Soviet pop legend Muslim Magomayev dies at 66
Soviet-era opera and pop singer Muslim Magomayev has died. He was 66.
Magomayev started his career as an opera singer, but sold millions of albums
and concert tickets after switching to popular music. His fame was at its
peak in the 1960s and 70s. His grandfather, also named Muslim, was a
composer of opera and folk music. Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev (born
August 17, 1942) was an Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer of the
1960s and 1970s. Muslim Magomayev represented one of the most respected
artistic dynasties in Azerbaijan. His grandfather Muslim Magomayev
(1885-1937), a friend and contemporary of the prominent Azerbaijani composer
Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was one of the founders of Azerbaijani-composed music.
Magomayev's father, Mahammad Magomayev, who died during World War II, was a
gifted Scenic designer, and his mother was an actress. Muslim learned to
play a piano as a child, and began to take lessons from teachers of voice at
the age of 14. He finished the piano and composition class of the musical
school at Baku Conservatoire, and then graduated from the vocal class of
Baku conservatoire. As a teenager he became interested in Italian songs,
American jazz and other styles of popular music. In 1962, at the age of 20,
Magomayev first appeared in Moscow where he performed within the frameworks
of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture. He sang two musical pieces in a
gala-concert on the USSR's main stage, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and
became a celebrity on a spur of the moment. A year later he gave his first
solo concert in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall to a full house and
became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Muslim earned fame in the USSR as an opera singer with Rossini's "Barber of
Seville". He also became known for his arias from Puccini's "Tosca",
Hajibeyov's "Koroghlu" and "Shah Ismayil", which was composed by his
grandfather.
Russian scientist to be honored for suing Toyota and driving its hybrid
Alexander Severinsky, a candidate of sciences, lived and worked in Russia at
one of Moscow institutes, working on precise measurements in radio
electronics and physics. In 1978 he emigrated in the United States and began
working on the problem of high fuel consumption in vehicles. He drives a
Toyota Prius hybrid despite his legal dispute with the Japanese car maker
and says that he is very happy with the car.
Russia’s economy
nears its collapse?
The devaluation of the ruble is inevitable, and Russia has all chances to
experience the financial collapse of 1998, pessimistic economists say.
Several respectable Russian and Western newspapers shared this opinion
Monday claiming that the drop of Russia’s two major stock indexes last week
could be comparable to the level reported in 1997. However, the Russian
government persistently continues to deny all rumors about the ruble
devaluation. Central Bank and government officials promised over the weekend
that there would be no sudden devaluation of the national currency.
Oil drops below 60
dollars per barrel, Putin unhappy
Prime Minister Putin is dissatisfied with Russia’s current dependence on the
export of oil. Russia’s foreign trade has increased 2.2 times during the
recent eight years, Putin said at a governmental session Monday.
Nevertheless, the foreign trade structure remains unsatisfactory, Putin
said. The ongoing reduction of the oil prices in the world pushes Russia
towards supporting innovative technologies. No one knows which consequences
it may have for the nation and the people.
Russia loses two
billion dollars of its international reserves daily
Russia’s international reserves made up $517.5 billion as of October 17, the
Bank of Russia said. The reserves decreased by $14.9 billion over just one
week and by $80 billion since August 1. Russia’s international reserves lose
over $2 billion a day, RIA Novosti reports.
Russian Economy
Faces Difficulties but Not Crisis
The Russian economy is in difficulty, not crisis, stated Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin in a conversation at a public reception in
Novosibirsk sponsored by the United Russia Party, of which Putin is head.
Seven Russian women athletes banned for doping for
2 years
Seven leading Russian women athletes were banned for two years Monday for
manipulating doping samples. The seven women, many of them potential Olympic
medalists, had been provisionally suspended by the IAAF in July after a 1
1/2-year investigation. They missed the Beijing Games.
Putin personally
defeats the West
American politicians believe that the ability of the Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin to establish a personal contact with partners guarantees
success at the talks on the shipments of energy resources from Central Asia.
Republican Senator in the US Congress, Richard Lugar, is one of those who
share this opinion.
Russian hockey
player dies of heart failure during game
Alexei Cherepanov, a 19-year-old Russian hockey player from Avangard Omsk,
lost his consciousness in the middle of a game with Vityaz in the Moscow
region, Sport TV Channel reports. Cherepanov subsequently died in the
intensive care unit of the local hospital in spite of the fact that doctors
were taking life-saving efforts for an hour.
MegaFon to sell iPhones in Russia officially
MegaFon, Russia's third-largest mobile phone company, said Tuesday it will
start selling Apple's iPhone 3G in Russia later this year. iPhones have not
gone on sale officially in Russia, but are readily available on the "gray"
market, selling for around $1,000, several times the current retail price in
the United States.
Russia closes its
embassy in Georgia
Russia closed its embassy in Georgia and halted consular operations after
Georgia severed diplomatic ties following last month's war. The diplomatic
suspension means no new applications for Russian entry visas will be
accepted, a blow to Georgians who have relatives in Russia or other ties
there.
Risky investment in Russian economy may bring huge
profit
Military conflict in South Ossetia is a tragedy for the people involved but
prompts some investors to recall the cynical adage: "Buy on the bullets".
Could conflict in Russia present opportunities for long-term investors?
Russia’s Medvedev ends peace-enforcement operation in
Georgia
Dmitry Medvedev, the President of Russia, has decided to end the
peace-enforcement operation in Georgia.
The future of Georgia
and Saakashvili falls into Russia’s hands
The troops of Abkhazia, another unrecognized republic and an enclave in
Georgia, have launched an operation to oust the Georgian military men from
the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, Interfax reports with reference to the
Abkhazian Defense Ministry. The Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, stated that
Russian troops were not participating in the operations in the Kodori Gorge.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is arriving in Moscow Tuesday to conduct
negotiations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Sarkozy’s prime goal is
to make the authorities of Russia and Georgia sit down for talks
Russia Expands Into
Georgia Proper
Russia's military expanded its presence in Georgia on Monday, seizing a
military base in the Georgia proper and bombing Georgian military targets.
Ossetians Say West
Is Behind Conflict
It has been three days since Alyona Zagoyeva has eaten or slept. After a
weekend spent huddled in the dirty basement of her Tskhinvali apartment
building with 20 of her neighbors, she seems exhausted and has to hang on
the door handle for support.
Europe Takes Lead in
Bid to Resolve Conflict
Moscow's expanding military operation in Georgia and the threat of a
large-scale international conflict led to a frenzy of diplomatic activity
Monday, with Europe in the lead.
Millions of Dollars
in Aid Sent to Conflict Victims
Hundreds of tons of food, medicine and other supplies are being shipped to
people left homeless in the South Ossetian conflict.
Bikini-clad Russian women break record on Sochi
beach
A total of 1,602 bikini-clad women from all over Russia gathered on a beach
in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturday for a Cosmopolitan commercial,
breaking last year's record set in Sydney.
Abramovich buys
restaurant in Rome for his girlfriend
Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich has paid 3.5 million euros ($5.5 million) to
buy a restaurant in downtown Rome for his girlfriend Daria Zhukova, Italian
media reported Sunday, referring to the Metropolitan Post.
Medvedev says Russia
should develop tourism
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev urged the country on Friday to develop
tourism. He was speaking during a meeting with the mayors of the so-called
Golden Ring towns around Moscow. "The historical wealth of our cultural
heritage is a truly grandiose resource for developing tourism," Medvedev
said. Medvedev said that Russia earned 833 billion rubles ($35.6 billion)
from tourism last year, and that the tourist industry employed over one
million people nationwide. Many tourists, especially from Western countries,
are put off trips to Russia by visa requirements.
Lake Baikal exploration revives memories of sunken
treasure
As Russian scientists descend in mini-submarines to previously un-explored
parts of Baikal, the world's deepest lake, national media have pointed to
possible treasure finds including Imperial Russian gold and silver.
Bikers Look to Make Money and Save Lives
As Moscow's traffic grinds to a halt, only one form of transport can slip
through the jams: motorbikes. And dedicated bikers are promoting this
advantage as a way to save time -- and lives.
Russia to USA: 'Don’t tell us whom we should be
friends with and whom we should sleep with'
Relations between Moscow and Washington may seriously aggravate after the
presidential election in the United States. “We are not enemies with the
United States, and unfortunately, we have not become friends either.
However, we depend on each other a lot less than we did before,” an
anonymous Russian diplomat said. Russia has problems with the American
government, not with the American nation, the official pointed out. “We have
problems with American ideologists who impose such foreign politics of the
United States,” he said.
Russia ranks 2nd in world for nuclear safety -
Putin
Russia has reached second place in the world in terms of the level of safety
of its nuclear power industry, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Medvedev expects
Olympic team to bless Russia with success
President Dmitry Medvedev told Russian athletes attending a Kremlin ceremony
Tuesday before flying off to Beijing that he was pulling for them to win
medals at the Olympic Games.
Medvedev Looking for Own Kind of People
When President Dmitry Medvedev called for the creation of a “presidential
reserve” of qualified personnel for positions in the federal and regional
governments, he acknowledged that the state suffered from an acute shortage
of effective managers and a poor system for their selection.
Russia Trebles Medal
Bonuses
The Russian Olympic Committee has more than trebled bonuses for athletes who
win medals at next month's Beijing Games. Since the 1996 games in Atlanta,
the ROC has awarded $50,000 to gold-medal winners, but will splash out
100,000 euros, or close to $160,000, to Russia's Olympic champions at the
Beijing games. Bonuses for silver and bronze medals will increase more than
fourfold, to 60,000 and 40,000 euros, respectively, from $20,000 and
$10,000. "The Russian government must still approve the proposal, but it
should be done in the next few days as everything has already been agreed,"
ROC spokesman Gennady Shvets said Tuesday. "I think it's a fair reflection
of the much higher cost of living nowadays compared to a decade ago," he
said. "For example, in 1996, you could buy an apartment in Moscow for
$50,000. Now, that would not be enough for a good car. So we had to adjust
our bonuses accordingly." In addition to official bonuses, all Russian
Olympic medal winners will receive large cash bonuses from various sports
funds and private sponsors like energy giant Gazprom. Local governments also
reward medalists from their respective regions, giving them free apartments,
cars and cash, meaning that the total reward for a gold medal performance
may be in the region of $500,000.
Moscow Tops List of
Costly Expat Locales
Moscow has earned the dubious honor of being named the most expensive city
for expatriates, defending the rank it has held for the past two years,
according to a survey released Thursday. Consulting firm Mercer said in its
annual Worldwide Cost of Living survey that a weaker dollar and high real
estate costs were to blame for Moscow's rank. "Moscow's position ... has
been strengthened by the appreciation of the ruble against the dollar and
the continuous rising accommodation costs," Yvonne Traber, a research
manager at Mercer, said in a statement. In the past year, "prices have risen
by 22 percent for elite-class housing and 50 percent for business-class
housing," said Yekaterina Thain, director of residential real estate for
Knight Frank. Tokyo jumped from fourth last year to the No. 2 spot, nudging
London down to third, the report said. Oslo, in fourth, and Seoul rounded
out the top five. St. Petersburg was 18th. The survey examined 143 cities on
six continents and compared the cost of more than 200 goods commonly
purchased by expatriates. Moscow has been pulling ahead of its nearest
competitors, the survey said. Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, finished
last for the sixth year running. "Keeping on top of the changes in
expatriate cost of living is essential so companies can ensure their
employees are compensated fairly and at competitive rates when stationed
abroad," Traber said.
Kasparov’s associate fought together with Karadzic
The arrest of the leader of Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, whom
The Hague Tribunal accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, may indirectly undermine the image of the democratic
movement of the country. As a consequence, it may also destroy the
reputation of one of the leaders of the Russian democratic opposition –
former world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
Medvedev Admits Posts for Sale
President Dmitry Medvedev on
Wednesday publicly acknowledged that government posts are sometimes up for
sale and vowed to tackle the problem by handpicking bureaucrats and senior
officials in the regions.
Russians Warming to U.S.
Russians appear to be losing their feelings of hostility and
suspicion toward the United States, especially younger Russians, according
to survey published Wednesday by state pollster VTsIOM.
Communists worship
only ten percent of Lenin’s embalmed body
The location of the ideological artifact in the center of
Russia’s capital is an immoral act which is also pointless from the point of
view of budgetary spending. It is harmful from the ideological point of view
and brutal towards Lenin’s relatives and those people who do not share the
communist ideology. The only aspect that justifies the authorities is their
unwillingness to touch a raw nerve. They hope that the controversy connected
with the preservation of Lenin in Mausoleum will fade away itself.
Europe’s youngest
billionaires live in Russia
Russia's young capitalists are shaking up the ranks of Europe's billionaires
and injecting some youth into the elite club. Five years ago, the average
age of Europe's billionaires was 62. Today, the age is 58, largely due to
the 87 Russian billionaires whose average age is just 46. Without the
Russians, the average age jumps back up to 60. Among Europe's under-40
billionaire crowd, Russian dominance is even more remarkable. Indeed, 13 of
the region's 14 under-40 hail from the former Soviet Union. They came of age
around the time of communism's fall in 1991, or soon after. Quick to embrace
capitalism, these billionaires--all self-made--have quickly become rich by
pulling Russia's vast resources from the ground or building homes for the
country's burgeoning middle class.
Russian and
Ukrainian Christians fight over orthodox baptism celebrations
Solemn hymns and prayers will resonate in golden-domed Orthodox cathedrals
across Ukraine on Friday to mark the 1020th anniversary of this region's
conversion to Christianity. But the sonorous sounds may be drowned out by
the din of a fierce political battle. Ukrainian officials are determined to
use the events to lobby for autonomy for the local church from Russia, while
the dominant Moscow Patriarchate will fight to retain influence over this
mostly Orthodox country of 46 million. For Ukrainian leaders, recognition of
the Ukrainian Orthodox church as Moscow's equal would mark a significant
step in their drive to assert independence and shed centuries-long Russian
influence. That effort gained strength after the 2004 Orange Revolution,
which moved Ukraine away from Moscow and closer to the West.
Russia could place
bombers in Latin America and N.Africa
Russian strategic bombers may soon be deployed at airbases in Cuba,
Venezuela and Algeria as a response to the U.S. missile shield in Europe and
NATO's expansion, Russian daily Izvestia said on Thursday.
Germany hands
Litvinenko case materials to Russia
Germany has passed on to Russia materials on the 2006 murder of security
service defector Alexander Litvinenko, Russia's top investigators said on
Thursday.
Gazprom raises
investment plan for 2008 by 16%
Gazprom has increased the size of its investment program for 2008 by 15.7%
to 821.66 billion rubles ($35.4 billion), the Russian state-run energy giant
said on Tuesday.
Renault to sell
Sandero hatchbacks in Russia from 2H09
France's largest car manufacturer, Renault, said Tuesday it would start
selling its new Sandero hatchback in Russia in the latter half of 2009.
Russian Missiles for
Iran
Iran is set to receive an advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft system by
year-end that could help fend off any preemptive strikes against its nuclear
facilities, senior Israeli defense sources said Wednesday. Initial delivery
of the S-300 missile batteries was expected to come as early as September,
one source said, although it could take six to 12 months for the systems to
be deployed and operable.
Moscow to turn into
Europe’s gay capital for Eurovision 2009
Moscow’s hosting of Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 will attract thousands
of homosexual individuals to Russia from all over Europe. The contest is
strongly connected with gay and lesbian organizations of Europe. These
organizations hold certain actions every year, within the scope of
Eurovision. If the Moscow mayor orders the police to disperse the gay
parade, Europe will make a laughing-stock of him.
Crazy wealthy
Russians will soon purchase the whole of French Riviera
The image of wealthy Russians on their holidays in Europe has been
associated with eccentricity for quite a while. Rumor has it that they can
order a 10-thousand-dollar bottle of wine in a restaurant and leave the
bottle on the table after drinking only one glass, Italy’s La Stampa
reports. Russians can rent a Ferrari to ride along Promenade des Anglais in
Nice, France. Many wealthy Russians, who keep the origin of their fortune a
secret, come to the south of France to stay in luxury hotels where they can
pay up to 35,000 euros a night. The new generation of Russians has come to
realize that a person who has money has a right for everything.
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