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Ivanov Warns Kiev Over NATO
MOSCOW — Ukraine would lose defense industry ties with Russia and suffer reduced trade cooperation if it joined NATO, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Saturday, news agencies reported. Ivanov said visa regulations would also be tightened should Ukraine pursue its ambition to join NATO. The comments, at a ceremony to mark the 225th anniversary of Sevastopol port on the Crimean Peninsula — the home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet — came on the heels of a string of pronouncements by Russian officials on issues regarding the peninsula and relations with Kiev. “I couldn’t say for whom such a breakup would be more painful — Russia or Ukraine. I think it would be painful for both nations,” ... |
Spain Claims Tambov Crime Ring Bust
 MOSCOW — Spanish police said they had broken up the local operations of the Tambov and Malyshev organized crime groups, arresting 20 people and seizing millions of dollars in cash and assets. More than 300 officers ... |
Medvedev Optimistic On U.S. Ties
MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev said Last Wednesday that he was “moderately optimistic” about relations with the United States, saying the Kremlin was prepared to work with whoever succeeds U.S. President George W. Bush. Medvedev said Moscow and Washington must cooperate to maintain global stability — even if their views on U.S. plans to install missile-defense sites in Europe and other security issues differ sharply. “Russia and the United States are destined to cooperate on a wide range of international issues,” Medvedev said at a media congress in Moscow. “We will work with any U.S. administration; there is no alternative to that. Our nations carry enormous responsibility for global ... |
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Google’s Brin Signs Up for Space Adventure
 NEW YORK — A company that sends wealthy tourists into space aboard Russian rockets has a new client, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and a new plan for the first entirely private flight to the international space station. ... |
Watchdog Sees ‘Crisis’ In Elections
VIENNA — Illegal state interference means elections standards are in crisis in areas of Europe, the director of a European election watchdog said. Christian Strohal, head of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, did not criticize any countries by name. Diplomats said he was alluding mainly to Russia and several other former Soviet republics regarded by the West to be backsliding from post-communist commitments to democracy and human rights. “What we have is a crisis of compliance with election standards in some countries,” Strohal said in a speech to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s 56-nation parliamentary assembly at the end of five years as head of ODIHR. Many nations boast better legal frameworks and professional election bodies than when he took office in 2003, he said. “But these positive ... |
Scientists Search for Medical Secrets in Himalayas
 A group of St. Petersburg scientists have returned from the Himalayan Mountains after learning the secrets of an almost-extinct form of Tibetan yoga that they hope can be used to cure diseases in the West. The scientists ... |
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President Praises Freedom, Chirac On Russia Day
MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev stressed the importance of democracy and freedom in a speech for Russia Day on Thursday. Medvedev presided over an awards ceremony honoring scientists, scholars and artists held annually in the Kremlin on June 12, as ... |
