In the fourth part of his pre-election manifesto published in Kommersant daily on Monday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin touts the internet as an electronic means for making democracy more responsive to the people. The premier is running for president in next month’s election. Expressing the importance of “indispensable” democratic principles, Putin stresses at... 

Long-term risks: Researchers found that smoking in men appears to be associated with more rapid cognitive decline Those searching for another reason to stick to their resolution to give up cigarettes need look no further. A new study has warned that men who smoke are more likely to suffer dementia in later life. Researchers found that smoking in men appears to be associated... 

It took researches 30 years of drilling through a four-kilometer-thick ice to reach the renowned subglacial lake. Most importantly, million years-old secrets will be unveiled without causing harm to the lake’s ecosystem. ­“Yesterday [on Sunday] our scientists at the Vostok polar station in the Antarctic completed drilling at depths of 3,768 meters and reached surface... 

Gendarme forces move toward protesters in Piata Universitatii square, Bucharest January 19, 2012. Romania’s Prime Minster Emil Boc has resigned following weeks of public protest against IMF-backed austerity measures amid the debt crisis sweeping the European Union. Announcing his resignation on Television on Monday, Boc said that he wanted to “defuse political... 

People take pictures of waves on a frozen sea in Constanta, 230 kilometres east from Bucharest, Romania on February 1, 2012 At least 223 people have died during a seven-day cold spell in eastern and central Europe where temperatures are expected to plummet even further over the weekend. Most of the victims are from the European Union’s poorest countries, including... 

The head of the Russian defense industry, Dmitry Rogozin, has praised Vladimir Putin’s ethnic policy and called upon Russian nationalists to work hand in hand with the country’s authorities. The outgoing NATO envoy, who was appointed deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry this year, published his own article in the popular daily Izvestia, which seeks... 

In mountain permafrost in Mamontovaya, Yakutia (Siberia), Russian researchers discovered a previously unknown species of bacteria. Mice injected in the body with a solution containing these organisms, were healthier and lived longer than their counterparts. Have the scientists discovered the secrets of immortality? The strange bacillus found in mammoth Mountain in the... 

Russia has lost $4 billion due to the loss of arms contracts with Libya as a result of the UN’s arms shipments embargo. Anatoly Isaikin, the General Director of Russia’s defense export giant Rosoboronexport, said that Russia had concluded arms contracts worth $2 billion with the previous administration of Libya. “We could conclude more contracts for... 

Seagulls fly over frozen sea as icicles covers a fence in the city of Constanta, 230 kilometers east of the Romanian capital Bucharest, on February 1, 2012. Severe cold spell has killed at least 83 people in Europe as temperatures dropped to below minus 30C (minus 22F) in some eastern regions of the continent. Ukrainian officials on Wednesday reported that the number... 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ridiculed Britain once again by saying that “the United Kingdom has no industry any more”, media reports said. The recent spat was made during a prime time national TV broadcast, in which Sarkozy was trying to defend his decision to introduce an increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) in an attempt to boost France’s failing... 

European Union leaders are expected in Brussels for their first summit of the year in attempt to reconcile austerity with growth and to approve a permanent rescue fund for the crisis-hit eurozone. The half day summit on Monday is meant to focus on ways to generate growth and create jobs, while having more austere fiscal measures for nations with unsustainable levels... 

Sarkozy, Karzai Agree to Push 2013 ‘Handover,’ But for Very Different Reasons. In a move that was probably inevitable after they froze training operations last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that French troops will begin transferring control of their sphere of influence, in Kapisa Province, to the Afghan government in March and speed... 

They still can’t sleep at night since the Costa Concordia put them through the ordeal of their lives. A Russian couple that made it ashore safe and sound believe every passenger could still be alive had the rescue operation been better organized. ­They are just two of the passengers from over 4,000 people onboard the massive cruise ship Costa Concordia. Denis Golovkin... 

The interdepartmental committee, which investigates the reasons of the breakdown of Russia’s Phobos Ground spacecraft, presented the basic version of the accident. Sources at the space industry told Interfax said that, most likely, the spacecraft did not enter the departure trajectory to Mars due to the influence of plasma formation in the magnetosphere of the... 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov says Moscow will not support a Western-Arab drafted UN Security Council resolution on Syria. Moscow says the new draft, due to be discussed on Friday, does not take into account the Russian position on Syria. The draft proposed by the US,...