Russians began paying their respects Tuesday to former president Boris Yeltsin, who led their country out of the collapse of the Soviet Union into a turbulent post-Communist era.
An honour guard of several hundred soldiers in regimental uniform greeted the arrival of Yeltsin's open casket inside the gold-domed cathedral, which was destroyed by the Communists before being rebuilt during his presidency.
A list of foreign dignitaries attending the funeral has not been released.
Yeltsin, who had a history of heart trouble, died of heart failure Monday in a city hospital at the age of 76.
Russians appeared to focus their feelings for Yeltsin on the euphoric times immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the CBC's Nick Spicer said Tuesday from Moscow.
"People remembered that more than anything else," he said.
Russia's newspapers were heaped Tuesday with tributes praising the courage of the fiery, yet gaffe-prone Yeltsin, who was Russia's first democratically elected leader.
International media also recalled Yeltsin's less flattering and less sober moments, as well as his role in launching Russia's bloody war against rebels in Chechnya.
Boris Yeltsin is shown in this 1991 photo.
(Associated Press)
Yeltsin took office in June 1991 on a wave of high expectations, as he quickly guaranteed the rights to free speech, private property and multi-party elections, and opened the borders to trade and travel.
His popularity sharply declined as he implemented radical economic reforms, a policy that became known as "shock therapy."
Yeltsin created a private sector and opened up the country to private investment, but failed to prevent the looting of state industry as it moved into private hands.
The economic reforms devastated the living standards of much of Russia's population as per capita income fell about 75 per cent during Yeltsin's rule.
He resigned during a dramatic New Year's Eve address Dec. 31, 1999.
U.
S. President George W. Bush called Yeltsin a "historic figure who served his country during a time of momentous change," while British Prime Minister Tony Blair remembered him as a "remarkable man who saw the need for democratic and economic reform.
"
The U.S. government deliberately misrepresented Pat Tillman's death as a heroic battle with the enemy instead of a friendly fire incident, his brother charges. Russians began paying their respects Tuesday to former president Boris Yeltsin, who led their country out of the collapse of the Soviet Union into a turbulent post-Communist era. U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday he is prepared to veto a war spending bill proposed by Congress because it includes a timetable to pull American troops out of Iraq.
A Liberal motion that would ensure Canada ends its combat operations in southern Afghanistan by February 2009 will be voted upon on Tuesday. Armed with extra resources and a better forecast, the Canadian Coast Guard has been able to remove a couple of longliners off its lengthy list of vessels stuck in heavy ice off Newfoundland's northeast coast. Ongoing research into the effects of climate change off Nova Scotia could be in trouble because of uncertainty over federal funding. Eating a single high-fat meal can cause a spike in blood pressure, researchers in Calgary say, a finding that suggests another way fat consumption may lead to heart damage. The Ontario government is spending more than $103 million to help researchers gain the tools they need, such as laboratory space, equipment and software, Deputy Premier George Smitherman said Tuesday. A restaurant worker in the northern B.C. community of Vanderhoof has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, prompting the testing of dozens of other people.
The U.S. cable network that popularized "where are they now?" celebrity exposés and red carpet reporting by Joan Rivers is heading north of the border.
For the second consecutive year, The Walrus has dominated the nominee list for the upcoming National Magazine Awards, which celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. CBS Radio has suspended two New York City shock jocks after they broadcast a racially charged prank call to a Chinese restaurant. NASA released the first three-dimensional images of the sun Monday, saying the photos taken from twin spacecraft may lead to better predictions of solar eruptions that can affect communications and power lines on Earth. Yahoo plans to offer a free service providing lyrics to hundreds of thousands of popular songs, by artists ranging from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to the Arctic Monkeys. A dispute between social networking website MySpace and photo and video-sharing website Photobucket has apparently ended, allowing users of both services to once again display content on their MySpace pages. A 60-year-old Vancouver woman who suffered harassment by a collection agency has been awarded $2,000 by the B.C. Supreme Court.
Six years after Parliament passed a motion requiring labels on alcohol warning of the dangers of drinking while pregnant, former NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis says she is frustrated by government inaction. Vancouver's mayor has floated the idea of having free admission to public galleries and museums during the Christmas holidays. Sam Mitchell of the Toronto Raptors was named the NBA's coach of the year on Tuesday. The Toronto Raptors look to even their Eastern Conference quarter-final series when they host the New Jersey Nets Tuesday night. A series sweep against Boston on Tuesday could be in the cards if the Jays' bats can keep producing and Roy Halladay is his usual solid self on the mound.
News RSS