The latest: Russia’s Putin Hosts EU Leaders Focused on Energy, Visas

25.05.2006
Russia’s Putin Hosts EU Leaders Focused on Energy, Visas
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting the European Union leadership for a summit colored by EU concerns about Russia’s reliability as a key energy supplier and Moscow’s persistent bid for European retail gas assets. Energy disputes and Russia’s longtime push for easing visa procedures are expected to dominate the semiannual talks Thursday.

25.05.2006
U.S. Woman Sentenced to 35 Years For Killing Her Adopted Russian Daughter
A U.S. woman was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison with a possible reduction of 10 years for good behavior for killing her adopted Russian daughter.

25.05.2006
International HR Activists Protest Against Moscow Gay Pride Ban
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and other international human rights activists will join Russian gay activists in defying a ban on the Gay Pride march in Moscow.

25.05.2006
Road Rage Belgian Diplomat Puts Moscow Traffic Cop in Hospital
A Belgian diplomat has badly beaten a Moscow traffic policeman after being stopped for violating traffic regulations.

25.05.2006
Belarus to Bar U.S., Canadian Overflights
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is to bar flights over the territory of his country by U.S. and Canadian aircraft, the Foreign Ministry said. The move, suggested by President Alexander Lukashenko earlier this week, was in response to a refusal by both countries to allow an aircraft carrying Belarus’s prime minister to refuel last month on its way to and from Cuba.

25.05.2006
Anschluss With Belarus Could Mean 3rd Term for Putin — Yavlinsky
Grigoriy Yavlinsky, the leader of the liberal Yabloko party has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin could stay on for a third term, overcoming the constitutional ban on such a move by what Yavlinsky called an “anschluss” with Belarus.

25.05.2006
Illegal Migration Costs Russia $7.4 Bln Yearly — Official
Russia’s economy loses of over 200 billion rubles ($7.4 billion) annually through illegal migration, Konstantin Romodanovsky, head of the Federal Migration Service, said.

25.05.2006
Bird Flu Quarantine Imposed in Russia’s Siberia
Authorities in southwestern Siberia have imposed quarantine restrictions in four districts after outbreaks of bird flu, a local emergencies official said. The outbreak of the virus in the Omsk Region is the first time avian influenza has been registered in Siberia this year.

25.05.2006
Russian Prisoners’ Rights Groups Whitewash Crime Bosses — Official
Crime bosses use rights groups to legalize their operations in Russia, says a senior official.

25.05.2006
Shevchenko to Decide on Move to Chelsea in 24 Hours
Chelsea Football Club should find out in the next 24 hours if they have been successful in their pursuit of AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko. Shevchenko is to deliver the verdict on his future plans at a showdown meeting with Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.

25.05.2006
U.S., Russia Fail to Agree on Iran
Moscow and Washington failed to overcome their differences over Iran’s nuclear program Wednesday. Moscow is reluctant to back a UN resolution that could pave the way for sanctions against Tehran, while Washington has misgivings about offering Iran nuclear technology and security assurances.

25.05.2006
Ukraine Lakes and Rivers Searched for Piranhas
A piranha search was on in dozens of Ukrainian lakes Wednesday as officials tried to determine how many of the aggressive South American fish were swimming in the former Soviet republic’s waters.

25.05.2006
Two Russians Caught Smuggling 22,500 Euros in Umbrella
A mother and her middle-aged son were caught trying to carry over 20,000 euros stuffed into an umbrella over the border from Lithuania into Russia, Lithuanian border police confirmed Wednesday. A search revealed that they had hidden 22,500 euros in their umbrella. Some 5,000 euros were concealed in their pockets.

25.05.2006
8 Held in Russia’s St. Petersburg for Racist Murders
Prosecutors in St. Petersburg announced Wednesday they had detained eight members of an extremist group suspected of racist murders, including the shooting of a Senegalese student outside a nightclub. Russia has seen a marked rise in attacks on migrants, foreigners and Jews, over the past months.

25.05.2006
’Da Vinci Code’ Off Screens in Belarus Over Protests
“The Da Vinci Code” has been pulled from cinemas in the Belarus capital after only four days because Christian groups in the ex-Soviet state complained the film was offensive, the state film distributor said. Cinemas in the capital Minsk replaced “The Da Vinci Code” with “Memoirs of a Geisha”.