Russia

The trend began in 2007, when leading wheat-exporting countries such as Russia and Argentina limited or banned their exports, in hopes of increasing local food supplies and thereby bringing down domestic food prices.

Russia's other late nights and early mornings generally correspond to public holidays.

He voyaged to England to cook in the modern Great kitchen of the prince regent, George IV, and crossed continents to prepare grand banquets for the tables of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

These missions were conducted by various space exploring agencies including those from the US, Russia, Japan, India and Europe.

With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.

South Korea, which operates state-of-the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill , found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.

On a glacier-filled island with fjords and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base.

Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.

But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.

Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System .

117 With Russia's help, Belarus is preparing to build its first Antarctic base.

After the Soviet Union's collapse, says Cherlin, "anxiety for the future" depressed birthrates in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System GPS.

On a glacier-filled island with fjords and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base.

Indeed official figures suggest the country has shrunk by 5% since 1993 and people in Russia live a shorter life now than those in 1961.

Last summer, I toured Russia for two weeks.

Russia is another country with population problems that could break its economic promise.