Moskovsky Komsomolets
Vampire preys on wild sheep
An investigation is underway at an experimental research farm near Moscow after half the sheep in its flock met a mysterious and gruesome end. A mysterious predator drained the animals’ blood without touching the meat.
A few days ago, walking into the sheep-pen at 7 in the morning, farm workers found 18 of the 62 sheep at death’s door, farm manager Vasily Velikodnev told the media. The sheep had torn ligaments in their hind legs; some had their legs twisted and broken. Each of the dying sheep had punctures, about an inch deep, in their carotid arteries. Three sheep had already died, but the others had also to be killed to put them out of their misery. It seemed that all the blood had been drained from them.
The next day, the workers noticed that several more sheep were not looking well or responding normally, so those had to be slaughtered, too. It appeared they had also been suffering from blood loss. Overall, 33 sheep in the flock were lost. Given that each sheep contained about three liters of blood, the mysterious vampire must have drunk about 100 liters of blood in one night.
After local sanitary professionals carried out autopsies on the dead sheep and found no infections, farm workers were allowed to feed the meat to their dogs.
The farmers are puzzled over the identity of the predator that killed three dozen sheep in one night. In an attempt to avoid a repeat occurrence, they went out and shot all the stray dogs in the vicinity, although they understand that dogs could not have killed so many sheep in a 5,000 sq ft pen. Sheep are strong runners, and the dogs would have soon become exhausted after chasing them down.
Experts from the Moscow Veterinary Academy said their hind leg ligaments could have been damaged by rodents such as bats which also suck blood. However, bats can’t break sheep’s legs. Only humans can. Sheep blood is used in laboratory experiments and in manufacturing medicines such as globulins. However, it should be harvested in a sterile environment after ascertaining that the blood is being taken from an absolutely healthy animal.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Russia slides into recession
Economists say industrial production has been falling since February.
Russia’s economy is going through a difficult time. Some economists say it is recovering, while others argue that it has slipped into recession. According to official data, industrial production has fallen 2 percent since February 2011. The production of oil and other commodities has been growing, whereas manufacturing has been falling, which, according to U.S. standards, amounts to a recession. However, many economists say reliable conclusions can only be made at the yearend.
“Recession forecasts have now been backed up with statistical evidence,” former presidential economic adviser Andrei Illarionov wrote in his blog the other day. “Statistics for August, analyzed at the Higher School of Economics, indicate that excluding seasonal and calendar factors industrial production has been in decline for seven months, since February 2011. According to the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months.”
Illarionov said the process is clearly structured: as of August, the production of oil, non-energy and non-metallic commodities, as well as plastics, showed steady growth, whereas production in other sectors, primarily manufacturing, fell. “Compared to the peak production, over the past two years since the 2008-2009 downturn manufacturing production fell 2.8 percent overall, with a 2.8 percent fall in foods, chemicals 4.4 percent, clothing percent, pulp percent, metal products 5.2 percent, electricity percent, and machinery and equipment percent he said.
But Vladimir Bessonov, head of the Laboratory for Inflation Problems and Economic Growth Research at the Higher School of Economics, said the situation is not as bad as Illarionov claims. “The situation is too complicated for such radical conclusions,” he said. “We believe that the industry has been growing, although growth can be described as languid. It resumed growth after the dramatic plunge it took in 2008, slowly recovering.”
Bessonov said official statistics do not indicate a considerable economic slowdown is underway. He is optimistic but said he cannot say what might happen in three months.
Anton Safonov, an analyst with the InvestCafe agency, agrees it is too early to draw any firm conclusions but thinks the probability of a recession has increased. “We should wait until yearend to make a thorough analysis, because it can still improve,” he said.
Yevgeny Studenikin, vice president for trade operations at the Broker Credit Service (BCS) group, said other definitions of recession include minor GDP growth amid increasing unemployment for a 12 month period.
TKB Capital analyst Sergei Karykhalin said he does not question Western methods but doubts Russia is sliding into a recession. “The Russian economy comprises not only industrial production but also mining, services and other sectors, which are doing quite well,” he said. “There are problems in industry, in particular because of the ruble’s strengthening in real terms and tax increases. Russia’s industrial competitiveness is dampened in a situation where growing demand is met mostly with imports because Russian goods are often uncompetitive.”
Izvestia
New naval air defense system one year behind schedule
An engineer shortage is crippling the development of the Russia’s Poliment-Redut air defense system.
The development of the newest AD system for Russian naval ships – the Poliment-Redut – is lagging behind schedule, the maker told Izvestia. The Almaz-Antei research and production association, which is leading development, ascribes the delay to a shortage of engineers in its design office. The best brains are occupied with ground-based projects, not the naval system. This situation has already led to delays in the construction of the newest Russian frigates under Project 22350.
Izvestia learned that the main difficulties arose in work to develop a Poliment radar with a phased array antenna and a naval modification of the 9M96 missile that is to form the core of the Redut air defense system. Together the two systems make up the Poliment-Redut AD system.
The staff shortage is currently one of the main limits on the growth of Russia’s defense industry and the Almaz-Antei concern, a source close to its management told the paper.
“Companies engaged in several priority areas today have to choose their objectives carefully: a many-pronged attack is out of the question due to the personnel shortage,” the source told Izvestia. According to the source, Antei is now focusing on other projects – putting the finishing touches to the S-400 system and creating future air space defense weapons.
The country’s only strategic AD systems developer inherited these staff problems from the 1990s when most specialists quit the industry, creating a dearth of engineers aged 30 to 40. Although that issue has essentially now been solved, with young engineers keen to follow careers in the defense sector, they cannot go straight into complex system development.
“Today the situation is changing,” a defense industry source told Izvestia, “Almaz, for one, is hiring a lot of young people, raising wages and buying new equipment. But this is a lengthy process and it will take at least two to three years before the situation returns to normal.”
According to the available information, tests of the Poliment-Redut system are to be completed within the next two to three years but most will be carried out on board the Admiral Gorshkov, the lead frigate of Project 22350, due to the lack of ground rigs.
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