The latest: Russian Lawmakers Call for Closure of UN Tribunal Over Milosevic Death

15.03.2006
Russian Lawmakers Call for Closure of UN Tribunal Over Milosevic Death
The lower house of the Russian parliament harshly criticized the UN War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague Wednesday, blaming it for Slobodan Milosevic’s death and calling for its quick closure.

15.03.2006
Russian Doctor Says Milosevic Died of Heart Attack
A Russian doctor who examined the autopsy of Slobodan Milosevic agreed with the conclusion that the former president had died of a heart attack but said treatment in Moscow could have saved him.

15.03.2006
Stray Dog Dies of Bird Flu in Azerbaijan
A dog has died of bird flu in Azerbaijan, a country where the virus is believed to have caused the death of three young women.

15.03.2006
Russian Scientist Blames Global Warming on Tunguska Meteorite
Global warming may have nothing to do with burning fossil fuels and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels; it could have been caused by the Tunguska meteorite that fell in Siberia in 1908, says Russian scientist.

15.03.2006
State-Run Oil Company Rosneft Buys $500 m Yukos Debt
Stricken Russian oil firm Yukos has said that a group of western banks to which it owed $482 million has sold the debt to state-owned oil giant Rosneft.

15.03.2006
Russia Appoints New Special Envoy to Middle East
Sergei Yakovlev has been appointed as Russian Foreign Minister’s special envoy to the Middle East replacing Alexander Kalugin. The appointment took place soon after Hamas delegation paid a visit to Moscow and Russia was praised as the “key negotiator” in the Israeli-Palestinian settlement issue.

15.03.2006
Russia Plans to Set up Rescue Service for Space Travellers
Russia’s Roskosmos space agency and the Russian Space Armed Forces are planning to set up a service to locate and rescue lost astronauts.

15.03.2006
Greenpeace Wins GM Foods Case Against Russian Institute
The Moscow City court has ordered Russian Nutrition Institute to publish results of safety tests for 13 genetically modified plants allowed in Russia. For three years Greenpeace has been asking the Russian Health Ministry to do so.

15.03.2006
Russian, U.S. Space Team Welcome German Colleague on ISS
The Russian and U.S. astronauts leaving for the International Space Station on Mar. 30 said they would welcome the arrival of the first European to undertake a long-term mission there. German Thomas Reiter in May would complete the “international team” of astronauts, Russia’s Pavel Vinogradov said.

15.03.2006
PACE Report Condemns Violence in Russian Army
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has condemned violence in the Russian army in the latest report on human rights in armed forces.

15.03.2006
Russian Journalist Detained Over Nationalist Propaganda
The editor of a newspaper in southern Russia has been detained for publishing nationalist articles.

15.03.2006
Liberian Police Boss Suspended Over Escaped Russian Rapists
Liberia’s acting police chief has been suspended after five Russians contracted to the UN accused of raping two girls in January fled the country.

15.03.2006
Opposition Has No Alternative to Offer Ukraine — Yushchenko
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said that opposition parties offered no credible alternative as he attempted to claw back support before March 26 polls.

15.03.2006
Top Russian Communist Blames U.S. of Using Bird Flu as Biological Weapon
The leader of the Russian Communist Party has said the outbreak of bird flu in a number of European countries including Russia is a plot by the United States.

15.03.2006
Hundreds Arrested in Belarus in View of Presidential Elections
Belarus authorities have arrested nearly two dozen opposition activists and confiscated the entire print run of the largest independent newspaper before Sunday’s presidential vote, which the opposition fears will be rigged in favor of the authoritarian incumbent. More than 300 activists have been arrested to date.

15.03.2006
Ex-Soviet Leader Gorbachev Approves President Power in Russia
First and last Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has said president power was the most effective in modern Russia. But he expressed confidence the parliament’s role would strengthen in the future.