The latest: Fire in Russian Naval Academy Kills 6

24.06.2006
Fire in Russian Naval Academy Kills 6
A fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday in a naval academy dormitory in Russia’s second biggest city, St. Petersburg, killing six cadets and injuring at least 18, emergency officials reported.

24.06.2006
Moldova Rules Out Handover of Suspect in Murder of Russian Journalist
Moldovan national Igor Velchev, suspected of killing a Russian journalist Ilya Zimin earlier this year, will be tried at home, Moldova’s top prosecutor said Saturday. NTV reporter was found dead in his Moscow apartment in February.

24.06.2006
Ukraine Beat Tunisia, Move Into Second Round
World Cup debutants Ukraine advanced to the knock-out stage of the tournament Friday, eliminating Group H rivals Tunisia 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Andriy Shevchenko. That victory made Ukraine the first former-Soviet republic to advance past the tournament’s group stage.

24.06.2006
Moscow Film Festival Opens With Chinese Fantasy Epic
The Moscow international film festival opened Friday with an award-winning Chinese director’s latest movie. Seventeen movies are competing this year for prizes for best film, director, actor and actress.

24.06.2006
Post-Soviet Jewish Group Awarded Top Israeli Prize
Chairman of the influential Jewish group active on the territory of a post-Soviet nation has been awarded a top prize of the Israeli government for his contribution to the cause of the Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal foundation.

24.06.2006
Russia’s Post Soviet Allies Discuss Economy, Security at Minsk Summit
Leaders of several ex-Soviet nations met Friday to discuss plans to strengthen their economic alliance and bolster defense and security cooperation. Leaders of Russia, Belarus and four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations took part in the event hosted by Belarus’ Lukashenko in Minsk.

24.06.2006
Uzbekistan Rejoins Russia-led Security Bloc
Uzbekistan has rejoined a Russian-led security pact of ex-Soviet nations at a summit held in Minsk on Friday. Russia’s Putin welcomed the decision. One of the founding members of the Collective Security Treaty in 1992, Uzbekistan quit the organization in 1999 to join a rival body GUAM.

24.06.2006
Dangerous and Costly — Hailing a Gypsy Cab in Moscow
Some of the Russian travel guides available on the internet claim that Moscow gypsy cabs are the cheapest and most reliable means of transportation in the Russian capital. This is not always the case, however.