The latest: Russia’s Putin Says Iran Has Right to Use Nuclear Energy

15.06.2006
Russia’s Putin Says Iran Has Right to Use Nuclear Energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin is confident that all countries, including Iran, have the right to fulfill their plans in the field of high technologies observing the non-proliferation regime.

15.06.2006
Ukraine’s World Cup Loss Reflection on National Character
Ukrainian fans on Thursday bemoaned the nation’s 4-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup and called for a rethink of tactics and outlook. The team should stop relying on Shevchenko, observers said. But Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov urged Ukraine not to despair. Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich said the match was “revolting”.

15.06.2006
Russian Soccer Fans Will Play Truant to Watch World Cup Matches
25 percent of Russian soccer fans admitted to pollsters in the run-up to the World Cup that they were set to leave their work desks earlier than usual so as not to be late for television broadcasts from Germany. The number of truants could have been higher, had Russia entered the finals.

15.06.2006
“Europe’s Last Dictator” Lukashenko Urges EU to Abandon Confrontation
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Thursday urged the EU to abandon its confrontational stance toward the former Soviet republic.

15.06.2006
U.S. Pledges $2 Million for South Ossetia Economic Rehabilitation
The United States has pledged $2 million for confidence-building measures and economic rehabilitation in Georgia’s South Ossetia region, the State Department announced this week. In total, the OSCE will pour more than 10 million euros (approximately $12.5 million) in economic assistance to the region.

15.06.2006
Illegal Immigration Poses Threat to G8 States’ Stability — Russian Official
Uncontrolled and illegal immigration and the criminalization of the labor market are among the principal threats to stability facing G8 member-states, the Russian presidential chief of staff has said.

15.06.2006
Russia’s Nuclear Weapons Pose Major Threat to U.S. Security — Report
The danger posed by Russia’s inadequately secured stocks of nuclear weapons and fissile material should be considered a major national security issue for the United States, along with the Iranian uranium enrichment program and the ongoing dispute with North Korea, a study released Thursday by Cato Institute states.

15.06.2006
Russian President Calls for International Help to Release Russian Diplomats in Iraq
Russia’s president Thursday called on the International Community to help free Russian diplomats kidnapped in Iraq.

15.06.2006
Russian Stealth Aircraft to Appear in 2007- Air Force Chief
Russia will launch its first fifth-generation aircraft, which would be invisible to air-defense systems, in 2007, the commander of the country’s air force said Thursday.

15.06.2006
Russia to Launch Arabic-Language Satellite Channel
Russia is planning to launch an Arabic-language satellite news channel as it seeks to reassert itself on the world stage and expand its political and commercial influence in the Middle East.

15.06.2006
Ukraine Squad Blames Heat, Frogs for World Cup Debut Failure
Spain wrecked Ukraine’s World Cup debut on Wednesday, trouncing them 4-0 with two goals in each half with the Eastern European side finishing with 10 men. Ukraine’s coach blamed the heat, while his players earlier said that frogs in the lake near their hotel were disturbing their sleep.

15.06.2006
Coca-Cola Accused of Conspiring with Uzbek Government
Coca-Cola has been hit with an arbitration claim seeking more than $100m in damages, alleging that the world’s largest soft drink maker conspired with the government of Uzbekistan against a joint venture partner who fell out of favor with the country’s authoritarian ruler, Islam Karimov.

15.06.2006
Hijab-Clad Muslims Banned From Flight on Russian Plane
A Russian airplane flying from Egypt has refused to take on board five Muslims returning home to Russia as the captain was alarmed by their orthodox appearance.

15.06.2006
Iran’s President Seeks Russian, Chinese Support for Nuclear Plans
Iran’s hard-line president is doing more than just attending an Asian security summit in China: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to gain Russian and Chinese support at a critical moment for his country’s nuclear program.

15.06.2006
Chechens Rally to Back Pro-Moscow Leader
Thousands rallied in Grozny in a march demonstrating the power of pro-Moscow warlord Ramzan Kadyrov who marks his 100th day as a premier this week. Students who took part in the march had been bussed in from all over Chechnya for a 15-minute march staged to back the man who is likely to become the next president of the war-torn province.

15.06.2006
Russia’s Putin Arrives in China for SCO Summit Amid Tight Security
Chinese authorities threw a massive security curtain around the country’s largest city Shanghai, before a regional meeting that includes Russia and Iran. The annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit starts Thursday.

15.06.2006
Georgian, Moldovan Breakaway Provinces Pledge Cooperation
The separatist leaders of Georgia’s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Moldova’s Transdniester vowed to support each other’s independence aspirations. They also called for the continued deployment of Russian troops on their territories.