Not sure if you have been watching lately but Russia is making very friendly relations with Venezuela and Cuba. Indeed, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has also been meddling in the elections of Argentina, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and already has Evo Morales of Bolivia in his hip pocket.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union back in 1991, the Russian Federation inaugurates its third president, Dmitry Medvedev, who succeeded Vladimir Putin. The new president of Russia was inaugurated in the Kremlin Palace that housed 2,400 guests.

The elections held in March 2008 showed a complete success of 42 year-old Dmitry Medvedev. Although Vladimir Putin handed over the wheel of power to a new president, he mentioned that he would continue his political career. This means that Mr. Putin is going to play an important role in the future of Russia.

According to Associated Press, Vietnam is currently on its way to launch its first satellite. The country's officials stated that Vietnam's main goal is to improve its communications and thus be able to keep up with the speedy development of economy.

The first satellite built by Vietnam is entitled Vinasat No. 1. Officials said the launch is set to be on April 12. The location of the launch is a spaceport in South America, called Kourou. Nguyen Ba Thuoc, vice general director of Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corp. (VNPT) - a company owned by the state - told reporters that Vinasat No. 1 will be ready for exploitation in May.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reacted negatively regarding the premiere episode of "Ali Stone", which is to be launched on January 31 on ABC. The New York Times reports that the starting episode tells about a lawyer who states in court about a vaccine that led to a child's autism.

Despite the fact that there were statements saying that science denied any connection between autism and vaccines, the conclusion of the premiere episode of "Eli Stone" brings an opposing impression. In the end the jury offers $5.2 million to the child's mother, thus leaving the audience with a misinterpreted idea that vaccines lead to autism, especially in children.

According to the report made by the U.S. health foundation, people living in the United States are left far behind other industrialized nations in terms of preventable deaths. The foundation's report is available in the January/February issue of the journal entitled Health Affairs. The New York-based Common Wealth fund was the one to provide financial aid to researchers' work.