burning certain kinds of candles may actually be hazardous to your health

An Army program developed partly as a response to an increase in soldier suicides will test all active duty, National Guard and Reserve soldiers to determine how they handle stress, assess their resiliency and require follow-up training

For postmenopausal women with breast cancer, treatment with the drug letrozole (Femara) increases survival after surgery more than the widely used tamoxifen, a new study confirms

Businesses need to prepare for mass absences during the upcoming H1N1 and yearly flu season and be understanding in allowing employees to stay home if they are sick or need to care for a sick family member, federal officials said Wednesday

Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui repeatedly told counsellors he did not harbour suicidal or homicidal thoughts, newly released health files indicate

Tammy Harper, 42, now fears that vaccinating her 14-year old daughter against several strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV , may not have been the right thing to do

The safest and most effective treatment for hard-core heroin addicts who fail to control their habit using methadone or other treatments may be their drug of choice, in prescription form, researchers are reporting after the first rigorous test of the approach performed in North America

Dmitry Medvedev met with permanent members of the Security Council.

“No matter what turn events take in Moldova, and in Russia, our relations play a big part in uniting our peoples, helping us to get through the crisis, and enabling us to resolve all manner of problems.”

Dmitry Medvedev had a working meeting with President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin.

“The parties now submit their proposals for the post of regional governor. This is very good because we want our parties to be strong, to reflect the popular will and aspirations of the electorate, and take all decisions in accordance with instructions given to them by the electorate.”

Dmitry Medvedev gave an instruction to Russian Prime Minister in connection with the accident at Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Station.

Dmitry Medvedev met with senior officials of Presidential Executive Office.

Dmitry Medvedev instructed First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov to monitor the situation around the detention of Russian ships in Shanghai.

Dmitry Medvedev met with the leadership of the United Russia political party.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov briefed President Medvedev on the progress of the investigation into the hijacking of the Arctic Sea cargo ship.

Dmitry Medvedev had a telephone conversation with President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin will make a working visit to Russia on August 21, 2009.

Dmitry Medvedev made amendments to the Statute on Procedures for Granting Russian Citizenship.

Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with members of Russia's Security Council to discuss additional measures to stabilise the socio-political situation and neutralise the terrorist and extremist threat in the North Caucasus.

“We must pursue a thorough overhaul of human resources organisation and work at all levels, from patrol and sentry officers right up to the officials in charge of subdivisions of the Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service and other security and law enforcement agencies.”

Dmitry Medvedev held a working meeting with Governor of Stavropol Territory Valery Gayevsky.

Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with members of Russia's Security Council to discuss measures to stabilise the socio-political situation and neutralise the terrorist and extremist threat in the North Caucasus.

Dmitry Medvedev will make an official visit to Mongolia on August 25-26, 2009 at the invitation of President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

Dmitry Medvedev sent a message of congratulations to President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai on the ninetieth anniversary of the restoration of Afghanistan's independence.

“These are links in a chain of terrorist activity which is now being forged in the Caucasus. First there was the assassination attempt on the President of Ingushetia, then the ongoing killings of innocent civilians, without regard to their occupation or specific public activities, and now yesterday's explosion at the Interior Ministry Department compound."

Presidents of Russia and Israel condemned attempts to distort the history of World War Two, deny the enormous contribution of the Soviet Union in the victory over Nazi Germany and question the crime of the Holocaust.

Dmitry Medvedev held a special meeting concerning the terrorist attack in Nazran.

“It is absolutely unacceptable to glorify Nazi accomplices, individuals who collaborated with the Hitlerite regime, or to glorify activities of such individuals or forces. That is precisely why we prepared a special statement addressing this topic, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War.”

“You are one of the most experienced politicians in the world, a person who knows a great deal and who has been in attendance at very many events.”

Dmitry Medvedev met with President of Israel Shimon Peres.

Dmitry Medvedev had a telephone conversation with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov briefed Dmitry Medvedev on the details of the operation to liberate the Arctic Sea cargo ship.

Dmitry Medvedev sent a message of greetings to participants and guests of the international forum Social Work in the 21st Century: Infrastructure, Innovations, Investment.

Dmitry Medvedev sent a message of greetings to participants and guests of the International Competition for Young Opera Singers.

“The naval authorities, who by law have the powers to investigate such incidents in the open sea, and our investigators, need to investigate this case in accordance with the law. We will, of course, inform everyone concerned, everyone connected to this case, of the results.”

“What is our main goal? Without a doubt, it is to preserve the Caspian Sea for future generations, not allowing it to be spoiled.”

The Caspian Sea must continue to be a zone of stability and mutually beneficial cooperation.

“Even during a crisis period it is possible to find good ways of cooperating that help overcome the effects of the global financial crisis and help create favourable conditions for economic development.”

Russia and Germany will continue to carry out big joint projects despite the global financial crisis.

“We are also working hard on getting our economy out of recession, and we have already achieved some results. I think that we need to reflect on how to build up our bilateral strategic and economic ties in such a way as to help our economies, and thus our peoples, recover from the consequences of this serious global crisis and emerge stronger and better prepared than ever.”

“This year there are about 230,000 students involved in student construction brigades. Given the fact that we are building ever more, in the future we have the Olympics, the APEC summit in Vladivostok, on Russky Island, I think that the number of construction brigades will certainly continue to grow.”

Dmitry Medvedev met with representatives of student construction brigades building roads and tunnels near Sochi, where construction of the 2014 Olympics facilities is underway.

“You know just how serious a problem alcoholism has become for our country. Frankly speaking, it has taken on the proportions of a national disaster.”

“We have common goals and objectives related to security on the European continent and with regards to ensuring environmental conditions for normal life.”

“We cannot continue developing this way – this direction is a dead end. The crisis has put us in the position of needing to make a decision on restructuring our entire economy; otherwise, our economy has no future.”

“No matter what turn events take in Moldova, and in Russia, our relations play a big part in uniting our peoples, helping us to get through the crisis, and enabling us to resolve all manner of problems.”

“The parties now submit their proposals for the post of regional governor. This is very good because we want our parties to be strong, to reflect the popular will and aspirations of the electorate, and take all decisions in accordance with instructions given to them by the electorate.”

“We must pursue a thorough overhaul of human resources organisation and work at all levels, from patrol and sentry officers right up to the officials in charge of subdivisions of the Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service and other security and law enforcement agencies.”

“These are links in a chain of terrorist activity which is now being forged in the Caucasus. First there was the assassination attempt on the President of Ingushetia, then the ongoing killings of innocent civilians, without regard to their occupation or specific public activities, and now yesterday's explosion at the Interior Ministry Department compound."

“It is absolutely unacceptable to glorify Nazi accomplices, individuals who collaborated with the Hitlerite regime, or to glorify activities of such individuals or forces. That is precisely why we prepared a special statement addressing this topic, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War.”

“You are one of the most experienced politicians in the world, a person who knows a great deal and who has been in attendance at very many events.”

“The naval authorities, who by law have the powers to investigate such incidents in the open sea, and our investigators, need to investigate this case in accordance with the law. We will, of course, inform everyone concerned, everyone connected to this case, of the results.”

“What is our main goal? Without a doubt, it is to preserve the Caspian Sea for future generations, not allowing it to be spoiled.”

“Even during a crisis period it is possible to find good ways of cooperating that help overcome the effects of the global financial crisis and help create favourable conditions for economic development.”

“We are also working hard on getting our economy out of recession, and we have already achieved some results. I think that we need to reflect on how to build up our bilateral strategic and economic ties in such a way as to help our economies, and thus our peoples, recover from the consequences of this serious global crisis and emerge stronger and better prepared than ever.”

“This year there are about 230,000 students involved in student construction brigades. Given the fact that we are building ever more, in the future we have the Olympics, the APEC summit in Vladivostok, on Russky Island, I think that the number of construction brigades will certainly continue to grow.”

“You know just how serious a problem alcoholism has become for our country. Frankly speaking, it has taken on the proportions of a national disaster.”

“We have common goals and objectives related to security on the European continent and with regards to ensuring environmental conditions for normal life.”

“We cannot continue developing this way – this direction is a dead end. The crisis has put us in the position of needing to make a decision on restructuring our entire economy; otherwise, our economy has no future.”

“Everything we did, we did it for you. We acted not in pursuit of geopolitical aims and victories – this is all worthless. What counts above all is human life.”

“Powerful countries are helping other nations to construct a peaceful life. Russia should be just such a powerful country, and those present here serve just such a country and do so with dignity!”

“Already a year has gone by since those events, but their effects will long remind us of the days when peace in the Caucasus was on the brink of utter collapse. And it was precisely Russian soldiers, our soldiers and officers, including those who are here today and being honoured with state awards, who prevented this catastrophe.”

“Tomorrow marks a special anniversary – the first anniversary of the start of Georgia’s invasion of South Ossetian territory. We will discuss the lessons we have learned since then, and the consequences this conflict has had for the situation in the Caucasus and in the world in general.”

“Recalling that night I make out that our country generally got through in a responsible and decent manner, although it was quite a challenge. I don't need to be ashamed of those days, since it was a very critical period for our state and we chose our way – we made it honestly, we made it responsibly.”