The latest: Moscow Bans Beslan School Siege Memory Picket

31.08.2006
Moscow Bans Beslan School Siege Memory Picket — Rights Activist
The Moscow city hall has refused to sanction a picket that was to be timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the hostage raid on a school in Beslan, in Russia’s southern province of North Ossetia, that left over 330 people dead in September of 2004.

31.08.2006
Russian Man Gets 19 Years for Blowing Up Monument to Czar
A Moscow court sentenced a member of a leftist extremist group to 19 years in prison for blowing up a monument to Russia’s last czar Nicholas II and attempting to blow up a huge bronze statue of Peter the Great. Both attacks were planned as a protest against the proposed reburial of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin.

31.08.2006
Russia Delays Launch to ISS Till September 18
The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) decided to launch a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on September 18, Roscosmos spokesman Igor Panarin has said.

31.08.2006
Russia Played Key Role in Secret Nepal Arms Deal — Report
Russians were the key players in the secretive bid by Nepal to obtain a fresh cache of weapons using Indian air space, as Russian pilots allegedly attempted to deliver weapons supplied by Belarus and Bulguria to Kathmandu but were denied permission to land in India for refueling, local media reports said Thursday.

31.08.2006
World Jewish Congress Holds Jerusalem Session in Support of Israel
Alexander Mashkevich, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, took part in the session of the steering committee of the World Jewish Congress which was held in Jerusalem to express solidarity with the people of Israel.

31.08.2006
Russia to Conduct First Flight to Moon in 2011-2012
A Russian cosmonaut will repeat Neil Armstrong’s feat in 5-6 years, as the country’s space agency is planning its first manned flight around the Moon.

31.08.2006
Russia Getting Ready for 6 Nation Meeting to Discuss Iran Nukes
Russia is preparing to take part in the sextet’s meeting on the Iranian nuclear problem.

31.08.2006
Aging Fleet, Poor Training Threaten Russia’s Air Safety — Minister
An aging fleet of aircraft and poorly equipped pilot training programs are the main threats to air safety in Russia, which has seen three passenger jet crashes this summer, Transport Minister Igor Levitin said on Wednesday.

31.08.2006
Russians, NASA Agree to Avoid Space Traffic Jam at ISS
NASA got more breathing room to launch the space shuttle Atlantis next week thanks to an agreement with the Russian space agency, which has its own spaceflight plans.

31.08.2006
Jews Oppose Obligatory Christianity Lessons in Russian Schools
The teaching of Orthodox Christianity in public schools will hurt Jews and other minorities in Russia, a Russian Jewish leader said.

31.08.2006
Russian Kommersant Business Daily Sold to Pro-Kremlin Billionaire
Kommersant, one of Russia’s leading business dailies and a rare outlet for criticism of the government, has reportedly been sold to Kremlin-connected metals magnate Alisher Usmanov.

31.08.2006
Roddick Claims He is Not Dating Sharapova
Andy Roddick was not in party mood after marking his 24th birthday with victory at the US Open, trying to put to rest rumors he is romantically linked with Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.

31.08.2006
Audrey Hepburn Inspires Sharapova at U.S. Open in NY
Russian diva Maria Sharapova has found an unlikely source of inspiration at the U.S. Open in New York, the late actress Audrey Hepburn.