Tough Talk: Putin's Key Quotes from Valdai Speech

Vladimir Putin criticized the West for "sawing at branches" with sanctions against Russia and releasing a "genie in a bottle" with color revolutions. RT looks at the Russian President's best quotes from his speech in Sochi

Fireworks Farewell: Sochi Closing Ceremony Ends in Spectacular Show

After two weeks of cheering, intense competition, and record-breaking achievements, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games finally bid farewell, as athletes and fans gather one last time to admire the sparkling closing ceremony at Fisht Olympic Stadium.

Lebanese Get Naked in Support of Topless Skier

Lebanese professionals have rallied behind Jackie Chamoun

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Beirut is rocked by car bombs, the country, once again, teetering on the brink of war, a new civil movement has sprung up - and they're not wearing any clothes

Hundreds of Lebanese professionals are posting nude pictures of themselves online in solidarity with Jackie Chamoun, the 22-year-old Lebanese Olympic skier, who was this week publicly scorned by the country's politicians for participating in a risqué photo-shoot.

The "I Am Not Naked" campaign, in which people are invited to strip off their clothes and be photographed, covering their private areas with a round sign saying #StripForJackie, was started on the spur of the moment by friends of Ms Chamoun.

"It took us a few hours to launch the idea and the Facebook page on Tuesday," said Mohamad Abdouni, a co-organiser of the campaign and the editor for a Lebanese arts magazine. "I went to bed at 6am and when I woke up at 10am on the same day, I found 4,000 likes on the Facebook page!"

The campaign has since taken Lebanese media by storm, dominating chat shows, newspapers and social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook. And it has gone beyond Ms Chamoun's breasts, kickstarting the conversation about what kind of a society Lebanon wants to be. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut | Thursday, February 13, 2014

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Boris Johnson Is One of Us, Claims Ancient Russian Ethnic Group from Sochi Region

Meet the ancestors: Circassians in Sochi sport traditional headwear
– that bears a remarkable similarity to Boris Johnson's
blond-mop hairstyle

LONDON EVENING STANDARD: An ancient ethnic group that originates from the region around Winter Olympics city Sochi has claimed Boris Johnson as one of their own.

Elders of the Circassian community — famous for their blond hair, blue eyes and “warrior-like” demeanour — have invited the Mayor to visit them in Southern Russia.

They offered to help Mr Johnson, who has no plans to attend the Winter Games, track the roots of great-great-grandmother Hanifa Fered, who they say originates from the region.

His ancestor was one of 1.5 million Circassians — or Adygea — to flee the area now known as Sochi in the 19th century as Russia conquered it.

Hanifa crossed the Black Sea to the Ottoman Empire — present-day Turkey — but was sold as a slave on arrival, a fate that befell many Circassian women who were considered to be among the world’s most beautiful (Miss International Australia 2013, Felicia Djamirze, is Circassian).

The story has been passed down the Mayor’s family: Hanifa was bought as a concubine, and later married, Mr Johnson’s great-great-grandfather Ahmet Hamdi Kemal, a beeswax merchant from the village of Kalfat. Their son Ali Kemal, a journalist, poet and politician, married his Anglo-Swiss wife Winifred in London before returning to Turkey. He was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence. » | Will Stewart in Moscow and Pippa Crerar | Thursday, February 13, 2014

Sochi 2014: Lebanese Skier Causes Controversy Over Topless Photos

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lebanese skier taking part in Sochi has apologised for racy photos after country's sports minister called for an inquiry

A Lebanese skier competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics has sparked controversy back home after posing topless for a calendar.

The photos, which show Jackie Chamoun, 22, standing in snow holding strategically placed ski equipment to protect her modesty, were out-takes from an official photoshoot for the Austrian sports calendar.

Chamoun insisted that the risque pictures were not meant to go public, but local media were quick to accuse the alpine skier of "shaming" her country.

Lebanon is considered one of the most liberal countries in the Arab World, where women are free to wear skimpy clothes and where alcohol is widely available.

However, sections of society remain conservative by Western standards, and some took objection.

Faisal Karami, youth and sports minister, said he was asking Lebanon’s Olympic committee to look into the photos to ensure “the protection of Lebanon’s reputation.’’ » | Josie Ensor | Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Winter Olympics: Putin 'Friendly' with Gay People

BBC: President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia's law on "gay propaganda" ahead of the Sochi Olympics but insisted he was not prejudiced against homosexuals.

Gay people faced no discrimination at work or in society in Russia, he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, and the new law did not harm anybody.

"I myself know some people who are gay," he said. "We're on friendly terms. I'm not prejudiced in any way."

Gay rights campaigners have urged a boycott of the winter games.

The controversial legislation passed in June prescribes fines for anyone providing information about paedophilia and homosexuality to people under 18.

Critics say the amendment's loose wording, and its free interpretation by the authorities, effectively make any kind of public gay rights event in Russia impossible.

Some national leaders have indicated they will not attend the games, which run from 7 to 23 February.

US President Barack Obama pointedly announced he was sending an Olympic delegation that includes several openly gay sports figures, among them tennis legend Billie Jean King. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sochi Safety: Unprecedented Security in Place around Winter Olympic Host City

An unprecedented level of security is in place around the Russian city of Sochi, the host of the 2014 Winter Olympic games. Tens of thousands of police officers have been drafted in, with the sole aim of keeping citizens, visitors and athletes safe. RT's Paul Scott takes a look.

Putin's Nightmare: 'Emir of the Caucasus' Vows to Stop Sochi Winter Olympics

THE INDEPENDENT: In truth, this guerrilla war is just the latest stage in a cycle of oppression and resistance lasting centuries as Islamist leader and self-styled Emir of the Caucasus promises to use 'maximum force' to stop these Games

Any day soon, a bomb may go off in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. And if it does, it will be the nightmare that Vladimir Putin has been spending billions of roubles trying to prevent. The Winter Games, which start in February, have long been his pet project, designed to show the world how complete is his control over the territories of which he is president. The sudden rush of amnesties is just his latest ploy to sanitise the image of the Games.

With its sub-tropical climate, palm-fringed beaches, and sulphur springs, Sochi has been Russia’s most sybaritic winter holiday spot since the days of the tsars: it’s the Riviera of the Caucasus whose high mountains stretch eastwards, with embattled Chechnya just two hundred miles away. As a narrow ribbon of land where sea and snow-capped peaks are in close proximity, it was the obvious venue for the winter Olympics, and it has now been transformed by Putin’s hi-tech new infrastructure.

But Doku Umarov, the Chechen Islamist leader and self-styled Emir of the Caucasus, has promised to use “maximum force” to stop these Games. In a video message released in July, he declared: “They plan to hold the Olympics on the bones of our ancestors, on the bones of many, many Muslims buried on our land by the Black Sea. As mujahideen we are required not to permit that, using any methods that Allah allows us.” » | Michael Church | Thursday, December 26, 2013

JO : Poutine rassure les homosexuels

LE FIGARO: Toutes les personnes qui participeront aux jeux olympiques d'hiver à Sotchi, en Russie (7-23 février), se sentiront bien "quelle que soit leur orientation sexuelle", a déclaré aujourd'hui le président russe Vladimir Poutine, en référence à une loi controversée sur les homosexuels.

"Nous faisons tout pour que les sportifs, les spectateurs, les visiteurs se sentent bien aux jeux Olympiques, quels que soient leur nationalité, leur appartenance ethnique ou leur orientation sexuelle", a déclaré Vladimir Poutine lors d'une rencontre avec les responsables des fédérations russes de sports d'hiver, selon les agences russes. [Source : Le Figaro| | Par Le Figaro.fr avec AFP | lundi 28 octobre 2013

Ban for a Ban: Should Gay Propaganda Law Be Addressed via Sochi Boycott?

The Olympic flame is set to light up Sochi in several months, but as the final touches are being added to the venues, calls to boycott the Winter Olympics are becoming louder in some European countries & across the Atlantic too. The reason is not connected with sport though, but with a ban on homosexual propaganda to minors, recently adopted by Russia lawmakers. RT invited a panel of guests for a broad discussion on the matter.