Posts Tagged ‘Moscow’
Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS) Russia has successfully completed the first stage of clinical trials of an HIV vaccine, an official said Monday.
The State Research Centre for Virology and Biotechnology, Vektor, completed the first stage of clinical trials of the HIV vaccine, Vektor director Alexander Sergeyev said Monday.
The vaccine induces a strong antibody (antigen), as well as cellular response, he said. The vaccine is now to be approved for the second stage of tests, reported RIA Novosti.
Vektor previously said it had developed one of the strongest and most advanced vaccines in the world.
As of Nov 1, Russia had 636,979 confirmed cases of HIV infection since record keeping began in 1987. The number has almost doubled since 2006. A total of 104,257 HIV patients have already died.
HIV infects cells of the immune system and destroys or impairs their function. Infection results in the progressive deterioration of the immune system, breaking down the body’s ability to fend off infections and diseases.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2011 World Health Statistics report, the number of people living with HIV worldwide continues to grow, reaching an estimated 33.3 million people in 2009, with 2.6 million new infections and 1.8 million HIV/AIDS-related deaths recorded in the reporting period.
HIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s most significant public health challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 10 million people worldwide are in need of anti-retroviral therapy but have no access to the treatment.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: France, Moscow
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Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc announced Monday the resignation of his government, media reported.
“It is the time for important political decisions. That is why I made the decision to give up the government’s mandate,” Boc said after a government meeting.
In January, several anti-government demonstrations were held in Romania where the demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Traian Basescu and Boc.
The discontent of Romania’s citizens, which is a member of European Union, has been caused by the government’s decision to carry out a programme of budget cuts, which includes a reduction in social programmes.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: France, Moscow
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Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia will develop by June this year a detailed 30-year plan to strengthen its naval forces, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin wrote in his twitter account.
“A detailed 30-year plan of strengthening its naval forces will be developed by June 2012. The decision has already been made,” Rogozin wrote Sunday.
The state military programme for 2012-20 has allocated 4.7 trillion rubles ($155 billion). Last year, 85 billion rubles ($2.8 billion) was allocated on the construction of nuclear submarines, frigates, ship repair and maintenance. This year it expected to spend more than 93 billion rubles ($3 billion).
It is planned that in the future the submarine fleet will become the basis of Russia’s naval force.
Over the next few years it will receive two types of nuclear submarines and two types of diesel-electric submarines. This is primarily a Borey-class nuclear submarine, the carrier of the new Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles. Eight of these submarines are planned to be built.
Russia’s newest nuclear-powered submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, is already undergoing sea trials; three more are in various stages of their completion.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: France, Moscow
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Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia may have to boost its nuclear potential in the future amid emerging nuclear proliferation threats, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s deputy defence minister and a negotiator on the European missile shield, said Monday.
“New challenges emerge, including missile and nuclear proliferation. Look at how unstable the situation in the Middle East is. That’s why Russia’s military doctrine envisages the use of nuclear weapons in specific cases. I do not rule out that under certain circumstances we will have to boost, not cut, our nuclear arsenal,” Antonov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily.
He named the US missile shield in Europe as a main threat to Russia’s security.
“The situation is dismal in this area. The US continues to boost its missile defence potential in Europe and other regions. The European segment of the US missile defence demonstrates aspirations to shift the strategic balance of forces in Europe. After the Cold War, US strategic weapons – and missile defence is a strategic weapon – are getting closer to Russia’s borders,” Antonov said.
He also confirmed that Russian and US missile defence talks have reached deadlock as US cooperation proposals are vague and Russia’s participation in the project “is not even up for discussion”.
The deputy defence minister reiterated that Russia may quit the Russian-US treaty on strategic arms reduction, signed in 2010.
“This is one of possible variants of our retaliation measures. We have warned about it beforehand,” he said.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: France, Moscow
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Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Dozens of Syrian protesters stormed the Russian embassy in Libyan capital Tripoli Sunday, a day after Russia and China blocked a UN resolution on the Syrian crisis.
According to witnesses, several dozens of protesters, condemning Russian and Chinese decisions to block the UN resolution, climbed onto the roof of the embassy and damaged a Russian flag.
“It was not the first protest near the embassy, but the previous ones were of a peaceful character,” a witness said, adding that “this time people were very aggressive”.
No one, including Russian diplomats, was injured in the attack, the Russian foreign ministry said.
“Libyan authorities have expressed their apologies and assured us that the incident will be thoroughly investigated and that the security will be provided to our diplomatic mission in Tripoli,” the ministry said in a statement.
Veto-wielding UN Security Council members Russia and China Saturday blocked the draft resolution on Syria that called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Written by admin on 05 February 2012
Moscow, Feb 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale was felt some 70 km from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, the US Geological Survey reported Sunday. There were no reports of any casualties or damage to the nuclear power plant, which is expected to go online March 20.
The earthquake, which struck at 06.10 GMT, had its epicentre recorded at a depth of 10 km.
The plant’s construction began in 1975 by German companies. However, the firms stopped work after a US embargo was imposed on high-technology supplies to Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent US embassy siege in Tehran.
Russia signed a contract with Iran in February 1998 to complete the plant.
Iran had witnessed its deadliest temblor in June 1990, which measured 7.7 points on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. The quake devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages, IRNA news agency said.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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