Soviet Union

Dog star: Scientist recalls training Laika for space

Moscow - Muslimchronicle

"I asked her to forgive us and I even cried as I stroked her for the last time," says 90-year-old Russian biologist Adilya Kotovskaya, recalling the day she bid farewell to her charge Laika. The former street dog was about to make history as the first living creature to orbit the earth, blasting off on a one-way journey. The SovietRead more

China agency denies dead model

Shanghai - Muslimchronicle

The Chinese agency representing a "beautiful" 14-year-old Russian model who died after taking part in Shanghai Fashion Week denied on Monday allegations that she was overworked and underpaid. The death of Vlada Dzyuba in a Chinese hospital on Friday shines a light on the murky world of western models in China, many of whom are from the former Soviet UnionRead more

Sweden returns draft amid security worries and soldier shortage

Stockholm - Arab today

Sweden is to reintroduce military conscription next year due to difficulties filling the ranks on a voluntary basis at a time of increased security concerns, the defence minister said on Thursday. Non-aligned Sweden ended compulsory military service in 2010 but military activity in the Baltic region has increased following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, prompting Sweden to stepRead more

Happiness still eludes Russia and former Soviet states

London - Arab Today

Aquarter of a century after the collapse of the Soviet Union, life satisfaction in Russia and other ex-Soviet states remains stubbornly low, and enthusiasm for democracy and open market economics is wavering, a survey showed. The study found that only 15 percent of Russians think their households have a better quality of life, compared with 30 percent in 2010 whenRead more

President Gorbachev’s last phone call was to Bush Sr before announcing his resignation

Washington- Arab today

Less than two hours before announcing his resignation as president of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, Mikhail S. Gorbachev placed a telephone call to President George H.W. Bush, who was celebrating Christmas with his grandchildren at Camp David. In the weeks before, it was clear that the Soviet Union was disintegrating: Ukrainians had voted for independence in aRead more

A post-Soviet generation endures poverty, chaos and opportunity

Moscow - Arab today

Twenty-five years ago, a failed coup by hard-line Communists led to the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991. AP’s Nataliya Vasilyeva describes what life was like for her generation, the first to grow up in post-Soviet Russia. When tanks rolled through the streets of central Moscow in August 1991, my mother’s initial reaction was alarm, and sheRead more

At least 9 killed in Kazakhstan apartment building collapse: Ministry

Kazakhstan - Arab Today

At least nine people were killed after part of an apartment building collapsed in central Kazakhstan, the country’s authorities said on Monday (Jan 2). “Nine dead people were pulled from the rubble” of the building in the village of Shakhan following the collapse late on Sunday, the emergencies committee of the interior ministry in the central Asian nation said inRead more

By glorifying Soviet WWII 'myth'

Moscow - Arab Today

In a controversial new Russian film, 28 Soviet soldiers facing sure death defend the frontline outside Moscow against an onslaught of Nazi tanks in 1941. "Everything's clear here -- the enemy is over there, and Moscow is back there," says one soldier in the film "The Panfilov 28." But the events are far from clear cut and the film aboutRead more

Why journalist Hisham Melhem, who followed US elections since Nixon

Jeddah - Arab Today

A week, as the saying goes, is a long time in politics. That is how US-based journalist and political commentator Hisham Melhem summed up the next eight days before America votes on Nov. 8 to elect either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton as president. A veteran of American election reporting, the 66-year-old Melhem speaks from experience, having covered US politicsRead more

In space, the looming threat of a new arms race

Washington - Arab Today

Killer satellites, blinding lasers, sophisticated jammers: the world's military powers are quietly readying for a war in outer space -- at the risk of fueling a dangerous new arms race. US military officials have in recent years sounded growing alarm about the potential vulnerabilities of their satellites, which underpin US military power. Initially, the reserve of the United States andRead more