The latest: Russia Mourns Tu-154 Plane Crash Victims

24.08.2006
Russia Mourns Tu-154 Plane Crash Victims
Russia is observing a day of mourning Thursday for the passengers and crew of an airliner that crashed in eastern Ukraine on August 22.

24.08.2006
U.S. Businesswoman to Travel to ISS as First Female Space Tourist Sooner Than Planned
A U.S.-based Iranian businesswoman, Anoushe Ansari, will travel into space as the world’s fourth space tourist, instead of Japan’s Daisuke Enomoto, who has been ruled unfit to make the trip into space. She will also be the first female space tourist.

24.08.2006
Russian DM to Discuss Global Security, Defense Cooperation With Rumsfeld
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will meet August 27 with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, in Fairbanks, Alaska. “During the meeting, the Russian and U.S. defense ministers will discuss global security and bilateral cooperation in the defense sphere,” Colonel Vyacheslav Sedov said.

24.08.2006
Russian Strategic Bombers Launch Series of Cruise Missiles
Russian strategic bombers launched a series of cruise missiles during command and staff exercises at a northern testing ground, a senior Air Force official said Thursday.

24.08.2006
China, Kazakhstan Launch Joint Anti-terrorism Drill in SCO Framework
China and Kazakhstan on Thursday launched the first phase of a joint anti-terrorism drill in Kazakhstan’s eastern Almaty region. The drill, codenamed “Tianshan-I(2006),” is being conducted by law enforcement bodies and special services of the two countries.

24.08.2006
U.S. Concerned About Safety of Uzbek Refugees Deported from Kyrgyzstan
The United States urges Kyrgyzstan to investigate the case of two Uzbek refugees deported to neighboring Uzbekistan where they possibly face torture and execution.

24.08.2006
Media Watchdog Demands Release of Prisoners Illegally Held in Turkmenistan
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders media watchdog has called upon Turkmen authorities to immediately and unconditionally release a journalist and two other people who have been in custody for the past two months.

24.08.2006
Russia Detains 5 Fishing Boats Over Illegal Fishing
Russian coastal authorities have seized five fishing boats off the country’s eastern coast, at least one of which is thought to be Japanese.

24.08.2006
Kosovo Independence Fraught With Risks — Russia
A Russian government minister says independence for Serbia’s Kosovo province could set a risky precedent for other contested regions.

24.08.2006
Russian Scientist Sentenced in International Espionage Case
A Moscow court has sentenced a Russian scientist to 12 years in prison for trying to pass information on new rocket technology to Germany.

24.08.2006
U.S. Foundation Awards Moscow NGO for Defending Human Rights
The MacArthur Foundation, which surprises dozens of individuals each year with its “genius” grants, has announced awards to nonprofit groups it said are doing inspirational work, among them a Moscow legal organization.