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Ambulances, helicopters and medical advice: Behind the scenes at one of Ireland's 999 call centres
Quiz: How much do you know about these famous dancers?
Boy (5) killed after being struck by car in Co Laois yesterday named locally as Aaron Hussain
Mikhail Khodorkovsky speaks during his first news conference after his release in Berlin earlier today. Michael Sohn/AP/Press Association Images
Russia
'A fight for power is not for me': Putin foe Khodorkovsky vows to stay away from Russia
The Kremlin critic surfaced in Germany hours after his release on Friday from a prison in an obscure corner of northern Russia, following a surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin.
RUSSIA’S FORMER OIL tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said that he will stay away from his homeland but help to free Russian political prisoners still behind bars after walking free from a decade in jail.
In an astonishing turn of events, the Kremlin critic surfaced in Germany hours after his release on Friday from a prison in an obscure corner of northern Russia, following a pardon by President Vladimir Putin.
Mobbed by reporters at his first news conference in Berlin barely two days since leaving jail, Khodorkovsky admitted he had been given no choice over his final destination and thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for aiding his liberation.
Khodorkovsky, formerly Russia’s richest man, said he had no intention of becoming involved in Russian politics and could not return to the country so long as a court order for him to pay $550 million in damages was still in place.
“A fight for power is not for me,” said Khodorkovsky, wearing a sharp business suit but almost shaven-headed, at the news conference held in the Berlin Wall museum at the symbolic Cold War location of Checkpoint Charlie.
He said he would focus his energies on helping political prisoners walk out of Russian jails. “I will do everything so that there are none left, do everything I can.”
He added that Western governments should “remember I am not the last political prisoner in Russia,” adding it would be wrong if he was seen as a “symbol” that there were no longer political prisoners in his country.
Rights groups are still seeking to secure the release of around a dozen protesters arrested for their role in a 2012 rally on the eve of Putin’s inauguration for a third term, who many see as political prisoners.
Khodorkovsky’s co-accused, business partner and friend Platon Lebedev also remains incarcerated.
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He said he could only return to Russia if the Supreme Court lifted the lawsuit claiming the $550 million in damages. The existence of the claim meant that if he ever returned there was no “guarantee” he would ever be allowed to leave Russia.
The former chief executive and founder of the Yukos oil giant said he had no plans to go back into business but had enough means to live on.
But he said had had “no choice” over his final destination after his release, which began on Friday morning when he was awoken at 2am by the head of his prison colony in Segezha in Karelia.
He said it was only clear he was heading to Germany when the doors closed of the private jet laid on by Genscher which took him out of Russia. “Many facts of my release are still unknown to me,” said Khodorkovsky.
Asked about his relationship with Putin, Khodorkovsky refused to be drawn into expressing hatred towards the Russian strongman who the former tycoon’s supporters accuse of ordering his two trials and convictions to eliminate a potentially dangerous opponent.
At the time of his arrest in 2003, Khodorkovsky was openly critical of Putin and had begun financing the Russian opposition.
But he said that while he had been treated harshly, “my family had never been touched” and as a result he was able to view relations with Putin with “pragmatism which does not foresee such unpragmatic things like revenge, hatred and so on.”
Khodorkovsky said he was against a boycott of the Sochi Olympics in February 2014, noting a “festival of sport should not be spoilt”. But he acknowledged it should not become a “festival of Vladimir Putin”.
Widely seen as Russia’s most famous post-Soviet inmate, Khodorkovsky was jailed for financial crimes in separate convictions in 2005 and 2010. He had been due for release in August 2014.
We can go as far as banning advertising completely and it will make little difference, it’s our attitude to alcohol we need to change in this country. Most of us are guilty of having a bad attitude towards it and it’s passed down from generation to generation. We need stricter laws that stop the sale of alcohol to those who are already drunk, to those who sell or buy alcohol for minors.
Banning alcohol sponsorship in sport is risky business , look what happened snooker and its prize no.ey when cigarettes advertising went away. Instead of imposing regulations, could they not just educate kids on the importance of responsible drinking? They never come up with new or outside of the box ideas. Regulate and tax is all we get from them.
You could argue that hiding alcohol away, not having it in your face will leave it a mystery product to the youth. Something to be tried at the first opportunity and let’s face it, it readily available in a lot of home. As far as I know there is not such a problem in France, Spain Portugal etc where they alcohol is more socially accepted. Children are allowed drink from an earlier age and thus you have to sneak around doing it in fields etc.
Every time a child plays sport they see drink advertising if their local club has a bar. Are they going to close those or remove all advertising? Would it not be smarter that the advertising companies should pay for the pro players to go round the schools to young kids and teach them to play sports and be healthy and responsible.
Well if you offer the advertising company to choose between losing baord space and paying a premium for hotzones or to pay for a campaign as I stated, which one do you think they would choose?
@Patrick: The gov couldn’t allow advertising companies to pay pro players to go to schools to teach kids & teenagers to play sports as the gov are not pro players. They couldn’t claim this idea back on expenses or get more tax from the pro players. This gov are only interested in themselves.
the advertising and drinks industry are already doing this with their farcical drink aware campaign, another government backed scheme where they give the drinks industry itself free reign on how to tell people how to drink ‘responsibly’. that was always going to end up being the monumental success it is now.
@Niall O D drinkaware is not the same. It does not target young people specifically.(under 18-21) What the government are asking is not workable and will cost investment in sport and could increase cost to business. Positive role models are needed in alot of homes that do not have any. I still see teenagers smoking.What ad influenced them? Education and changing atttitude is the answer.
Pure joke , lead by example and get rid of the dail bar. How can anybody take them seriously when they are making decisions that affect the lives of everyone in Ireland while they have a use the subsidised bar.
@Michael Clinton: Beat me to it, Michael. I would imagine that there has been a great deal of alcohol-related harm done to the country by TDs making decisions whilst under the influence in a place of ‘work’. If they’re in any way serious — and of course, they’re not, this is just another distraction — then let them get their own subsidised house in order first.
They should also remove the law which allows TD to drive drunk as long as they’re on their way to the Dail. A Dr’s not allowed to get away with it neither should they.
Seeing what your parents drink is all the advertising companies need. You are going to see the brands at home so it as you’re growing up is what you’ll be used to see so when old enough (or not in most cases) it’s what you’ll initially want to drink. Nothing the government can do about that.
We have schools in the center of towns, cities, villages all over Ireland. Are we going to close or move the pubs, hotels so that they are not within 200m of the schools. These businesses will have advertising on or outside their premises. Putting cigarettes behind a screan did nothing for smoking. You will never stop people smoking, drinking this gov needs to get their heads out of their ass and do thier job that they are well paid for.
Hmm. I see a potential flaw in imposing the advertising watershed. Especially when they include indirect advertising. This would impact anti drink driving adverts.
David Alan, from jackson usa, you can also add me on Facebook by my name David Alan or send me an email: davidalan123@yahoo.com I have to publish my email and Facebook name out, because there are so many scam on the internet who claim that they have the cure of herpes. i am here to share my testimony, because i was scam by Dr fada. please always be careful from such email from Dr fada he is a scam. but i thank GOD i came across a man who cured my herpes without me having problem with him. his name is Dr lucky, i never thought i could be cure from my herpes. i saw people testifying on facebook, blog and youtube site, of how Dr Lucky prepared herbal medicine for them and they were cure from their herpes. so i have to contact him through his email, i told him about my herpes and he told me not to worry that everything will be fine, The next day he told me that he has prepare the herbal medicine, that i should send him my address, that he want to send the HERBAL MEDICINE to me via DHL or FedEx, so i sent him my address, that was how i got the herbal medication and i use it as i was instructed. After a week i went to see my Medical Doctor who confirmed my herpes was no more. When some of my friend who has herpes saw me they were surprise and i also introduce them to Dr Lucky and they were also cured from their herpes.People think herpes is really a minor skin irritation, herpes has a long term effects on health. The stigma attached to this virus by ignorant people is ridiculous. I thank God for leading me to this genuine Dr Lucky I am so happy as i am sharing this testimony. My advice to you all who thinks that there is no cure for herpes, there is. so you can contact Dr Lucky via: Drluckyherbalmedicinehome@gmail.com or doctorkinglucky@gmail.com
and be cured from your herpes. I thank Dr lucky make God bless you for your herbal work.
hello everybody,
i don’t just know the reason why some people is finding it difficult to believe that there is a cure for herpes, i have been suffering from herpes since last three years with my boyfriend but today i am happy that am cure from it with the herbal medicine of DR SEBI the great healer,i was browsing the internet searching for help when i came across a testimony shared by someone on how DR SEBI cure his herpes i was so much in need of getting his treatment but after all DR SEBI brought a smile to my face with his herbal medicine. i am so much happy today that we have someone like this great healer out there, so my people out there kindly contact this great healer on his website: http://drsebispelltemple.wixsite.com/spelltemple please sir keep your good work cause there are people out there who is in need of your healing medicine.once more contact him now: drsebispelltemple@gmail.com you can call him or whatsApp his number +2348153863900 thanks DR SEBI for your great works this are also the diseases DR SEBI cures
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