The latest: Senior Irani Official Denounces Russian Uranium Enrichment Plan After IAEA Vote

04.02.2006
Senior Irani Official Denounces Russian Uranium Enrichment Plan After IAEA Vote
A senior Iranian official has said that a proposal by Moscow to enrich Iranian uranium in Russia is dead following the U.N. nuclear agency’s decision to report Iran to the Security Council.

04.02.2006
Putin Sends Condolences to Egypt, Saudi Arabia Over Doomed Ferry
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram expressing condolences to Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt, where about 1,000 people are feared lost after a ferry sank in the choppy waters of the Red Sea on Friday.

04.02.2006
China Replaces Former Soviet Union in Arms Race with US — Pentagon
In a new blueprint for U.S. defenses, the Pentagon has said Russia no longer poses the same military threat to the U.S. as Soviet Union did. The place of the main rival will soon be occupied by China that is even able to make up the traditional U.S. arms advantages.

04.02.2006
Hingis Beats Sharapova in Pan Pacific Open to Face One More Russian
Martina Hingis of Switzerland has stunned top seed Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-1 at the Pan Pacific Open to reach her first final since coming out of retirement. She will now have to face another Russian, Elena Dementieva, in championship match after the second seed’s 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory over compatriot Anastasia Myskina.

04.02.2006
Georgians Prevent Assassination Attempt on President Saakashvili — Minister
A plot to kill Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili by shooting down his helicopter has been foiled, Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said. A portable Igla anti-aircraft missile and its launcher had been discovered close to the border with the breakaway region of South Ossetia and near a regular flight path of Saakashvili’s helicopter.

04.02.2006
Health Chief Says No Bird Flu in Russia
There is no bird flu in Russia currently, the Chief Public Health Official Gennady Onishchenko said. Meanwhile, the virus has already killed at least 85 people in different countries

04.02.2006
Germany’s Merkel Highlights Russia’s Role in NATO-Russia Council
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has highlighted Russia’s important role in world politics, saying that it is an equal partner at NATO-Russia Council and plays a significant part in resolving the tension surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

04.02.2006
US-EU Officials Blocked Off Belarus Over Presidential Elections
The U.S. State Department has said that a high-level visit to Belarus by U.S. and European Union officials has been canceled because Belarusian authorities would not issue visas. They had planned the trip to discuss upcoming Presidential elections in Belarus.

04.02.2006
ISS Astronauts Perform Six-Hour Spacewalk
The crew of the International Space Station (ISS), Russian astronaut Valery Tokarev and his American colleague William MacArthur have performed a six-hour space walk and successfully returned to the station. They carried out a series of scientific tasks and made minor adjustments to sections of the station.

04.02.2006
Russians to Face Shortages of Vodka Due to Red Tape
Russians could suffer a shortage of their national tipple next week because a bureaucratic mix-up has brought every vodka distillery in the country to a halt. Many distillers have been waiting for a month for new excise stamps — the anti-counterfeit stickers that by law must be attached to every bottle, but have not received them yet.

04.02.2006
4 Ukrainian Speleologists Killed in Cave Collapse in Abkhazia
Four Ukrainian speleologists have been killed in a cave collapse in Abkhazia, the breakaway republic in Georgia.