A giant oil slick is flowing along Russia's Angara river, in southeastern Siberia. Authorities have declared the situation an emergency, with some 80,000 people stranded without water. Reports say the slick is about ten kilometers long. Emergency services are trying to stop the oil from making its way any further, but have not succeeded so far. The concentration of oil in the water still exceeded the norm by several times on Thursday. About two tons of diesel oil spilled into the river on Wednesday as a result of an accident caused by illegal siphoning, officials say.  Cashing in on suffering The incident disrupted the local water intake, which supplies water to three towns, leaving about 80,000 people without water. Local authorities in the affected towns had to close schools and kindergartens in the area, though hospitals are working as usual. The centralized water supply can be restored only after probes show that the oil concentration in the water is lower than the maximum permissible concentration. Meanwhile, there are reports of merchants trying to cash in on the catastrophe by doubling and tripling prices for bottled water. Authorities urged them not to turn a profit on the ecological disaster, and said they would closely monitor the situation to eliminate such cases. Forty tons of free bottled water have been delivered in the affected are as emergency workers try to restore the intake's ability to operate. Threat of ecological catastrophe The oil leak may become a serious ecological problem if urgent measures are not taken to deal with the spill, WWF Russia official Aleksey Knizhnikov told Ria-Novosti. The incident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power plant revealed that Russia's emergency services were not ready for an oil spill in the river, because it is a rare case, he explained.

Three men have been arrested and 36 criminal websites selling credit card information and other personal data shut down as part of a two-year international anti-fraud operation, police have confirmed. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), working with the FBI and US Department of Justice, as well as authorities in Germany; the Netherlands; Ukraine; Australia and Romania, swooped after identifying the sites as specialising in selling card and bank details in bulk. The move comes as a blow to what is a growing black market for stolen financial data. Detectives estimated that the card information seized could have been used to extract more than £500m in total by fraudsters. SOCA claimed it has recovered more than two and a half million items of compromised personal and financial information over the past two years. “The authorities have shut down 36 websites but it is difficult to know how many other people had access to that data. They could spring back up somewhere else if a gang is not eradicated completely,” said Graham Cluley of internet security firm Sophos. He added: “This is big business and, just as in any legitimate company there are people who specialise in different things, so there are those who actually get their hands on the personal data and those who sell it on; they are not often the same person.” An investigation by The Independent last summer found that scammers were making a “comfortable living” getting their hands on sensitive information and selling it online. Card details were being offered for sale for between 4p and £60 per card – depending on the quality – according to one source in the business. Some cards would be sold with incomplete or unreliable information; others ready to use. Some of the card details for sale on the websites shut down by SOCA were being sold for as little as £2 each. Investigators said that the alleged fraudsters were using Automated Vending Carts, which allowed them to sell large quantities of stolen data. They are said to be a driver of the growth in banking fraud over the last 18 months because of the speed with which stolen data can be sold. Lee Miles, Head of Cyber Operations for SOCA said: “This operation is an excellent example of the level of international cooperation being focused on tackling online fraud. Our activities have saved business, online retailers and financial institutions potential fraud losses estimated at more than half a billion pounds, and at the same time protected thousands of individuals from the distress caused by being a victim of fraud or identity crime.” An alleged operator in Macedonia was one of those arrested, while two British men accused of buying the information were also detained. Britain’s Dedicated Cheque & Plastic Crime Unit also seized computers suspected of being used to commit fraud.

Companies that do not do enough to keep their websites secure are to be named and shamed to help improve security. The list of good and bad sites will be published regularly by the non-profit Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM). A survey carried out to launch the group found that more than 52% of sites tested were using versions of security protocols known to be compromised. The group will test websites to see how well they have implemented basic security software. Security fundamentals The group has been set up by security experts and entrepreneurs frustrated by the slow pace of improvements in online safety. "We want to stimulate some initiatives and get something done," said TIM's founder Philippe Courtot, serial entrepreneur and chief executive of security firm Qualys. He has bankrolled the group with his own money. TIM has initially focused on a widely used technology known as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Experts recruited to help with the initiative include SSL's inventor Dr Taher Elgamal; "white hat" hacker Moxie Marlinspike who has written extensively about attacking the protocol; and Michael Barrett, chief security officer at Paypal. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Everyone is now going to be able to see who has a good grade and who has a bad grade” Philippe Courtot Many websites use SSL to encrypt communications between them and their users. It is used to protect credit card numbers and other valuable data as it travels across the web. "SSL is one of the fundamental parts of the internet," said Mr Courtot. "It's what makes it trustworthy and right now it's not as secure as you think." Compromised certificates TIM plans a two-pronged attack on SSL. The first part would be to run automated tools against websites to test how well they had implemented SSL, said Mr Courtot. "We'll be making it public," he added. "Everyone is now going to be able to see who has a good grade and who has a bad grade." Early tests suggest that about 52% of sites checked ran a version of SSL known to be compromised. Companies who have done a bad job will be encouraged to improve and upgrade their implementations so it gets safer to use those sites. The second part of the initiative concerns the running of the bodies, known as certificate authorities, which guarantee that a website is what it claims to be. TIM said it would work with governments, industry bodies and companies to check that CAs are well run and had not been compromised. "It's a much more complex problem," said Mr Courtot. In 2011, two certificate authorities, DigiNotar and GlobalSign were found to have been compromised. In some cases this meant attackers eavesdropped on what should have been a secure communications channel. Steve Durbin, global vice president of the Information Security Forum which represents security specialists working in large corporations, said many of its members took responsibility for making sure sites were secure. "You cannot just say 'buyer beware'," he said. "That's not good enough anymore. They have a real a duty of care." He said corporations were also increasingly conscious of their reputation for providing safe and secure services to customers. Data breaches, hack attacks and poor security were all likely to hit share prices and could mean they lose customers, he noted.

Commonly prescribed anti-depressants appear to be doing patients more harm than good, say researchers who have published a paper examining the impact of the medications on the entire body. See Also: Health & Medicine Pharmacology Birth Defects Mental Health Research Mind & Brain Depression Disorders and Syndromes Psychiatry Reference COX-2 inhibitor Psychoactive drug Seasonal affective disorder Anti-obesity drug "We need to be much more cautious about the widespread use of these drugs," says Paul Andrews, an evolutionary biologist at McMaster University and lead author of the article, published recently in the online journal Frontiers in Psychology. "It's important because millions of people are prescribed anti-depressants each year, and the conventional wisdom about these drugs is that they're safe and effective." Andrews and his colleagues examined previous patient studies into the effects of anti-depressants and determined that the benefits of most anti-depressants, even taken at their best, compare poorly to the risks, which include premature death in elderly patients. Anti-depressants are designed to relieve the symptoms of depression by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain, where it regulates mood. The vast majority of serotonin that the body produces, though, is used for other purposes, including digestion, forming blood clots at wound sites, reproduction and development. What the researchers found is that anti-depressants have negative health effects on all processes normally regulated by serotonin. The findings include these elevated risks: developmental problems in infants problems with sexual stimulation and function and sperm development in adults digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion and bloating abnormal bleeding and stroke in the elderly The authors reviewed three recent studies showing that elderly anti-depressant users are more likely to die than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. The higher death rates indicate that the overall effect of these drugs on the body is more harmful than beneficial. "Serotonin is an ancient chemical. It's intimately regulating many different processes, and when you interfere with these things you can expect, from an evolutionary perspective, that it's going to cause some harm," Andrews says. Millions of people are prescribed anti-depressants every year, and while the conclusions may seem surprising, Andrews says much of the evidence has long been apparent and available. "The thing that's been missing in the debates about anti-depressants is an overall assessment of all these negative effects relative to their potential beneficial effects," he says. "Most of this evidence has been out there for years and nobody has been looking at this basic issue." In previous research, Andrews and his colleagues had questioned the effectiveness of anti-depressants even for their prescribed function, finding that patients were more likely to suffer relapse after going off their medications as their brains worked to re-establish equilibrium. With even the intended function of anti-depressants in question, Andrews says it is important to look critically at their continuing use. "It could change the way we think about such major pharmaceutical drugs," he says. "You've got a minimal benefit, a laundry list of negative effects -- some small, some rare and some not so rare. The issue is: does the list of negative effects outweigh the minimal benefit?"

Madeleine McCann as she might look aged 9  Photo: Teri Blythe

Detectives released a new “age progression” image of the toddler, which they said showed what she would look like today at the age of nine.

On Wednesday, Britain’s biggest police force said that as a result of evidence uncovered during a review “they now believe there is a possibility Madeleine is still alive”.

Officers have so far identified nearly 200 new items for investigation within historic material and are also “developing what they believe to be genuinely new material”.

Scotland Yard urged Portuguese authorities to reopen the search for her amid the new "investigative opportunities".

Police said the image, created ahead of what would have been her ninth birthday on May 12, had been created in “close collaboration with the family”.

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses

 

A mosquito that spreads tropical diseases including dengue fever may be poised to invade the UK because of climate change.

The Asian tiger mosquito has already been reported in France and Belgium and could be migrating north as winters become warmer and wetter.

Scientists have urged "wide surveillance" for the biting insect across countries of central and northern Europe, including the UK.

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses, both of which cause high fevers. The infections usually occur in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America.

Scientists led by Dr Samantha Martin, from the University of Liverpool, used climate models to predict how changing conditions might affect Asian tiger mosquito distribution.

They wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: "Mosquito climate suitability has significantly increased over the southern UK, northern France, the Benelux, parts of Germany, Italy, Sicily and the Balkan countries."

The research shows that parts of the UK could become hot-spots of Asian tiger mosquito activity between 2030 and 2050.

The mosquito has been introduced into Europe from Asia via goods shipments, mainly used tyres and bamboo.

Climate change is now shifting conditions suitable for the insect from southern Europe to central north-western areas.

The mosquito could survive in water butts and vases, and may find winter protection in greenhouses, said the researchers.

Thousands of people thronged the square and street in front of Moscow’s main cathedral on Sunday in response to Patriarch Kirill I’s call for the Russian Orthodox Church to defend itself against what he has called a campaign of blasphemy, including the performance in February of a “punk prayer” in front of the altar by a feminist rock group. Enlarge This Image Reuters A Russian police officer stood near a podium for members of the clergy during a call to prayer at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow on Sunday. Related Punk Riffs Take on God and Putin (March 21, 2012) $30,000 Watch Vanishes Up Church Leader’s Sleeve (April 6, 2012) Times Topic: Russian Orthodox Church Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors The Moscow police told the RIA Novosti news agency that nearly 65,000 people showed up on Sunday for the prayer service, which would make it the largest demonstration in the Russian capital since Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin was elected to a second term as president on March 4. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, and church officials have become increasingly embroiled in politics since a wave of protests alleging election fraud began in December. The patriarch began his sermon at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Sunday by saying that those gathered “had not come for a demonstration,” but his comments later represented an open declaration of the church’s role as a consolidating conservative force in society. Attacks on the church today, he said, are not comparable to those of the Soviet era, but liberal ideology is dangerous because it recommends that “the very fact of blasphemy and sacrilege, of the mockery of shrines, be regarded as the lawful manifestation of human freedom, as something that should be defended in modern society.” At the prayer service, several icons that had been damaged in the Soviet era and in recent attacks were held aloft by priests in a procession. The church hierarchy has responded angrily and condemned as blasphemy the punk group’s performance near the cathedral’s altar in February. Three members of the group were arrested and accused of participating in the performance, which went viral on YouTube. Last week, a Moscow court extended their pretrial detention until June 24. Patriarch Kirill also denounced clergymen who were opposed to holding Sunday’s prayer service as “traitors in cassocks.” Some have spoken out against Mr. Putin and called for leniency in the “punk prayer” case. Defenders of the punk rock group say it chose the cathedral because it is a symbol of the church-state alliance. Patriarch Kirill said at the prayer service that Russia’s Orthodox Christians had the right to defend themselves and make certain that the cathedral, which was blown up on Stalin’s orders in 1931, was never demolished again. It was rebuilt in the 1990s. Following the punk performance, Patriarch Kirill — whose church has been laying claim as the spiritual authority in Russia and in the Orthodox world — has been under attack for signs of ostentatious wealth. The church says that up to 80 percent of Russians, or over 100 million people, are Russian Orthodox, although polls show that far fewer attend church regularly. In the past month, a photo of Patriarch Kirill on the church’s Web site was edited to remove an expensive Breguet watch from his wrist — although a reflection remained on the table at which he was seated — and a lawsuit over an apartment he owns in an expensive Moscow building was widely reported. Sunday’s prayer service was announced several weeks ago to coincide with events held the week after the Orthodox Easter. A tight ring of police officers guarded the cathedral for the service. Church supporters were bused in from over a dozen dioceses, and a special train brought in Cossacks from the Don and Kuban regions of Russia. Other supporters included the Night Wolves, a group of nationalist motorcyclists, and Svyataya Rus, or Holy Rus, a nationalist movement that plans to register as a political party to promote Orthodox values in politics. “We plan to create a political party this year,” said Ioann Averyanov, 30, a coordinator of Svyataya Rus. “Our main principles and ideals are the preservation of religion, of Orthodoxy, and its advancement in society.” The goal, he said, “is to achieve the primacy of Orthodoxy and unity of believers across the country.”

Oleg Deripaska, a close friend of Lord Mandelson and financier Nat Rothschild, said he had no choice but to make the payments in order to keep himself and his staff safe.

He made the decision following the attempted assassination of his commercial director during Russia's 'aluminium wars' in the 1990s.

The payments, called Krysha which literally means roof in Russian, were to protect those working for him and the roof over his head.

'I saw it as a temporary, unpleasant necessity while I did everything I could to clean up the industry and put in place security that was needed to make my business and my staff safe,' said Mr Deripaska in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Telegraph.

The chief executive of Basic Element and owner of Russian aluminum company Rusal, said he had personally been threatened and had a number of his staff kidnapped as well as shot and killed.

Mr Deripaska also admits he built up a team of security staff made up of former KGB agents, Red Army soldiers and also paid local police for protection.

'The simple fact was that you either had to get protection or get out of the industry,' said Mr Deripaska.

He said it was a 'lawless time' with many of the country's institutions like the police and courts 'falling apart'.

Despite the admission he has said he is not ashamed of his actions because it helped lead to the eventual clean-up of Russian business.

The admission comes months before the murky world of the former soviet union state is revealed at the high court in London.

George Osborne tried to solicit payment from the Tory party from Oleg Deripaska and Lord Mandelson is a close friend of the Russian

Mr Deripaska is facing a £1.6 billion legal action by one of the men he claims he paid.

Uzbekistan-born billionaire Michael Cherney, who is living in Israel and is the subject of an international arrest warrant, is bringing the action against the businessman because he claims he failed to give him 10 per cent of Rusal.

Mr Deripaska denies the accusations and said he only gave Cherney money for protection.

He said he refused to allow the organised gangs to get involved in his business.

Mr Deripaska said he eventually stopped paying the gangs in 2002 by helping build the community and by buying more ammunition and arms for police and said he now operates in some of the safest cities in Russia.

The business was once caught up in controversy in the UK when it was revealed the then shadow Chancellor George Osborne had tried to solicit a payment from him for the Tory party.

 

They say they want a temporary suspension while the crisis continues. Spain will being introducing border restrictions during the European Central Bank meeting in Barcelona at the start of May.Angela Merkel and Nicolás Sarkozy - The Interior Ministers of France and Germany have written a joint letter in which they call for the reform of, and ‘temporary suspension’ of the Schengen agreement which allows for the free movement between most member states of the EU. They say the change is necessary ‘to control the massive flow of immigrants’. The call comes just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the treaty this coming Monday, although many countries signed up in March 1995. France and Germany consider that a ‘temporary suspension’ is needed during the crisis, and Paris and Berlin speak of ‘provisional’ closure of frontiers, and only when a country in the Schengen space cannot control the flow of immigrants. They say they will give the details to their European partners at the next conference. Meanwhile Spain has announced the suspension of the Schengen Treaty and the re-establishing of frontier controls with France ahead of the European Central Bank meeting which is to be held in Barcelona on May 3. It has not yet been decided how long the border restriction will remain in place, but say it will allow the authorities to act if there is ‘a serious threat to public order or interior security’. The measure will only affect the frontiers between Spain and France from the Basque Country to Cataluña. Reports indicate that it was the Catalan Government to step up the controls in the face of possible disturbances and the arrival of anti-system protestors from other countries in Europe.

Police have arrested protesters outside a Moscow court during a custody hearing for three women accused of violating public order at a cathedral. At least 20 people were detained, both supporters and Russian Orthodox opponents of the women, said to be members of a punk band, Pussy Riot. The women were arrested last month after an obscene political song was played inside the cathedral in Moscow. At least two of them deny being in the group or taking part in the action. The court is deciding whether to keep them in custody ahead of their trial. If convicted of violating public order, the women could face up to seven years in prison. Around 100 people had gathered outside the court building, with supporters of the women chanting "Freedom". Witnesses described seeing flares being set off and an egg being thrown by an Orthodox activist at the husband of one of the accused women. The women's detention has caused an outcry among human rights organisations with Amnesty International declaring them "prisoners of conscience". Lyudmila Alexeyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest independent human rights organisation, said the women should never have been arrested in the first place. "What they did does not deserve such a long period of imprisonment," she said. Yekaterina Samutsevich waved as she arrived for the court hearing in Moscow Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, arrested on 3 March, have denied being in the punk group or taking part in the performance. A third woman, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was arrested on 15 March. Pussy Riot members, their faces masked with balaclavas, performed their controversial Punk Prayer inside Christ The Saviour Cathedral on 21 February, later releasing a video of the event. The song, which has an obscene chorus, savages Vladimir Putin, controversially re-elected last month for a third term as Russian president, and also appears to mock Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch's official spokesman, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, told the BBC that "the main task of the state and society is to guarantee that nothing of that kind happens again and in this sense I think the state and society should be severe".

 

They don't spread disease and they can't be sold into sex slavery. Those are just two of the advantages of robot prostitutes, which will be edging out their human competition in the sex tourism market by the year 2050, according to an article published in the journal Futures. The Dominion Post, which found the study, writes that sex tourists will shell out about $10,000 Euros for services ranging from massages and lap dances to intercourse, according to the article. The researchers lay out why this scenario will be the future of sex tourism: Human trafficking, sexual transmitted diseases, beauty and physical perfection, pleasure for sex toys, emotional connection to robots and the importance of sex in Amsterdam are all driving forces. But some are not so sure that robots will be replacing female sex workers any time soon. CBS Las Vegas spoke to Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nev. “Those Australian researchers ought to come to the Bunny Ranch to see what real American sex is like – there’s no way to duplicate it,” Hof told CBS Las Vegas. “At the Bunny Ranch, we say ‘it’s not just the sex, it’s an adventure’ – and often times it’s more about the adventure than it is the sex.”

'People really did feel the need to reassure me that my hideousness was plain to see.' Illustration: David McCoy for the Guardian

What no one ever tells you about serious illness is that it places you at the centre of a maelstrom of concerned attention from family and friends. Of course it does. That's one of the nice things. It's actually the only nice thing. But it's also a rather tricky challenge, at a time when you may feel – just slightly – that you have enough on your plate. Suddenly, on top of everything else, you are required to manage the emotional requirements of all those who are dear to you, and also, weirdly, one or two people who you don't see from one year to the next, but who suddenly decide that they really have to be at your bedside, doling out homilies, 24 hours a day. It's lovely to hear from people when you're ill. But it's also lovely when they add: "No need to reply." The biggest shock, when I was diagnosed with cancer the summer before last, was quickly observing that people can be quite competitive in their determination to "be there for you", and occasionally unable to hide their chagrin when some other chum has been awarded a particularly sensitive role at a particularly sensitive medical consultation. Nobody means to be intrusive or irritating. It's all done with the finest intentions. But, God, it's a pain. Yet by not saying 10 simple things, you too, can be the friend in need that you want to be.

1 "I feel so sorry for you"

It's amazing, the number of people who imagine that it feels just great to be the object of pity. Don't even say "I feel so sorry for you" with your eyes. One of my friends was just brilliant at mimicking the doleful-puppy-poor-you gaze, and when I had been subjected to a sustained bout of it, I used to crawl over to the local pub for lunch with him, just so that he could make me laugh by doing it. Don't say "I feel so sorry for you" with your hand either. When someone patted my thigh, or silently rested their paw on it, often employing the exasperating form of cranial communication known as "sidehead" at the same time, I actually wanted to deck them. Do say: "I so wish you didn't have to go through this ghastly time." That acknowledges that you are still a sentient being, an active participant in your own drama, not just, all of a sudden, A Helpless Victim.

2 "If anyone can beat this, it's you"

Funnily enough, it's not comforting to be told that you have to go into battle with your disease, like some kind of medieval knight on a romantic quest. Submitting to medical science, in the hope of a cure, is just that – a submission. The idea that illness is a character test, with recovery as a reward for the valiant, is glib to the point of insult. Do say: "My mum had this 20 years ago, and she's in Bengal now, travelling with an acrobatic circus." (Though not if that isn't true.)

3 "You're looking well"

One doesn't want to be told that one's privations are invisible to the naked eye. Anyway, one is never too ill to look in a mirror, and see a great big moon-face, bloated with steroids and sporting the bright red panda eyes that are triggered by that most aggressive and efficient of breast-cancer drugs, Docetaxel. I knew I looked like death warmed up, not least because I felt like death warmed up. Nobody wants to be patronised with ridiculous lies. They are embarrassing for both speaker and listener. If your sick pal wants to discuss her appearance, she'll ask you what you reckon. It'll be a leading question, so take your cue from her.

4 "You're looking terrible"

 

I know it sounds improbable. But people really did feel the need to reassure me that my hideousness was plain to see. One person told me that while I'd put on a lot of weight, I'd of course be able to go on a diet as soon as I was better. I wouldn't have minded quite so much, if she hadn't arrived bearing a giant mound of snacks and cakes, a great, indiscriminate pile of stuff that suggested she'd been awarded four minutes in Whole Foods by Dale Winton, in a nightmarish haute-bourgeois version of Supermarket Sweep. And, in fact, I haven't gone on a diet. Somehow, being a size 10 doesn't seem tremendously importantany longer. On the other hand, when I said: "Don't I look monstrous?" I was asking people to help me to laugh at myself – which many did – and to tell me that this too would pass. One of my friends took photographs of me, behind a curtain in the hospital, looking comically interfered with by surgeons, and festooned with tubes and drains full of bloody fluid. We laughed so much that I probably came nearer to death right then than at any other point.

5 "Let me know the results"

 

Oddly, one doesn't particularly want to feel obliged to hit the social networks the moment one returns from long, complicated, stressful and invasive tests, which ultimately delivered news you simply didn't want to hear. Of course, this request is made because people are worried. But, a bit of worry is easier to bear than the process of coming to terms with news that confirms another round of debilitating, soul-crushing treatment. If people do want to talk about such matters, they really need to be allowed some control over when, how and to whom. Contacting their very nearest and dearest instead is fine, as is volunteering to spread the bad tidings to others who are also anxious.

6 "Whatever I can do to help"

Apart from anything else, it's boring. Everybody says it, even though your assumption tends to be that people do want to help, of course. That doesn't mean that help should not be offered. But "Can I pick the children up from school on Tuesdays?" or "Can I come round with a fish pie and a Mad Men box set?" is greatly preferable to: "Can I saddle you with the further responsibility of thinking up a task for me?" If you do happen to be on the receiving end of "whatever I can do to help", be shameless. Delegate with steely and ruthless intent.

7 "Oh, no, your worries are unfounded"

Especially when those worries are extremely founded indeed. Like a lot of women, when I was first diagnosed, I was disproportionately focused on the prospect of losing my hair. One friend, every time I tried to discuss this with her, would assert – baselessly – that this wasn't as likely to happen as it used to be. Actually, it's still very likely, and indeed it came to pass. But the crucial thing was this: I didn't want to talk about how pointless it was to be fearful. I wanted to talk about how sorely I dreaded the day when I was bald. When people want to talk about their fears, they want to talk about their fears, not to be told, quite blatantly, that their fears are imaginary. Even when they are imaginary, there are more subtle ways of offering assurance than blank rebuttal. Usually, an ill person brings something up because they feel a need to discuss it. Denying them that need is a bit brutal.

8 "What does chemotherapy [for example] feel like?"

 

It is staggering, the number of people who find it impossible to restrain their curiosity. Swaths of folk appear to imagine that exactly what you need, in your vulnerability, is a long and technical Q&A during which you furnish them with exhaustive detail pertaining to the most shit thing that's ever happened to your body in your life. If someone wants to talk about their procedures or their symptoms, they will. If you have to ask questions, that's prima facie evidence that this is not what they'd discuss, if only they could be gifted with just a smidgeon of control over the conversational initiative. Again, the golden rule is: take your lead from the person undergoing the experience. I tended to want my mind taken off all that stuff, and have a nice chat about nice things. One of my friends, asked by another what she had been up to lately, found herself saying she'd had a great time visiting Deborah in hospital after her mastectomy. It had indeed been a lively visit. Eight lovely people had turned up all at once, and it had been quite the rambunctious gathering. When she told me that it had been an absurd social highlight for her, I felt fantastically proud.

9 "I really must see you"

Don't say it, particularly, if you are then going to indulge in some long and complicated series of exchanges about your own busy life and the tremendous difficulty you have in finding an actual window, even though this appointment is so awfully important to you. At one point, I was sitting in a chemotherapy suite, large and painful cannula in the back of my hand, pecking out texts to somebody who had to sort something out this week, and wouldn't take "Let's do this later" for an answer. When I reluctantly picked a particular time from the list she had bossily pinged over, she replied that she'd have to bring her toddler son with her if itreally had to be then. I knew I couldn't handle a tiny visitor (and wasn't sure about the ability of the tiny visitor to handle it either), so we then arranged something else. A few days later, at the very time of predicted childcare crisis, I saw a tweet from her, declaring that she was wearing a new cocktail dress and held up in traffic on her way to a long-anticipated and very glamorous do. She had clearly just buggered up her dates and didn't want to say: "Whoops. Actually, I'll be at a PA-A-ARDEEEEE." Fair enough. Sweet, really. Nevertheless, the planning thing is an arse. I liked it when people just said, "Can I come by after work this evening?" or, even better, "I've got tickets to the theatre on the 25th. Tell me on the day if you can face it."

10 "I'm so terribly upset about your condition"

One friend, when I told her the initial news, blurted out: "I can't cope without you!" and unleashed a flood of tears. (I hadn't sobbed myself at that point. I never did.) Ages later, when she emerged from the loo at the pub I had designated as Telling People HQ, she explained that she'd been caterwauling unrestrainedly when a kind lady asked her what was wrong. Having sketched out her troubles, she got this reply, or something like it: "What? You're weeping in the lavatory, while your friend is in the bar having breast cancer? Pull yourself together, and get out there." This had inspired another torrent of waterworks. And that is the most important thing to remember, when your friend is facing a frightening and possibly fatal illness: it's not, not, not about you. If you're too upset to be in a position to comfort your friend, send cards, send flowers, send presents. But don't send your ailing chum a passionate storm of your own wild grief, personally delivered. It's a little too needy, under the circs.

If you recognise things that you have said or done yourself within this list, don't feel bad about it, at all. I most certainly have, and I've said and done much, much worse too; it took being on the receiving end before I realised what it could feel like. The thing is this: giant illness is a time of great intensity, and even the most cack-handed expressions of support or love are better than a smack in the face with a wet tea-towel. People feel helpless when they see that their friend is suffering. Sometimes – often – they say the wrong thing. But they are there, doing the best that they can, at a terrible, abject time. That's the most important thing of all. I look back on those grisly moments of ineptitude and clumsiness with exasperated amusement and tender, despairing, deep, deep fondness. The great lesson I learned from having cancer, was how splendid my friends were, whatever their odd little longueurs. They all, in their different ways, let me know that they loved me, and that is the most helpful thing of all. I'm so lucky to have them.

 

There was tension on the streets of Astrakhan in Russia’s biggest post election protest outside Moscow. Anti-Putin demonstrators marched in support of hunger striker Oleg Shein, one-time mayoral candidate who is alleging fraud in the March 4 poll. Shein who has been without food for more than four weeks has become a symbol of defiance. “Today Astrakhan has united the hearts of all those people who want to live in freedom, who don’t want to be slaves, who want to live a dignified life in the great country called Russia!,” he told the rally. Clashes broke out between the police and protesters. In what some experts say is a sign of fraud Shein won by a comfortable margin at most polling stations where automated ballot boxes were installed. Official results gave about 60 percent of the vote to Putin’s United Russia candidate Mikhail Stolyarov. His supporters had held a separate demonstration hours before the opposition had taken to the streets. Both sides are standing their ground. Elected Astrakhan mayor, Mikhail Stolyarov told his supporters: “Scandals will not build or repair roads. Scandals will not make education system or healthcare better, will not build kindergartens, will not make municipal services better.” Shein has already said he will not stop his hunger strike in his campaign for new elections. The regional governor has refused the call for a new ballot. There was also a demonstration in a central Moscow square in support of Shein.

Easter, Orthodox Christianity's main holiday, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is being celebrated by believers worldwide. Services are being held at more than 30,000 Russian Orthodox churches across the globe.

Almost half a million Muscovites took part in the festivities around the Russian capital. But the largest service – attended by six thousand people – was held at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and was helmed by Patriarch Kirill.

Patriarch Kirill received the Holy Fire delivered directly from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the "miracle" takes place annually. After lighting the candles, Kirill led the procession around the cathedral. The procession climaxed when the Patriarch announced “Christ is risen!”

The festivities where attended by President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. Kirill gave decorative Easter eggs to the country’s top officials. Medvedev, in turn, gave an Easter egg of his own to Kirill.

Prior to the celebration, Patriarch Kirill addressed believers, advising them to pray for everyone and to come to church with a serene and peaceful heart.

Easter services are being held at all Russian Orthodox churches around the globe, the number of which exceeds 30,000.

Christians celebrate Easter to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter is a moveable feast – but Eastern and Western Christianity base their calculations on different calendars. The former uses Julian calendar, the latter – Gregorian, therefore their Easter days differ. 

This year Orthodox Easter comes a week later than the Western Christian holiday. Russians celebrate the end of Lent by painting eggs and preparing special Easter cakes containing raisins and nuts.

 

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Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Sergey Pyatakov)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)

 

Easter Service in Cathedral of Christ the Savior (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich)