The latest: Russian Foreign Ministry Confirms Death of Hostages in Iraq

26.06.2006
Russian Foreign Ministry Confirms Death of Hostages in Iraq
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday evening confirmed the deaths of the Russian diplomats who were kidnapped in Iraq earlier this month.

26.06.2006
Gorbachev Urges West Against Interfering in Russia’s Domestic Affairs
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, is cautioning Western nations against interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs. He has said it would be counterproductive for Western leaders to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over human rights at next month’s G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

26.06.2006
Lightning Kills 2 Football Players Amidst Match
Lightning has killed one player and seriously injured another when it struck a football pitch during a game in Russia’s Samara region.

26.06.2006
Belarus to Respond to Threat From West by Russian Nuclear Weapons
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday vowed a military buildup in response to what he said was a threat from the West, and said the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons could not be ruled out.

26.06.2006
Drug Abuse Spreading in Russia Halted — Official
Head of Russia’s Federal Service for Controlling Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Circulation has said that “a range of special programs helped halt the spreading of drug abuse in the country.”

26.06.2006
PACE Not Reporting on Human Rights Violations in Chechnya
The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is not preparing a separate human rights report on Chechnya this year.

26.06.2006
NGOs Urge G8 Focus on Human Rights Situation in Russia
Ahead of Russia’s hosting of the Group of Eight (G8) summit next month, a group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is touring European capitals to draw attention to what it says is a deteriorating human rights situation in Russia.

26.06.2006
Russia to Finish Nuclear Plant Construction in Iran on Time — Senior Official
Russia will continue building the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran as scheduled, the country’s top nuclear official said Monday. “Our Iranian colleagues want it to be built quicker but it will be constructed as planned,” Sergei Kiriyenko stressed.

26.06.2006
Card Happy Russian Referee Sets New Record at World Cup
Russia referee Valentin Ivanov set a new record by issuing a total of 20 cards during a stormy clash between Portugal and the Netherlands Sunday. Portugal beat the Netherlands 1-0. Ivanov, who had issued as many as 16 yellow cards and sent off four players, came under harsh criticism after the game.

26.06.2006
Russian Kalashnikov Rifle to Remain World’s Favorite Killing Machine for 20 Years — Report
The Kalashnikov assault rifle will remain the world’s favorite killing machine in conflict zones for at least the next 20 years because its production is poorly regulated, a released report by the Control Arms Campaign said Monday.

26.06.2006
Moscow Says Claims of Russian Diplomats’ Deaths Not Confirmed Yet
“The Foreign Ministry and our embassy in Iraq are using all methods and are continuing work to verify the information,” ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said after an al Qaida-linked group posted a web video Sunday showing the killings of Russian embassy workers abducted earlier this month.

26.06.2006
Belarus to Freeze Accounts of George Bush, Condoleezza Rice
Belarus is ready to freeze the accounts of U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Such is the Minsk response to an earlier decision of the U.S. to freeze the American accounts of President Alexander Lukashenko.

26.06.2006
2 Teenage Girls Wounded by Blast in Russian Gaming Arcade
A powerful blast ripped through a Moscow slots arcade Friday, injuring two teenage girls. Investigators blamed the blast on an unlucky gambler but did not rule out that the attack could be masterminded by the owner of the establishment, after the government ordered its closure.

26.06.2006
Russian Capital is World’s Most Expensive City — Survey
Moscow has eclipsed Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city, a new survey says. The Russian capital moved up three spots from a year ago thanks to a recent property boom, according to a survey released Monday, while the Japanese capital slipped to third place due to the weaker yen.