themoscowtimes--2020-09-07--Gerard Depardieu Converts to Orthodox Christianity

French actor and naturalized Russian citizen Gerard Depardieu has continued his religious journey by converting to Orthodox Christianity , the Valeurs Actuelles weekly news magazine reported Saturday .
One of France ’ s most prolific actors and a popular figure in Russia , Depardieu was granted Russian citizenship in 2013 as he sought to avoid tax hikes in his native country .
President Vladimir Putin personally presented Depardieu with his Russian passport at a meeting in the southern Russian resort city of Sochi .
Depardieu , 71 , said his spiritual adviser is Putin ’ s rumored confessor , Father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which said its reporters attended the actor ’ s baptism in Paris .
The conversion ceremony was reported to have taken place at a Russian Orthodox church in the French capital , the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral .
“ Under the solemn chants of the choir and the prayers of the officiants , Gérard Depardieu had his body and head sprayed abundantly with water , failing however to be fully submerged , as is the custom , ” Valeurs Actuelles reported .
Depardieu said he was driven to convert by his “ links @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for “ Orthodox liturgy.
” Valeurs Actuelles reported that Depardieu was surrounded by a small circle of around 30 people .
The outlet said the actor expressed wishes to convert to Judaism “ soon , ” citing its “ proximity ” to Islam , which Depardieu converted to in 1967 .
He has since converted to Buddhism and Hinduism , Valeurs Actuelles reported .

French actor and naturalized Russian citizen Gerard Depardieu has continued his religious journey by converting to Orthodox Christianity, the Valeurs Actuelles weekly news magazine reported Saturday. One of France’s most prolific actors and a popular figure in Russia, Depardieu was granted Russian citizenship in 2013 as he sought to avoid tax hikes in his native country. President Vladimir Putin personally presented Depardieu with his Russian passport at a meeting in the southern Russian resort city of Sochi.
Depardieu, 71, said his spiritual adviser is Putin’s rumored confessor, Father Tikhon Shevkunov, according to Valeurs Actuelles, which said its reporters attended the actor’s baptism in Paris. The conversion ceremony was reported to have taken place at a Russian Orthodox church in the French capital, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. “Under the solemn chants of the choir and the prayers of the officiants, Gérard Depardieu had his body and head sprayed abundantly with water, failing however to be fully submerged, as is the custom,” Valeurs Actuelles reported.
L'attore francese Gérard Depardieu è stato battezzato oggi nella Cattedrale di Sant'Alessandro Nevskij a Parigi. Nella foto con il metropolita (arcivescovo) delle chiese ortodosse russe in Europa Occidentale Giovanni Renneteau. pic.twitter.com/ScZJZiALxt — Detti dei Padri (@DettiDeiPadri) September 5, 2020


themoscowtimes--2020-09-07--Russian FM Lavrov Lands in Syria on Rare Visit

He is joining a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov which arrived in the Syrian capital the previous night , state news agency SANA said .
Russia 's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Damascus on Monday on his first visit to war-torn Syria since 2012 , the Syrian foreign ministry said .
Lavrov was expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad before a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem in the afternoon , both foreign ministries said .
He was then expected to head onwards to nearby Cyprus .
President Vladimir Putin made his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war in January this year .
The Russian leader also visited Syria in December 2017 but had not been to the capital , only stopping at the Russian base of Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast .
Russia has been a key ally of the Damascus regime throughout the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests .
Moscow 's military intervention in 2015 helped turn the tide of the war , with Russian air power allowing Syrian government forces to win back large parts of the country .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed more than 380,000 people and pushed millions to flee their homes .

Assad said "the Syrian government was determined to continue working with Russian partners" to implement signed agreements, and encourage the "success of Russian investments in Syria," a statement from the presidency read.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad discussed economic cooperation Monday with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Moscow's envoy made his first visit to war-torn Syria since 2012, the presidency said.
They discussed possible new agreements "in the interest of both countries and to alleviate the impact of a policy of sanctions" by Western countries against government-held areas of Syria, the statement added.
Lavrov joined a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, arriving in the Syrian capital on Sunday night, state news agency SANA said.
Both countries have signed several deals in recent years in energy, construction and agriculture.
They include one for Russian firm Stroytransgaz to take over Syria's largest port of Tartous for 49 years.
In 2018, Syria awarded the same company a 50-year concession to extract phosphate in the central region of Palmyra.
The Russian foreign minister later attended a news conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem, after which he was due to head to nearby Cyprus.
President Vladimir Putin made his first trip to Damascus in Syria's nine-year-old war in January this year.
The Russian leader also visited Syria in December 2017, but did not go to the capital, only stopping at the Russian base of Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast.
Russia has been a key ally of the Damascus regime throughout the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests.
Moscow's military intervention in 2015 helped turn the tide of the war, with Russian air power allowing Syrian government forces to win back large parts of the country from rebels and jihadists.
Russia already has a naval base in Tartous.
With UN-led peace talks floundering in recent years, Moscow and rebel backer Turkey have emerged as the main powerbrokers in alternative negotiations.
The conflict has ravaged the Syrian economy, killed more than 380,000 people and pushed millions to flee their homes.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-07--Belarus Opposition Leader ‘Kidnapped’ By Masked Men – Reports

Kolesnikova , 38 , was one of a trio of women who united to challenge Lukashenko in last month ’ s presidential elections after other opposition candidates were either jailed or driven to flee Belarus .
She is the only member of the trio to have remained in Belarus since the election , with presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fleeing to neighboring Lithuania and Veronika Tsepkalo to Poland .
Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova has been kidnapped by masked men in central Minsk , media reported Monday , citing eyewitnesses .
Eyewitnesses described seeing masked men in civilian clothes capturing Kolesnikova @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labeled “ Communications ” outside the national arts museum in Minsk , the news outlet tut.by reported .
Minsk police said they were verifying reports of Kolesnikova ’ s kidnapping .
The city 's police force later told the Russian state-run RIA Novosti news agency that it could not confirm the reports .
Belarus ’ coordination council , set up to oversee the transfer of power to Tikhanovskaya , told the RBC news website that Kolesnikova is one of three council members with whom it has lost contact .
“ We can only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the authorities are doing everything to prevent the council ’ s work as much as possible , ” Pavel Latushko , former culture minister and currently a senior member of the transitional council , told Interfax .
The disappearances took place less than 24 hours after some 100,000 Belarusians took to the streets for a fourth weekend to protest the results of the Aug. 9 election where Lukashenko claimed an overwhelming majority of votes for his sixth term in office .
Lukashenko has accused the council of attempting to seize power and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its members .

Kolesnikova, 38, was one of a trio of women who united to challenge Lukashenko in last month’s presidential elections after other opposition candidates were either jailed or driven to flee Belarus. She is the only member of the trio to have remained in Belarus since the election, with presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fleeing to neighboring Lithuania and Veronika Tsepkalo to Ukraine.
Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova has been kidnapped by masked men in central Minsk, media reported Monday, citing eyewitnesses.
Eyewitnesses described seeing masked men in civilian clothes capturing Kolesnikova and forcing her into a dark minibus labeled “Communications” outside the national arts museum in Minsk, the news outlet tut.by reported.
Minsk police said they were verifying reports of Kolesnikova’s kidnapping. The city's police force later told the Russian state-run RIA Novosti news agency that it could not confirm the reports.
Belarus’ coordination council, set up to oversee the transfer of power to Tikhanovskaya, told the RBC news website that Kolesnikova is one of three council members with whom it has lost contact.
The coordination council later published video footage of what it said was the moment when Kolesnikova was placed into the minibus. Kolesnikova herself isn't visible in the footage.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-07--Russia’s ‘Basic Instinct’ Dig Provokes Spat With Ally Serbia

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova struck a nerve Saturday when she posted a photo of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic alongside a screengrab of Hollywood star Sharon Stone ’ s iconic leg-crossing scene from the 1992 thriller “ Basic Instinct.
” Serbia accused Russia of “ primitivism and vulgarity ” on Sunday after Russia ’ s diplomatic spokeswoman appeared to mock Serbia ’ s president on social media , marking a rare criticism toward Belgrade ’ s longtime ally .
“ The primitivism and vulgarity she showed speaks about herself , but also about those who have given her the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to the post , according to The Associated Press .
The image of Vucic that Zakharova posted depicts him sitting opposite U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday , where he attended a U.S.-brokered signing ceremony normalizing economic relations with Serbia ’ s former province of Kosovo .
“ If you are invited to the White House but your chair stands like you are in an interrogation , you should sit like in picture number 2 .
Whoever you are .
Just trust me , ” Zakharova 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Serbian defense minister Aleksandar Vulin criticized Zakharova for “ petty malice , ” while Vucic ’ s ruling party official Marko Djuric chided : “ I will not allow you to attack proud Serbia .
Shame on you !
” Zakharova appeared to walk back her comments Sunday , saying in an updated Facebook post that her comments were misinterpreted .
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with Vucic by phone after the scandal , where he underscored the two countries ’ “ sincerely close ” bilateral ties .
Russia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic ties due to their shared Slavic and Orthodox Christian heritage .
Russia also backs Serbia ’ s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent country .
Serbia depends on Russian oil and gas , and the Balkan nation wants to join the TurkStream gas pipeline that would bypass Ukraine and carry Russian gas to European markets .

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova struck a nerve Saturday when she posted a photo of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic alongside a screengrab of Hollywood star Sharon Stone’s iconic leg-crossing scene from the 1992 thriller “Basic Instinct.”
Serbia accused Russia of “primitivism and vulgarity” on Sunday after Russia’s diplomatic spokeswoman appeared to mock Serbia’s president on social media, marking a rare criticism toward Belgrade’s longtime ally.
“The primitivism and vulgarity she showed speaks about herself, but also about those who have given her the job,” Vucic told Serbian television in response to the post, according to The Associated Press.
The image of Vucic that Zakharova posted depicts him sitting opposite U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday, where he attended a U.S.-brokered signing ceremony normalizing economic relations with Serbia’s former province of Kosovo.
“If you are invited to the White House but your chair stands like you are in an interrogation, you should sit like in picture number 2. Whoever you are. Just trust me,” Zakharova's caption said (as translated by Reuters).
Serbian defense minister Aleksandar Vulin criticized Zakharova for “petty malice,” while Vucic’s ruling party official Marko Djuric chided: “I will not allow you to attack proud Serbia. Shame on you!”
Zakharova appeared to walk back her comments Sunday, saying in an updated Facebook post that her comments were misinterpreted. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with Vucic by phone after the scandal, where he underscored the two countries’ “sincerely close” bilateral ties.
Russia and Serbia have strong political, military and economic ties due to their shared Slavic and Orthodox Christian heritage. Russia also backs Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent country.
Serbia depends on Russian oil and gas, and the Balkan nation wants to join the TurkStream gas pipeline that would bypass Ukraine and carry Russian gas to European markets.