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Russia 091110Basic Political Developments

Reuters: PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Nov 10

Kremlin: November 15-16, Dmitry Medvedev will visit Singapore on an official visit

Kremlin: November 14-15, Dmitry Medvedev will take part in the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Singapore.

ISRIA: Russia - MFA - Upcoming 21st APEC Ministerial Meeting in Singapore

RIA: Medvedev to attend APEC summit in Singapore on November 14-15

RIA: Medvedev, Austrian chancellor to discuss gas supplies to Europe

Itar-Tass: Medvedev, Faymann to discuss cooperation within the scope of the South Stream gas pipeline project

Itar-Tass: Austria Federal Chancellor to begin working visit to Russia

RIA: Early warning for future gas wars by Oleg Mityaev: On the eve of the November 18 summit between Russia and the European Union in Stockholm, the Russian Energy Ministry prepared and sent to the European Commission a memorandum outlining the creation of an early warning system for energy affairs.

RIA: Obama, Medvedev to discuss START, N.Korea, Iran in Singapore

NY Times: Power for U.S. From Russias Old Nuclear Weapons

NY Times: The Kremlin Can't Have It Both Ways - By KATI MARTON and NINA OGNIANOVA

Reuters: Putin backs Siemens, Rosatom nuclear pact

AP: Venezuela, Russia to boost technology cooperation - Venezuela and Russia say they are working on a series of agreements for Moscow to provide the South American country with technology for the development of industries ranging from robotics to biochemistry.

Peoples Daily Online: Venezuela-Russian technology exhibition opens near Caracas

Aysor.am: Semneby: South Caucasus states are vulnerable

People.com: India, Russia call for consolidation of global action against terrorism

Xinhua: India, Russia call for consolidation of global action against terrorism

Itar-Tass: CIS defence ministers adopt military coop strategy until 2015

Itar-Tass: CIS defmins to discuss defence, mil-tech cooperation

RIA: CIS defense ministers to talk military cooperation in Tajikistan

APA.az: Georgian Foreign Minister: Russia asks us to open the borders

Axisglobe: Russian military intelligence found out details of millions-worth armament deal between Georgia and Pentagon

Interfax: Patriarch Kirill will visit Georgia, but it is early to fix dates

Gaztea.kz: Russia ratified agreement on professional training for law-enforcement, fire-prevention, rescue bodies and special services

NhanDan: Vietnam President welcomes Russian guests

ISRIA: Russian MFA Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko Response to Media Query on PNA Head Mahmoud Abbass Recent Statement

ISRA: Russia - MFA - Joint Article of Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Franco Frattini of Italy, A New World Order and a Common European Home, Izvestia, November 9, 2009

RIA: Six Russians detained in Kazakhstan over border violations

RIA: Ten countries to build Kalashnikov assault rifle producing plants

Interfax: Military police to be introduced in Russian armed forces in 2010 source

RIA: Russian police must not aim guns at law-abiding citizens minister

Itar-Tass: The Federal Security Service breaks international prostitution ring - the FSB public relations office

RIA: Russia to launch Progress freighter to ISS

BBC: Russia to resume ISS construction - After a hiatus of almost a decade, Russia is set to resume construction of its share in the International Space Station (ISS) with the launch of a new module this week.

RIA: Russian Tu-142 wreckage brought to surface in Tatar Strait

Prime-Tass: Nov 21: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to make speech on overcoming crisis, post-crisis economy at United Russia rally in St. Petersburg

Interfax: Death penalty in Russia should be replaced with life imprisonment without the right to pardon, confident Mironov

Interfax: Fifty-six percent of Russians support death penalty poll

Interfax: Islamic encyclopedia to be printed in Russia, project costs 1mln. US dollars

Itar-Tass: Three people have died and four were injured in bus collision in the Republic of Dagestan

Axisglobe: Search carried out in house of former Russian GRU battalion officer Musa Yamadayev

The Jamestown Foundation: Moscow and Grozny Evince Growing Nervousness Over Regional Security

St. Petersburg Times: Stroimontage Offices Searched

St. Petersburg Times: Russias Eternal Military-Industrial Kholkhoz - By Alexander Golts

Businessneweurope: Russia's regions suffer setback

Interfax: The first insurance company operating under Shariat laws is established in Russia

World Politics Review: Russia-Saudi Relations: The Kingdom and the Bear

National Economic Trends

Reuters: Russia c.bank: rate cuts to ease pressure on rouble

Itar-Tass: CBRs net purchases of dollars in Oct-15 bln, euro-484 mln

VTB Capital: CBR has bought USD 1bn since beginning of November

RenCap: Central Bank of Russia starts to buy currency again

Interfax: CB urges investors not to over-indulge in carry trade (Part 2)

Bloomberg: Russia Set to Lower Key Rate Half a Point This Year (Update1)

Russia Today: Impact of FDI rebound slowed by red tape

Agrimoney.com: Russian plants most winter grains 'since 1993'

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

UralSib: Utilities Sector: First positive figures on weekly consumption

VTB Capital: Ministries are considering pricing policies on the capacity market

UralSib: Utilities Sector: Large industrials begin refusing MRSKs services

Steel Guru: Poll results (Week 44) - Russian steel mills to push global levels down

Steel Guru: Russian import and export data for 9 months

RenCap: Mechel reports unimpressive 2Q09 results

Bloomberg: Sberbank to Raise Salaries to Market Levels, Vedomosti Says

Barentsnova.com: Fitch affirmed the ratings of 6 Russian banks

Reuters: TIMELINE-Russian banks struggle with bad loans

Broadbandtvnews.com: CTC files lawsuit against board member

RenCap: Federal Arbitration Court again refuses to suspend damage recovery from Telenor

RenCap: WiMAX licences likely to go to Svyazinvest?

UralSib: Rostelecom: 1H09 IFRS results: expectedly feeble

AutomotiveWorld.com: Russia: October light vehicle sales decline 52%

Reuters: Russia could allow Renault to increase AvtoVAZ stake

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Upsttreamonline: Iran lines up Russian deals

Upstreamonline: Premier seeks to resume in Russia

Rigzone: Tatneft Underscores 10-Month Oil Production Operations

Gazprom

Daily Mail: CITY FOCUS: Gazprom woes hit Britain

RenCap: Gazprom reports 2Q09 result, remains cheap on relative value basis

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Full Text ArticlesBasic Political DevelopmentsReuters: PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Nov 10

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSLA57909420091110

Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:34am EST

MOSCOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The following are some of the leading stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- Russia and Slovenia are due to sign an agreement on building the South Stream gas pipeline, taking gas to Northern Italy via Slovenia's territory.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Russian broadcaster CTC Media (CTCM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has filed lawsuits against its board member and former CEO Alexander Rodnyansky, seeking to deprive him of his rights to exercise share options which could fetch him up to $100 million, the daily reports.

- Russia's court officials seem to have found enough reasons to extend the moratorium on the death penalty to 2010, the daily reports.

- The head of Russia's state-controlled Sberbank, German Gref, has promised to raise salaries for bank employees by 15 percent from next year.

ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA

www.rg.ru

- Russia has launched a vaccination campaign against the H1N1 flu virus.

- Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the Soviet Union's most famous gun, is celebrating his 90th birthday on Tuesday. He is still full of energy and is working on new types of arms, the daily says.

VREMYA NOVOSTEI

www.vremya.ru

- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to find ways to ease the process of launching foreign investment projects.

- Russia's ruling United Russia political party plans to make state officials use Russian-made products to boost attitudes towards local industries, the daily reports.

NEZAVISISMAYA GAZETA

www.ng.ru

- Russia is losing its influence in the former ex-Soviet republic of Armenia, Russia's main ally in the CIS, the daily says, in connection with reports that Armenia has asked NATO to help defend its borders with Georgia.

Kremlin: November 15-16, Dmitry Medvedev will visit Singapore on an official visit

http://news.kremlin.ru/news/5957

/Google translation/

November 10, 2009, 10:10 The first-ever bilateral visit of President of Russia held in Singapore at the invitation of Singapore President Sellapan Rama Nathan.

Kremlin: November 14-15, Dmitry Medvedev will take part in the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Singapore.

http://news.kremlin.ru/news/5956

ISRIA: Russia - MFA - Upcoming 21st APEC Ministerial Meeting in Singapore

http://www.isria.com/pages/10_November_2009_15.php

The 21st Annual Meeting of Foreign and Trade Ministers from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Member Economies will be held in Singapore from November 11-12. From the Russian Federation, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin will take part.

The Ministerial Meeting will be a key stage in preparations for an upcoming meeting of heads of state and government from the APEC member economies to be held from November 14-15.

Discussions will focus mainly on addressing the global financial crisis and defining optimal post-crisis development models. Considerable attention will be devoted to discussing joint steps to advance regional economic integration as an important means for overcoming the recession, as well as APECs role in supporting the successful conclusion of the WTO Doha Round negotiations.

In addition, the ministers will examine a set of cooperation issues in bolstering the various aspects of regional security, including in such areas as counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness.

A Joint Ministerial Communique will be adopted at the end of the meeting.

RIA: Medvedev to attend APEC summit in Singapore on November 14-15

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091110/156778395.html

11:3610/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Singapore on November 14-15, a Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday.

APEC forum meetings began on Sunday and will culminate in a summit this weekend.

During the summit, the Russian president will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, to discuss strategic arms cuts, as well as North Korea and Iran.

The Kremlin earlier said that Medvedev would meet with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on the sidelines of the summit.

APEC comprises 21 states, including Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Japan.

Medvedev's visit to Singapore is the first ever to the Southeast Asian country by a Russian head of state.

"I hope that this visit, the first in the history of our relations, will serve as to further expand our bilateral cooperation," Medvedev said earlier.

November 10, 2009, 10:00

RIA: Medvedev, Austrian chancellor to discuss gas supplies to Europe


04:4410/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann will discuss energy cooperation, in particular Russian gas supplies to Europe, on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.

Faymann is arriving in Russia on a two-day visit Tuesday. He is also expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

"One of the strategic directions of Russian-Austrian cooperation could be the implementation of the South Stream project," a Kremlin spokesman said, adding that bilateral ties enjoy "stable" and "positive" dynamics.

The spokesman said Russia and Austria are both convinced that the South Stream project will "contribute to Europe's more stable energy supply" and will "ensure unhindered transit of Russian natural gas to European consumers."

He said an intergovernmental agreement to build the pipeline's Austrian section is being developed.

The South Stream gas pipeline, scheduled to be completed by 2015, is part of Russia's efforts to cut dependence on transit nations. It is a rival project to the EU-backed Nabucco, which would bypass Russia.

The 25 billion-euro ($36.5 billion) project is designed to annually pump 31 billion cubic meters of Central Asian and Russian gas to the Balkans and on to other European countries, bypassing Ukraine, which has frequent disputes with Russia over gas supplies and transits. The pipeline's capacity is expected to be eventually increased to 63 billion cubic meters.

On May 15 Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a package of project-related documents with Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia. Similar agreements are being now coordinated with Slovenia and Austria.

In September, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said during a meeting with Medvedev in New York that Russia remained a reliable partner for his country in all spheres, including the energy sector.

Fischer said that despite the economic crisis, Russia and Austria continued to boost ties, including in energy cooperation, adding that he was convinced the trend would be preserved.

Medvedev said that although the crisis had had a negative impact on trade between the two countries, the task of the two states' leadership was "to compensate for the decline as soon as possible."

Itar-Tass: Medvedev, Faymann to discuss cooperation within the scope of the South Stream gas pipeline project

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14513004&PageNum=0

10.11.2009,01.11

MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - President Dmitry Medvedev of the Russian Federation (RF) and Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann of Austria, who arrives in Russia for a working visit, are to meet Tuesday to discuss cooperation within the scope of the South Stream gas pipeline project and European security matters.

A Kremlin administration official has told Itar-Tass, "The implementation of the South Stream project may become one of strategic areas of Russo-Austrian cooperation."

"Russia and Austria share an appraisal that the project aimed at diversifying routes for the delivery of energy resources, will promote a sustainable supply of energy to Europe, and an unimpeded transit of Russian natural gas to European users," the official pointed out.

The Kremlin expert said, "This taken into consideration, an intergovernmental agreement is being worked out for cooperation in the construction of the Austrian section of the gas pipeline".

Faymann is also to discuss current economic matters at talks with RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Apart from economic problems, the upcoming talks between Medvedev and Faymann will focus on European security, the Kremlin official said. "The talks will concentrate on matters concerning an effective use of the potential of Russo-Austrian interaction in the interests of our two countries and safe Europe," the official said.

Itar-Tass: Austria Federal Chancellor to begin working visit to Russia


10.11.2009,11.21

VIENNA, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann of Austria, who begins his working visit to Russia on Tuesday, intends to discuss the issue of ensuring stable supplies of energy carriers to Europe, as well as issues of international security and prospects for development of bilateral relations, a spokesman for the Federal Chancellors Office said in a talk with ITAR-TASS on the eve of the visit.

On the first day of his visit to Moscow, he said, the head of the Austrian government will have a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin, and in the evening a reception will be held on his behalf for prominent representatives of Russian political, economic and cultural circles, as well as mass media bodies at the residence of the Austrian ambassador.

On the second day, he went on to say, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin are to be held.

The Austrian side intends to touch upon such topics as mutual relations between Russia and the European Union, as well as interaction in solving topical international problems, including settlement of crisis situations around Iran, North Korea and in the Middle East, and within the framework of the UN Security Council where Austria presides at present.

While discussing economic issues, the sides may touch upon gas problems, including the issue of ensuring the reliability of its transit supplies via Ukraine in coming winter, as well as prospects for laying new gas pipelines to Europe, such as the Northern Stream, the Southern Stream and Nabbuko.

RIA: Early warning for future gas wars

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20091110/156777202.html

10:0810/11/2009

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityaev) - On the eve of the November 18 summit between Russia and the European Union in Stockholm, the Russian Energy Ministry prepared and sent to the European Commission a memorandum outlining the creation of an early warning system for energy affairs.

The memorandum calls for joint actions if Russian energy supplies to Europe are suspended, including if the interruption is caused by transit countries. Apart from improving energy dialogue with the EU, this document is designed to prevent Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko from unleashing yet another gas war with Russia.

The Russian Energy Ministry has announced its readiness to work with the EU to finish the memorandum by November 18 and sign it at the summit. The memorandum defines an "emergency situation" as any considerable decline in the amount of energy transported, stored, distributed or consumed, as determined by international law and bilateral agreements between Russian and the EU. Its "early warning mechanism" is a series of measures for anticipating potential energy problems and risks and responding promptly to any threat of an "emergency situation."

The agreement will focus on Russia-EU bilateral energy relations. The position of transit countries may be considered only if both the consumers and the exporters agree to do so.

The memorandum has more to do with diplomacy than the details of maintaining gas transit systems. For example, it describes what should be done if Ukraine stopped paying for gas and started illegally siphoning it off, and Russia shut off gas supplies in response.

However, it is the memorandum's diplomatic nature that may compel Ukraine to pay for gas. The EU has recently become one of the main sources of credit for the Ukrainian economy. EU officials are capable of exerting pressure on the Ukrainian president, which they demonstrated over the past weekend.

This time, a new gas war may be provoked by the Ukrainian presidential elections, which are scheduled for January 17, 2010. Gas contracts with Russia have already become a bargaining chip in the struggle for power between Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko.

In late October, Tymoshenko even complained over the telephone to her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Yushchenko had not allowed her to pay for the gas supplied to Ukraine in October.

In response, Yushchenko demanded that his government revise contracts for the purchase of Russian gas and its transit to Europe. He suggested cutting the amount of gas his country purchased by half and increasing the price of transporting 1,000 cubic meters of gas for 100 km from the current $1.70 to $2.60-$2.80. In his opinion, Ukraine's commitments are fixed more rigidly than those of Russia.

Yushchenko is suffering from low approval ratings and may benefit if Moscow shuts off gas supplies. This would help him unite his voters in the struggle against the artificially created enemy, Russia.

In theory, a new gas war could have started this week. November 9 was the deadline for Ukraine to pay for the Russian gas it consumed in October, and Kiev paid for it only at the last moment. Representatives for the Ukrainian president emphasized that their boss was not the cause for any delay in payment for Russian gas.

Apparently, Brussels also played a major role. Over the past weekend, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso asked Yushchenko by phone not to obstruct payment for Russian gas. He reminded the Ukrainian president that his country is not only a purchaser but also a link in supply of Russian gas to Europe, and Europeans should not suffer from thwarted supplies.

Now, even if the European Union does not accept the Russian memo on an early warning system for energy affairs in full, its sheer appearance will play into Russia's hand as it is trying to share with Europe the risks implied by gas transits via Ukraine.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

RIA: Obama, Medvedev to discuss START, N.Korea, Iran in Singapore

http://en.rian.ru/world/20091110/156774313.html

02:3810/11/2009

WASHINGTON, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. and Russian presidents will discuss strategic arms cuts, as well as North Korea and Iran, during a meeting in Singapore during the weekend, the White House said Monday.

"Obviously, we'll continue to talk through issues that they've spent time working on, most notably the START Treaty that expires I believe the 5th of December, and continue discussions about North Korea and Iran," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told journalists.

Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will meet during a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member states. APEC forum meetings began on Sunday and will culminate in a summit on November 14-15.

START I (the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the basis for Russian-U.S. strategic nuclear disarmament, is valid until December 5. The two countries' leaders have expressed the hope that a new pact will be ready before it expires.

Six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, Japan and China on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ground came to a halt in April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.

The West suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but the Islamic Republic says it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.

APEC comprises 21 states, including Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Japan.

NY Times: Power for U.S. From Russias Old Nuclear Weapons

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/business/energy-environment/10nukes.html

By ANDREW E. KRAMER

Published: November 9, 2009

MOSCOW Whats powering your home appliances?

For about 10 percent of electricity in the United States, its fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, including Russian ones.

Its a great, easy source of fuel, said Marina V. Alekseyenkova, an analyst at Renaissance Bank and an expert in the Russian nuclear industry that has profited from the arrangement since the end of the cold war.

But if more diluted weapons-grade uranium isnt secured soon, the pipeline could run dry, with ramifications for consumers, as well as some American utilities and their Russian suppliers.

Already nervous about a supply gap, utilities operating Americas 104 nuclear reactors are paying as much attention to President Obamas efforts to conclude a new arms treaty as the Nobel Peace Prize committee did.

In the last two decades, nuclear disarmament has become an integral part of the electricity industry, little known to most Americans.

Salvaged bomb material now generates about 10 percent of electricity in the United States by comparison, hydropower generates about 6 percent and solar, biomass, wind and geothermal together account for 3 percent.

Utilities have been loath to publicize the Russian bomb supply line for fear of spooking consumers: the fuel from missiles that may have once been aimed at your home may now be lighting it.

But at times, recycled Soviet bomb cores have made up the majority of the American market for low-enriched uranium fuel. Today, former bomb material from Russia accounts for 45 percent of the fuel in American nuclear reactors, while another 5 percent comes from American bombs, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry trade association in Washington.

Treaties at the end of the cold war led to the decommissioning of thousands of warheads. Their energy-rich cores are converted into civilian reactor fuel.

In the United States, the agreements are portrayed as nonproliferation treaties intended to prevent loose nukes in Russia.

In Russia, where the government argues that fissile materials are impenetrably secure already, the arms agreements are portrayed as a way to make it harder for the United States to reverse disarmament.

The program for dismantling and diluting the fuel cores of decommissioned Russian warheads known informally as Megatons to Megawatts is set to expire in 2013, just as the industry is trying to sell it forcefully as an alternative to coal-powered energy plants, which emit greenhouse gases.

Finding a substitute is a concern for utilities today because nuclear plants buy fuel three to five years in advance.

One potential new source is warheads that would become superfluous if the United States and Russia agree to new cuts under negotiations to renew the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires on Dec. 5.

Such negotiations revolve around the number of deployed weapons and delivery vehicles. There is no requirement in the treaty that bomb cores be destroyed. That is negotiated separately.

For the industry, that means that now, as in the past, there will be no direct correlation between the number of warheads decommissioned and the quantity of highly enriched uranium or plutonium, also used in weapons, that the two countries declare surplus.

(This summer, Mr. Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia agreed to a new limit on delivery vehicles of 500 to 1,100 and a limit on deployed warheads as low as 1,500. The United States now has about 2,200 nuclear warheads and the Russians 2,800.)

Mr. Medvedev has reaffirmed Russias commitment to a 2000 agreement to dispose of plutonium, and both countries plan to convert that into reactor fuel as well.

An American diplomat and an official with a federal nuclear agency in Washington have confirmed, separately, that the two countries are quietly negotiating another agreement to continue diluting Russias highly enriched uranium after the expiration of Megatons to Megawatts, using some or all of the material from warheads likely to be taken out of the arsenals.

The government officials were not authorized to publicly discuss these efforts.

This possible successor deal to Megatons to Megawatts is known in the industry as HEU-2, for a High Enriched Uranium-2, and companies are rooting for it, according to Jeff Combs, president and owner of Ux Consulting, a company tracking uranium fuel pricing.

You can look at it like a couple of very large uranium mines, he said of the fissile material that would result from the program.

American reactors would not shut down without a deal; utilities could turn to commercial imports, which would most likely be much more expensive.

Enriching raw uranium is more expensive than converting highly enriched uranium to fuel grade.

To make fuel for electricity-generating reactors, uranium is enriched to less than 5 percent of the isotope U-235. To make weapons, it is enriched to about 90 percent U-235.

The United States Enrichment Corporation, a private company spun off from the Department of Energy in the 1990s, is the treaty-designated agent on the Russian imports. It, in turn, sells the fuel to utilities at prevailing market prices, an arrangement that at times has angered the Russians.

Since Megatons to Megawatts has existed, American utilities operating nuclear power plants, like Pacific Gas & Electric or Constellation Energy, have benefited as the abundance of fuel that came onto the market drastically reduced overall prices and created savings that were ultimately passed along to consumers and shareholders.

Nuclear industry giants like Areva, the French company; the United States Enrichment Corporation and Nuclear Fuel Services, another American company; and Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, are deeply involved in recycling weapons material and will need new supplies to continue that side of their businesses.

In the United States, domestic weapons recycling programs are smaller in scale and would be no replacement for Megatons for Megawatts. The Nuclear Fuel Services, in Erwin, Tenn., in 2005 began diluting uranium from the 217 tons the government declared surplus; so far 125 tons have been processed. It is used at the Tennessee Valley Authority plant.

The American plutonium recycling program is also well under way at a factory being built at the Energy Departments Savannah River site in South Carolina to dismantle warheads from the American arsenal; a type of plutonium fuel, called mixed-oxide fuel, will come on the market in 2017.

In total, the 34 tons to be recycled there are expected to generate enough electricity for a million American homes for 50 years.

Op-Ed Contributor

NY Times: The Kremlin Can't Have It Both Ways

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/opinion/10iht-edmarton.html

By KATI MARTON and NINA OGNIANOVA

Published: November 9, 2009

Its time to stop treating Russia as a handicapped person, former Czech President Vaclav Havel said recently, responding to suggestions that Russia cannot be expected to reach democracy anytime soon. He urged that Russia be treated as a partner country like any other, applying the same standards to Russia as we do to Burma, Brazil, the Czech Republic or any other country. We agree.

During a recent mission by representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists to urge the end of impunity in the killing of journalists in Russia, we were struck by Moscow investigators and prosecutors using the familiar excuses: Give us time, they told us. Russia is where the United States was in the days of the Wild West.

But a great nation claiming equal status with other great nations cannot plead exemption when it comes to press freedom and human rights. Russia cannot have it both ways.

Secretary of State Hillary Clintons recent censure of impunity in the killing of journalists, as well as her public support for Russias embattled human rights defenders, comes at a critical time. Such messages not only boost the morale of the Kremlins marginalized critics, they can act as real protection for what is left of Russian civil society. Mrs. Clinton singled out the murders of 18 journalists only one of which has been solved when she declared: When violence like this goes unpunished in any society, it undermines the rule of law, chills public discourse, which is, after all, the lifeblood of an open society, and it diminishes the publics confidence and trust in their government.

In Moscow we met with dozens of reporters, press freedom advocates and relatives of murdered journalists. We also met with officials, including detectives with Russias top investigative agency responsible for bringing the murders of our colleagues to justice. Our purpose was to share the findings of our own investigative report on the murders as well as our recommendations for specific action by Russian authorities and the international community. Our report, Anatomy of Injustice, is full of leads that have not been followed and witnesses that have not been interviewed. It is a record of systematic failure to prosecute 17 murders. Grieving relatives and colleagues of murdered reporters repeatedly told us what a difference international attention can make. Journalists are always more protected when their fates are monitored from abroad, Musa Muradov, a reporter with Kommersant, told us. To a certain extent, he said, it can save us.

One of the greatest barriers to establishing a safe environment for journalists is the collective shrug with which the Russian public has responded to the murders. Most Russians get their news from state-sanctioned media and are simply unaware of the problem. The Kremlin virtually controls the top television channels. Only Internet outlets and a handful of brave but low-circulation publications carry a range of opinions. For the rest of society, mostly good news streams into their living rooms. With the economy relatively stable and streets relatively safe, the average Russian opts for a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil attitude.

But the evil is getting too big not to see, and too loud not to hear. Russia is now the third deadliest country in the world for journalists. When 18 journalists are killed for asking tough questions on behalf of all Russians the government is failing at its job.

This is not only an internal matter. Russias partners in Europe and around the world have an obvious interest in stopping these killings. Nations need transparency in their associations with other nations.

Following Mrs. Clintons lead, other world leaders should voice their support for Russias embattled journalists and human rights defenders. The health of Russias civil society cannot be left to nongovernmental groups alone. Russia is too great a nation to be treated, in Mr. Havels words, as a handicapped person.

Kati Marton is the author of Enemies of the People: My Familys Journey to America, and a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Nina Ognianova is the committees Europe and Central Asia Program coordinator.

Reuters: Putin backs Siemens, Rosatom nuclear pact

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/11/09/afx7101639.html

11.09.09, 11:27 AM EST

MOSCOW, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin urged German conglomerate Siemens AG to forge a 'strategic' partnership with state nuclear firm Rosatom during talks on Monday, a union that could lead to a powerful alliance.

'It's important that special relations appear between your company and Rosatom,' Putin said during a meeting with Siemens ( SI - news - people ) chief executive Peter Loescher.

'In essence, it's a strategic partnership.'

Putin first said in January that Siemens and Rosatom, both major players on world nuclear markets, had pledged to look at closer cooperation.

A source within Rosatom told Interfax news agency last month the venture could be created this year, a move that could irk French firm Areva ( ARVCF.PK - news - people ), which had earlier agreed to work with Siemens on a nuclear reactor project. Areva has said the decision breaches a non-competition clause.

Loescher said at the meeting with Putin on Monday that talks were progressing. 'On the whole, the discussions are going well,' Loescher said during the portion of the meeting at which reporters were present. 'We've had relations of high trust.'

Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Dan Lalor) Keywords: RUSSIA SIEMENS/PARTNERSHIP

([email protected], +7 495 775 12 42, Reuters Messaging: [email protected])

AP: Venezuela, Russia to boost technology cooperation

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j7DAfgieUqDDczqO5ENknwwjAqSQD9BSBL2O2

(AP) 6 hours ago

CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuela and Russia say they are working on a series of agreements for Moscow to provide the South American country with technology for the development of industries ranging from robotics to biochemistry.

Venezuela's science and technology minister, Jesse Chacon, says the agreements will likely be signed next year.

Russian authorities have presented more than 5,000 technological projects for Venezuela's consideration.

Chacon says the transfer of nuclear technology is not among the projects that were presented at a forum in Venezuela's capital Monday even through Russia plans to help Venezuela develop nuclear energy to produce electricity.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Peoples Daily Online: Venezuela-Russian technology exhibition opens near Caracas

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6809241.html

16:26, November 10, 2009

An exhibition on Venezuelan-Russian leading technology opened on Monday near Caracas, featuring advanced technology programs developed in Venezuela and about 5,700 Russian scientific projects.

"We are sure that the cooperation between Russia and Venezuela will allow the transference of technology and knowledge we need to beef up our industrial independence," Venezuelan Science and Technology Minister Jesse Chacon said.

The exhibition will showcase the cooperation projects between Russia and Venezuela in energy, chemistry, agro industry, medicine and information and communication technology.

Eleven public organizations, 20 universities and 62 Russian businessmen were participating in the exhibition, which runs through Tuesday.

Source:Xinhua

Aysor.am: Semneby: South Caucasus states are vulnerable

http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2009/11/10/peter-semneby/

A new round of negotiations focused on issue of security over Caucasus will be held tomorrow in Geneva. In this connection EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby reviewed items of settlement of Karabakh conflict and Armenia-Turkey border in an interview with Kommersant papers reporter Olga Alenova.

When asked whether Armenian-Turkish border may open before settlement of Karabakh conflict, Peter Semneby said: Its a good development that Armenian-Turkish negotiations are in progress. Armenia-Turkish borders opening can become a first step to overcome the abnormal situation when three longest borders of region are closed. These borders are those between Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and between Georgia and Russia. These developments hinder growth.

Current Armenian-Turkish relations may now bring breakthrough although ratification, surely, will be complicated. But these developments are in Armenias and Turkeys interests. And I believe the same for Azerbaijan as it is interested in open borders in region.

War in Georgia showed that South Caucasus states are vulnerable. This can be overcome if we solve these matters.

Sure, it is a problem and an unacceptable stuff that Russia has recognized South Osetia and Abkhazia. We will have talks on this issue involving Russia in discussions. Anyway we have common priorities in other areas, so our disagreement with Russia cannot hinder our cooperation aimed at overcoming other conflicts.

TODAY, 11:18

Aysor.am

People.com: India, Russia call for consolidation of global action against terrorism

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6809111.html

15:39, November 10, 2009

India and Russia have called for the consolidation of global action against terrorism, including the terror threat emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan, reported local daily The Asian Age on Tuesday.

During their talks in the Indian capital Monday, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin shared the view that drug trafficking is a major source of funds for terrorists and stressed the need to crack down on it, said the report.

Both the leaders underlined the need for early ratification of the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism (CCIT) by the UN so that the legal framework could compel member countries to crack down on the international scourge, said the report.

Sobyanin also met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed Singh's visit to Moscow early December, according to the report.

Xinhua: India, Russia call for consolidation of global action against terrorism

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/10/content_12425243.htm

2009-11-10 15:30:12

NEW DELHI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- India and Russia have called for the consolidation of global action against terrorism, including the terror threat emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan, reported local daily The Asian Age on Tuesday.

During their talks in the Indian capital Monday, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin shared the view that drug trafficking is a major source of funds for terrorists and stressed the need to crack down on it, said the report.

Both the leaders underlined the need for early ratification of the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism (CCIT) by the UN so that the legal framework could compel member countries to crack down on the international scourge, said the report.

Sobyanin also met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed Singh's visit to Moscow early December, according to the report.

Itar-Tass: CIS defence ministers adopt military coop strategy until 2015


10.11.2009,11.55

DUSHANBE, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - CIS defence ministers have met in Dushanbe to discuss multifaceted cooperation in the military sphere, regional security and the need for further integration of defence ministries on the CIS space.

The Russian delegation was led by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Ministers also focused on how to optimize the structure and combat strength of troops of the CIS Unified Air Defence System, ensure control over air space and manage the air movement of CIS member-states, said Alexander Sinayisky, Secretary of the CIS Defence Ministers Council.

After discussions ministers approved the concept of military cooperation until 2015 and basic areas of development of the CIS Unified Air Defence System.

Top military officials also discussed preparation for the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon received defence ministers and stressed the need for stronger military cooperation to ensure better security of the CIS member-states.

Officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Russia and Tajikistan attended the meeting.

Serdyukov held a working meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sherali Khairulloyev.

Itar-Tass: CIS defmins to discuss defence, mil-tech cooperation


10.11.2009,02.09

DUSHANBE, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - The results of defence and military-technical cooperation among the member-countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the importance of enhancing interaction among the Defence Ministries in couteracting international terrorism and other global threats are to be considered here on Tuesday by the Defence ministers of CIS countries, an official at Tajikistan's Defence Ministry has told Itar-Tass, pointing out that the agenda of the ministerial meeting comprises an aggregate of 20 items.

The Russian delegation is led by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who arrived here on Monday night. Representatives of all the Defence Ministries of the CIS, except Moldova, will take part in the meeting.

Participants in the ministerial meeting will consider as priority problems the state of affairs connected with the air defence system, the training of military personnel in Russia's specialised institutions of higher learning, and analyse the situation in Afghanistan and other flashpoints located in direct proximity to the borders of CIS countries.

Prior to the opening of the meeting, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon is to receive the leaders of military delegations.

RIA: CIS defense ministers to talk military cooperation in Tajikistan

http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20091110/156774701.html

03:3010/11/2009

DUSHANBE, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - The council of the defense ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose association of post-Soviet countries, will meet in Dushanbe on Tuesday, the Tajik Defense Ministry said.

Chief ministry spokesman Faridun Makhmadaliyev said the meeting in the Tajik capital would involve delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

He said the council would discus military cooperation between the CIS member states and approve the 2010 agenda, as well as moves to develop a united air defense system by 2015.

APA.az: Georgian Foreign Minister: Russia asks us to open the borders

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=110708

[ 10 Nov 2009 10:58]

Axisglobe: Russian military intelligence found out details of millions-worth armament deal between Georgia and Pentagon

http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1943

09.11.2009An official of the Russian military intelligence who wished to remain unnamed leaked to journalists today the information that the United States have allegedly offered supplying of large lot of armament, military equipment and ammunition to Georgia in the amount of more than $100 million, and to carry out the transaction through the private company, Barrington Alliance Incorporated with the head office in Chicago, instead of governmental channels, online edition of the Moscow daily Izvestia reports. It says the offered armament includes upgraded ground-to-air missiles Patriot-3, personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missiles Stinger and Igla-3 missiles of portable and motorized versions, Javelin man-portable surface-to-air missiles, and precision-strike semiactive laser-guided Hellfire II missile systems. The quantity of ammunition, including cartridges for small arms, has been estimated in dozens of millions pieces, according to the Russian military intelligence official.The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has confirmed this information. "After the military confrontation in the Caucasus, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia created a structure under the name, Studying of Warfare Lessons. According to its conclusions, it is necessary to urgently raise potentialities of the Georgian army in conducting of anti-aircraft and anti-tank defense, and also to have highly mobile forces of special operations capable to effectively operate in the mountains and equipped by modern means of warfare, the official of the military intelligence has prepared read the prepared text to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS. The delivery to Georgia of the specified armament by the USA completely corresponds to conclusions of the Georgian militaries".Last week the head of the Russian military intelligence Alexander Shlyakhturov declared that the NATO member-states, Ukraine and Israel had been rendering military assistance to Georgia. The NATO delivers small arms and equipment, the USA conduct trainings of personnel, Israel sells drones, and Ukraine sells tanks and means of air defence, according to the head of the Russian GRU, Newsru adds.Russia Today TV channel, referring to Israel's daily Maariv, reports that the US is hiring Russian-made freight planes belonging to UTI Worldwide Inc. to transport arms and ammunition to Georgia. The paper says the Pentagon is redirecting supplies to Tbilisi that were earmarked for Iraq.

10 November 2009, 11:49

Interfax: Patriarch Kirill will visit Georgia, but it is early to fix dates

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6627

Moscow, November 10, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia confirmed his intentions to visit Georgia, but the Moscow Patriarchate officials say it is early to fix exact dates.

"It's rather difficult to speak about probable timing of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia's visit to the Georgian Church," deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Nikolay Balashov told an Interfax-Religion correspondent.

Georgian mass media have recently reported that during their meeting in Baku Patriarch-Catholicos of All Georgia Ilia II invited Patriarch Kirill to visit his country and received consent.

Fr. Nikolay confirmed that during the Baku meeting Ilia II "repeated his invitation to visit the Georgian Orthodox Church as earlier he conveyed such invitations to Patriarch Kirill with the Georgian Patriarchate delegations that visited Moscow."

"Patriarch Kirill confirmed his intention to officially visit local Orthodox Churches in compliance with the Dyptich order (liturgical order of commemorating primates of Orthodox Churches - IF)," the interviewee of the agency said.

According to him, today only the dates of Patriarch Kirill's visit to the Alexandrian Patriarchate, which the second in the Dyptich, are discussed.

In July 2009, Patriarch Kirill made the first official visit to the local Orthodox Church and visited the Constantinople Patriarchate.

Today the liturgical list of local Orthodox Churches mentioned by the Primate consists of 15 jurisdictions in the following order: the Constantinople Church, the Alexandrian Church, the Antioch Church, the Jerusalem Church, the Russian Church, the Georgian Church, the Serbian Church, the Romanian Church, the Bulgarian Church, the Cyprus Church, the Greek Church, the Albanian Church, the Polish Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and the Orthodox Church in America.

Gaztea.kz: Russia ratified agreement on professional training for law-enforcement, fire-prevention, rescue bodies and special services

http://eng.gazeta.kz/art.asp?aid=139727

14:2110.11.2009 text: "Kazakhstan Today"

The President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, signed the Federal Law on Ratification of the agreement on professional training for the law-enforcement, fire-prevention, rescue bodies and special services of the CSTO member states, Kazakhstan Today agency reports citing the press service of the president of the Russian Federation.

The Federal Law was passed by the State Duma on October 23, 2009 and approved by the Federation Council on October 30, 2009.

According to the press service, the Federal Law, signed in Moscow on September 5, 2008, ratifies the agreement on professional training for the law-enforcement, fire-prevention, rescue bodies and special services of the CSTO member states.

NhanDan: President welcomes Russian guests

http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/news/101109/domestic_p.htm

Last updated: 15:59 - November 10, 2009

President Nguyen Minh Triet received President and Chairman of the Management Board of the Bank for Foreign Trade Kostin A.L., who is leading a Russian business delegation on a visit to Ho Chi Minh City on November 9.

The State leader said he was pleased to welcome the Russian guests, expressing the wish that they will harvest good results during their visit, opening new possibilities for co-operation between the two countries businesses.

He thanked the people of the former Soviet Union and current state of Russia for their support for Vietnam during its struggles for independence in the past as well as its current national development.

While affirming Russia is a traditional, faithful and reliable friend of the Vietnamese people, President Triet expressed his wish that co-operation between the two countries become more effective in the future.

He also congratulated Russia on its recent successes, saying that the increasing role and position of Russia, especially in economics, science and technology, and the military, had contributed to stabilising the world situation.

For his part, Kostin informed the President of the results of his delegations meetings with leaders of major Vietnamese enterprises. Businesses on both sides agreed to boost investment co-operation in energy and auto assembly as well as implement tourism projects in Vietnam.

The two sides agreed on the establishment of a Russian business investment fund in Vietnam and the investment by Vietnamese enterprises in energy and mining in Russia as well as setting up a joint venture to invest in a third country. (VNA)

ISRIA: Russian MFA Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko Response to Media Query on PNA Head Mahmoud Abbass Recent Statement


Question: Despite intensive international efforts, the crisis in the Middle East negotiation process fails to be overcome. The situation is also compounded by the lack of agreement among Palestinians. Against this background, the statement of PNA Head Mahmoud Abbas that he will not seek re-election is particularly worrisome. Any comment?

Answer: I agree that the situation is indeed very complicated.

In our opinion, in the current difficult circumstances, the regional and international parties should do their utmost to prevent destabilization in the region, and to ease the conditions for restoration of the negotiation process on the Palestinian track and other tracks of a political settlement in the Middle East.

We have also repeatedly spoken about the urgent need to restore Palestinian unity both for the sake of the national interests of the Palestinians themselves and to ensure the effectiveness of the negotiations. Russia has contributed and continues to promote this. At the same time we believe that Mahmoud Abbas as the universally recognized Palestinian leader is a key figure in the realization of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. Therefore, we have supported and will support him.

ISRA: Russia - MFA - Joint Article of Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Franco Frattini of Italy, A New World Order and a Common European Home, Izvestia, November 9, 2009


Twenty years ago, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, two new tasks emerged at the center of the Euro-Atlantic and international agenda: to create a common European home and a new world order. These two concepts, as yet unrealized, were and remain complementary.

A new world order based on interdependence and cooperation in dealing with common problems cannot do without a Greater Europe stretching from the Atlantic to Vladivostok. Only such a Europe with a global vision and goals shared by everyone would guarantee stability on our continent. How far have we progressed in this project put forward by Charles de Gaulle in the midst of the Cold War?

Over the last two decades awareness has begun to take root across Europe, albeit still fragile, that maintaining dividing lines on the European continent compromises the security of all. The nuclear threat and that of any other major war have been laid to rest. The sad chapter of the Balkan wars has been closed and although some differences persist, the negative effect on the European situation of the Caucasus crisis in summer 2008 is basically overcome. Much has been done to strengthen the strategic nature of relations between Russia and the European Union, including their institutional aspect. In 1996 Russia concluded a partnership and cooperation agreement with the EU; and in 2004 Russia and the European Union reached accord on the Four Common Spaces. The EU is Russias main economic partner today. This applies equally to the strategic energy sector, although a modern system of energy security that ensures a balance of interests of the energy producing, transit and consumer countries, as agreed by the G8 leaders at the St. Petersburg summit, has yet to be created. Cooperation between Russia and the Atlantic Alliance has also been arranged through the Russia-NATO Council mechanism, created at Pratica di Mare in 2002.

Is it much or too little? This is a lot, but that is not enough. The fall of the Berlin Wall triggered the emancipation of international relations from the earlier constraints of ideological confrontation. Nevertheless it must be acknowledged that an adequate political response has not been forthcoming. Pan-European political collaboration has not yet made that leap in quality to meet the new challenges and threats. Yet today, with a change in the coordinate system in European and global politics, in the face of these new threats of our centuryranging from terrorism, nuclear proliferation, international crime, environmental deterioration to the problems of energy security and economic and financial stabilitythere is an ever increasing need for a strong and cohesive political partnership in the pan-European area. In other words, the new world order needs the common European home.

We believe that, in order to build this common home, the following priorities must be established.

First, to give new political impetus to relations between Russia and NATO based on a real partnership and in light of reciprocal security interests; secondly, to develop within the overall negotiation process a new agreement between the European Union and Russia so that the strategic partnership would be not only economic, but also political.

Lastly, to create a new architecture of European security that is already being discussed in various European settings. This architecture could be created by combining the competencies and synergies of the various institutions and organizations in the pan-European area, including OSCE, NATO, EU, CIS and CSTO, and by relying on common interests and the necessity of ever closer cooperation between Russia, the European Union, and the United States.

In other words, we need strengthening and implementing the principles contained in the documents of the OSCE, especially in the Helsinki Final Act and the Rome Declaration establishing the Russia-NATO Council. This would help us form a single field of security throughout the Euro-Atlantic space based on a common understanding of the contemporary realities, which initially wasnt there.

We welcome efforts already made, and the potential contributions of participants in the European process in achieving this goal. Today we all share the responsibility for ensuring global security as it is currently understood.

The soon to come into effect Treaty of Lisbon, as well as the achievement of a new quality in the Russia-US relationship will open up new opportunities for cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic area that must not be missed. At stake is the future of our entire region and its role in an increasingly complex and pluralistic international system of the 21st century, in which we would like to see diversity become value added and a factor of stability and development rather than confrontation.

RIA: Six Russians detained in Kazakhstan over border violations

http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20091110/156776644.html

08:5910/11/2009

ASTANA, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Kazakh border guards have detained six Russian nationals for border violations, the Central Asian state's National Security Committee said Tuesday.

"A Kazakh border guard detail detained six nationals of the Russian Federation who were traveling by car from Kazakhstan to Russia on November 9," the committee said in a statement.

"They tried to illegally cross the border," the statement said, adding that they had also been trying to smuggle "200 kilograms of fish."

An investigation is underway.

RIA: Ten countries to build Kalashnikov assault rifle producing plants

http://en.rian.ru/world/20091110/156778854.html

12:3210/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Ten countries have applied for licenses to construct plants to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles, a deputy CEO of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Tuesday.

Rosoboronexport is currently fulfilling a 2005 contract to build a Kalashnikov plant in Venezuela.

"In the past few years, ten foreign states have applied to Russia for the creation of facilities on their territories to build licensed Kalashnikov AK-100 series assault rifles," Igor Sevastyanov said.

Sevastyanov did not specify which countries had applied, noting only that they included Latin American and Middle East states. He said some clients want plants built from scratch and others want production upgraded.

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, turned 90 on Tuesday.

Then-Soviet soldier Kalashnikov was inspired to design the weapon after being wounded in 1941 during WWII. While his first attempts were deemed unsuccessful, he was given a position in weapons development, and by 1947 he had perfected his masterpiece.

Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin earlier noted the huge number of unlicensed Kalashnikov rifles produced all over the world.

"There are about 100 million Kalashnikov assault rifles worldwide, of which half are counterfeit, i.e. produced without licenses, patents or intergovernmental agreements," he said.

Interfax: Military police to be introduced in Russian armed forces in 2010 source

http://www.interfax.com/3/528468/news.aspx

MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) - Military police will be formed in the

Russian armed forces in order to strengthen law and order in the troops,

a Russian Defense Ministry source told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.

"The first military police units will be formed in the army and

navy in 2010. Military police will be 5,000 strong," he said.

The military police corps will be vertically organized, starting

with a unit (brigade) and ending up with a military district (fleet),

and be subordinated to a first deputy defense minister, the source said.

RIA: Russian police must not aim guns at law-abiding citizens minister


11:2610/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian interior minister used his annual Police Day address on Tuesday to remind police chiefs that officers should point their weapons at criminals, and not aim them at law-abiding citizens.

There have been a number of murder cases in 2009 involving Russian police officers. The most high-profile case saw a southern Moscow district chief kill three people and injure two during a supermarket shooting spree in April.

"This year was particularly difficult and hard for all Russian police," Rashid Nurgaliyev began. "We must remember the tragedy that happened in Moscow, unfortunately through the fault of one of our colleagues, every day," he said.

"Department chiefs who take people on and hand out IDs and weapons must understand that these weapons should be pointed only in the direction of criminals, and not aimed at peaceful citizens," he added.

As well as violence, the Russian police force has been plagued by increasing allegations of corruption, something Nurgaliyev also pledged to tackle.

"We will not cover up for anyone!" he said. "This also refers to those who have turned service in law enforcement agencies into a criminal business. Such people must have no place in our ranks!"

This month, a police officer from the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk was fired and is set to be charged with libel after posting a video on the web asking Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to launch a nationwide corruption probe.

Alexei Dymovsky's message said that department chiefs routinely jailed innocent people to improve statistics. He also said that many young people joined the force despite monthly wages of some $400 because they knew they would be able to supplement their income with bribes.

The officer also complained of "dumb bosses" and routine "ignorance, boorishness and recklessness" within the force, as well as complaining that police were forced to work unpaid overtime.

The Novorossiisk police department has denied the allegations, saying "not a single allegation" could be verified.

President Medvedev has highlighted corruption as one of the country's key problems. Shortly after taking office in May 2008, he signed a decree to set up a presidential anti-corruption council and approved a plan to deal with the problem in July 2008, proposing that special units be created in every branch of government.

Itar-Tass: The Federal Security Service breaks international prostitution ring - the FSB public relations office


10.11.2009,11.46

MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - The Federal Security Service has broken an international prostitution ring, which engaged in human trafficking using illegal migration channels to western Europe, the FSB public relations office told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

"The criminal ring included citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The operation was conducted jointly with the Investigations Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office and foreign partners," the FSB said.

"As a result of the operation, 14 active members of the group have been caught red-handed. Eight were detained in Russia and six - abroad. In addition, more than 20 persons have been exposed who are involved in these illegal activities," an FSB representative said.

"It has been ascertained that a ramified network of recruiting agents was operating in the Primorye Territory and the Belgorod, Kostroma regions and other provinces of central Russia, who, using fraud and abuse of trust recruited women (mostly from problem families) for subsequent ferrying them to western Europe on tourist visas.

"The recruited girls were sent to Moscow from provinces, where visas were drawn for them from fake papers. Criminals then selected "safe routes" for ferrying them to Europe.

"In European countries, the masterminds of the criminal business forced the girls into prostitution.

"A criminal case was opened against the organizers of the illegal migration channel. The operations and search events continue," the FSB said.

RIA: Russia to launch Progress freighter to ISS

http://en.rian.ru/science/20091110/156777144.html

09:5810/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - A Soyuz booster rocket carrying the Progress-M freighter to the International Space Station (ISS) will take off from the Baikonur space center at 14:22 GMT on Tuesday, a Russian space agency spokesman said.

The freighter is carrying a MIM-2 scientific module for experiments on the ISS, the Roscosmos official said.

The MIM-2 module is the first of three components Russia is planning to add to the station in the next three years.

The module will be used in 10 new experiments at the Zvezda module and the Pirs docking station on the Russian segment of the ISS.

Russia's space corporation Energia, located northeast of Moscow, is currently carrying out checks of a MIM-1 module. In December, the module should be delivered to Cape Canaveral in Florida from where it will be launched to the ISS in a NASA space shuttle in May.

BBC: Russia to resume ISS construction

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8351163.stm

Page last updated at 21:49 GMT, Monday, 9 November 2009

By Anatoly Zak Science reporter

After a hiatus of almost a decade, Russia is set to resume construction of its share in the International Space Station (ISS) with the launch of a new module this week.

A Poisk ("Quest") Mini-Research Module-2 (MIM-2 in the Russian abbreviation) is set for launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday at 1422 GMT.

The spacecraft is essentially a twin of another Russian module - the Pirs Docking Compartment - added to the outpost in September 2001.

In the intervening years, economic problems kept further Russian pieces of the station on the ground and forced a significant scaling down of the Russian segment in comparison to its originally conceived architecture.

The MIM-2 module is only the first of three long-term components which Russia plans to add to the station over the next three years.

Another module, Mini-Research Module-1 or MIM-1, is currently undergoing final check-ups at RKK Energia, Russia's prime contractor for manned spacecraft. Energia is based in Korolev, near Moscow.

Multi-purpose module

Next month, MIM-1 is due to be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida. From here, it is to be launched to the station in the cargo bay of Nasa's space shuttle in May.

The MIM-1 spacecraft was recycled from the habitation section of the aborted science and power-supply platform (NEP). This platform was never completed due to lack of cash.

Despite their identification as research modules, the primary function of both craft is to provide four docking ports for the Russian segment of the station, which are needed to receive Soyuz and Progress transport ships.

After this year's increase of the outpost's crew from three to six people, the number of Soyuz spacecraft heading to the station is set to double from two to four annually.

At least two three-seat Soyuz spacecraft have to be docked to the station at all times to serve as a lifeboat for all crew members.

With the anticipated retirement of the shuttle within a year, and until the introduction of the Nasa's Orion spacecraft in the middle of the decade at the earliest, Russian Soyuz spacecraft would be the only way to transport people in and out of the station.

In addition to their function as "hallways" for the outpost, MIM-2 and MIM-1 sport interfaces for the installation of scientific instruments.

At the beginning of 2012, Russia plans to launch yet another long-delayed multi-purpose module, MLM, aboard a heavy-lift Proton rocket.

As one of its key elements, MLM would carry a European-built remote manipulator arm, known as ERA.

An 11m-long robot is expected to be deployed to shift up to eight tonnes of hardware, as well as astronauts, during assembly operations outside the Russian segment.

In order to add the MLM to the ISS, the Pirs docking compartment would have to be detached from its current position on the station and directed to a destructive re-entry into the Earth atmosphere.

Beyond 2020

Since Pirs currently serves as a "door" for all Russian spacewalks, all future work on the exterior of the Russian segment would be staged from the MIM-2 Poisk module.

With the improvement of the Russian economic situation, the nation's federal space agency, Roscosmos, started planning the development of two new modules, that would take on the responsibilities of the cancelled NEP science and power-supply platform.

Both spacecraft would feature specialised research labs and their own solar power systems. Provided sufficient funding were available, they would be launched to the station by Proton rockets in 2014 and 2015.

However, with the financial situation around the ISS looking clouded, Russia reserved the possibility of converting these new modules into the core of a new station, which could serve as a base for deep-space exploration in the following decades.

In June 2009, Simonetta Di Pippo, the European Space Agency's (Esa) director of human space flight, said she shared Russia's vision of the future space station as a platform for deep space missions.

"I have continuous consultations with officials in Russia. We meet every month to month-and-a-half, and now we are going to start joint work on the study for how to proceed beyond 2025," Ms Di Pippo said.

"We have a common idea that we would like to preserve a presence in [low-Earth orbit]. We are studying different scenarios, whether we need permanent presence or, maybe, a human-tended capability, and we can end up with a totally different solution in the end. But I don't believe we can leave Earth orbit."

Ms Di Pippo also said that although current Nasa plans for a return to the Moon left no major role for the station, that could change in the future.

"Even on the Nasa side, they have too many different developments (associated with Earth orbit) - including commercial involvement - which they cannot immediately give up," Ms Di Pippo said.

By the end of 2010, all partners in the ISS project expect to agree on an extension of the station's lifespan from 2015 to 2020 or even 2025.

Once a date for ending the life of the ISS had been decided, active planning for post-ISS manned spaceflight could begin in Russia, Europe and possibly the US.

RIA: Russian Tu-142 wreckage brought to surface in Tatar Strait


05:1210/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Pacific Fleet naval ships have brought parts of a Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed late Friday to the surface, local emergencies services said Tuesday.

"Overall, six large fragments of the Tu-142 fuselage have been brought up," a spokesman said.

Eleven people were on board the Pacific Fleet plane that went down during a combat training flight on Friday some 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the Tatar Strait, which separates mainland Russia from the Far East island of Sakhalin.

The remains of the plane were located on Saturday morning by several ships and planes at a depth of about 44 meters (144 feet). Fragments of human bodies have also been discovered. They will undergo a forensic medical examination.

According to preliminary data, the crash was caused by a technical failure.

http://www.prime-tass.com/news/show.asp?topicid=0&id=467508

Prime-Tass: Nov 21: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to make speech on overcoming crisis, post-crisis economy at United Russia rally in St. Petersburg

10.11.09 09:56 Interfax: Death penalty in Russia should be replaced with life imprisonment without the right to pardon, confident Mironov

http://www.interfax-russia.ru/main.asp?id=53337

/Google translation/ November 10. Interfax-Russia.ru - Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov believes that the death penalty in Russia should be commuted to life imprisonment, while convicted at such a penalty should not be eligible for parole and clemency.

"Society does not need the death penalty, but the certainty that no murderer will go unpunished, that the punishment would be inevitable, and all elements of crimes punishable by the death penalty today, there should be life imprisonment without the right of prisoners for parole and pardon - expressed his opinion Mironov on his blog.

Mironov remarks that return to the application of the death penalty if it is decided to abolish it would be easy, because, he says, "is a relatively inexpensive way to inspire millions, at the time of reconciling many people with environmental reality."

Meanwhile, the speaker stressed, much more difficult to make the punishment inevitable. In Russia, Sergey Mironov reminded annually carried about 12 million crimes registered as no more than 3,5 - 4 million offenses.

Official repeats law enforcement agencies about the sharp increase in detection of murders by themselves do not say anything, because we wanted every year there are over 120 thousand missing. This population is middle of the city ", - said Sergey Mironov.

In addition, each year is declared a wanted man over 70 thousand people. "We do not know the fate of almost 49 thousand missing, including almost 5,5 thousand disappeared in the past year. I'm sure many of them victims of the murderers who walk to freedom" - suggesting Mironov.

What is good about the death penalty if the murderer "all too often escape justice?", Asked the head of the Federation Council.

The speaker is absolutely convinced that the death penalty can not defeat crime and should be abolished.

10 November 2009, 10:36

Interfax: Fifty-six percent of Russians support death penalty poll


Moscow, November 10, Interfax - More than half of Russian citizens support the death penalty, but the share of death penalty advocates has somewhat shrunk over the past few years, a poll suggests.

Fifty-six percent of respondents, polled by the Research Center of the SuperJob.ru recruiting portal, said they accepted the death penalty as punishment for severe crimes and as a factor that could bring the grave crime statistics down in this country. They also argued that taxpayers have to keep murderers, rapists and pedophiles serving life sentences, which is unfair.

"Convicted murderers and hardened criminals, if the proof of their guilt is irrefutable, must not be kept at taxpayers' expense and they must be executed," advocates of the death penalty argue.

The share of those who advocate capital punishment is larger among men than among women - 62% to 48%. And citizens aged over 55 are especially enthusiastic supporters of the death penalty.

Twenty-five percent of those surveyed oppose capital punishment and they cited an imperfect judiciary and severity of the punishment as the reasons that should obstruct the introduction of the death penalty. An innocent person can be executed due to a judicial error, some argued. Others said that those sentenced to capital punishment would not have an opportunity to mend their ways, that execution was a murder, that supporting the death penalty was tantamount to a killing and that God alone could decide who must live and who must die, according to the poll.

Nineteen percent of those surveyed were undecided. "I don't know whether we can dispose of other people's lives," some said. "I am not against the death penalty, but Russia's immature laws and judiciary can lead to chaos," other said.

The percentage of those who deem the death penalty unacceptable has not changed since 2007 and is 25%. The share of supporters has gone down from 59% to 56%, the poll indicates.

The opinion poll was conducted on October 30 to November 2 in all federal districts. It involved 3,800 respondents aged over 18.

09 November 2009, 17:16

Interfax: Islamic encyclopedia to be printed in Russia, project costs 1mln. US dollars


Moscow, November 9, Interfax - The Fund to support the culture, science and education of Islam and the Turkish Islamic Research Center are going to jointly publish the Russian Islamic encyclopedia.

"The Russia Islamic encyclopedia, as expected in four volumes, will include articles on history, modern condition and development of Islam in the Russian Federation, activities of Muslim organizations and Islamic higher educational establishments," the Foundation representative told Interfax-Religion on Monday.

It is planned to publish 5 thousand copies, estimated value of the project is one million US dollars. The Foundation and the Islamic Research Center are to finance it in equal portions, the interviewee of the agency said.

The edition will be based on the Great Islamic Encyclopedia in 43 volumes that will be issued in Turkey with support of the Islamic Research Center.

As expected, work on printing the Russian Islamic encyclopedia will be conducted in two stages and will take three years. First, the edition will be adapted, updated and translated into Russian. Then, on the second stage, the edition will be printed.

Itar-Tass: Three people have died and four were injured in bus collision in the Republic of Dagestan


10.11.2009,01.20

ROSTOV-ON-DON, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - Three people have died and four were injured in a road accident involving passenger buses in the Republic of Dagestan. All the victims and the injured werre passengers of a Mercedes mini-bus which collided with a regular-route bus Neoplan, an official at the Southern regional center of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies has told Itar-Tass.

The incident occurred at about 23:00, Moscow time, on Monday, 240 km north of Makhachkala on the Federal Higway Kavkaz (Caucasus) in Tarumovka District of the republic. The circumstances of the incident are being ascertained.

Axisglobe: Search carried out in house of former Russian GRU battalion officer Musa Yamadayev

http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1943

09.11.2009The search has been carried out in the house of Musa Yamadayev, one of the Yamadayev brothers Chechen clan and a former officer of the Russian GRU Vostok battalion, radio Ekho Moskvy reports. Referring to the Investigatory Committee of the Russian General Prosecutors Office, news agency Interfax expands that this action was authorized by court within the framework of a criminal case. Musa Yamadayev is a suspect in the case on disappearance of the member of the GRU Vostok battalion, Alikhan Khaladov. Musa Yamadayev was repeatedly summoned to interrogations, however he never attended any.

The Jamestown Foundation: Moscow and Grozny Evince Growing Nervousness Over Regional Security

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=35713&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=8a78a2962e

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 206

November 9, 2009 03:02 PM Age: 9 hrs

Category: Eurasia Daily Monitor, North Caucasus Analysis, Home Page, Military/Security, North Caucasus , Russia

By: Mairbek Vatchagaev

Today, all Russias actions in the south are dictated by the increasingly active armed underground in the North Caucasus and Russias desire to oppose its growing influence on the regions indigenous population. In the summer of 2009 alone 462 acts of violence were reported, while throughout the whole of 2008 only 265 incidents were registered. As a result, more than 442 persons died in the summer of 2009, while there were only 150 deaths reported in the entire year of 2008 (www.regnum.ru, October 28). In other words, the number of acts reported throughout the region by Russia has nearly doubled.

That is why it is not surprising that despite the announced Russian troop level the opposite process is occurring. Troops are being redeployed to the region, in addition to the ones that have been there since the beginning of the second Chechen war in 1999. For example, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on October 29 that additional military units are being redeployed to southern Russia from the Moscow area. The 474th detached motor transport battalion was deployed to the town of Millerovo (Rostov oblast) from the town of Dmitrov (Moscow oblast). An anonymous North Caucasus Military District source also told the newspaper that a major reorganization will take place on the basis of Vladikavkaz-based 58th army, where the formation of an operational command is being completed. Instead of two divisions, the command will be comprised of seven motorized infantry brigades and one tank brigade. Until recently, there were two divisions in the 58thh army; the 19th and 42nd divisions, as well as several detached regiments, brigades and battalions. In addition to the two existing mountain brigades, the Botlikh brigade in Dagestan and the Zelenchukskaya brigade in Karachaevo-Cherkessia (www.news.km.ru, October 29), the formation of the 8th detached mountain motorized infantry brigade in Chechnya was completed (located in the village of Borzoi, which is just a couple of kilometers from the Shatoi district center). Besides that, the aviation divisions and regiments of North Caucasus Military District are being transformed into military airbases, each of which will have at least five squadrons at its disposal.

The official reason offered by Moscow for the troop buildup is the supposed weakness of the Russian army in the event of an attack from the south, insinuating an imaginary threat coming from Georgia. In reality, it is not so much about Georgia, which hardly can threaten Russia in any way, but about the overall situation in the region. Armed opposition is no longer seen as something ephemeral. Its roots have expanded into almost all the national republics of the North Caucasus. Taking into consideration the multi-million-strong diaspora abroad (primarily the Circassian diaspora in the countries of Turkey and the Middle East), Russia is trying to reverse the situation by ensuring that it has an absolute multiple-factor advantage in terms of military force.

Analysts have started speculating about the worsening of the situation in the region after the murder of this or that important civil society or political figure in the region. But aside from the famous people being murdered, news briefs are also reporting recurring victims within the local population. Numerous outrages are being perpetrated by unidentified armed people. In most instances those killed are presented as members of the armed opposition. For example, on October 31, three young Shahbiev brothers (Adam, Alsan, and Usman) were shot dead on the border of North Ossetia-Alania and Chechnya, near Mozdok. According to the authorities, they were all combatants and opened fire when they were pulled over. All three were killed, along with a policeman (www.regnum.ru, October 31). However, according to Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian Knot) website, all three were about to leave Russia for permanent residence abroad. This does not tally with the official version, since it makes no sense that they would have traveled with guns (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, November 1). It is worth noting that Zaindi Shahbiev, who was famous not only as a writer, but also as a civil society activist and successful businessman in Moscow, disappeared in February 2008 when he was on his way back home to the Shalazhi settlement of Chechnyas Urus-Martan district (Novaya Gazeta, June 26, 2008). This kidnapping and the decision of the Shahbiev brothers to leave Russia may well be connected.

More and more often, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is portrayed as participating in military counter-insurgency operations personally and performing the role of the planner of the militants liquidation. This was the case on October 31, when security forces in Grozny killed Ali Hassanov, who was accused of being the leader of the Chechen flatlands, which casts doubt over whether such a position exists inside the armed opposition. Kavkazsky Uzel reported on November 1 that in October alone the armed forces officially reported killing about 30 suspected combatants in Chechnya.

Meanwhile, not everything is going smoothly in Kadyrovs relations with his former ally, Ingushetias President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. Disagreements were noted between Kadyrov and Yevkurov regarding operations conducted in the contiguous republics. Kadyrov publicly expressed his displeasure, which caused irritation on the part of Yevkurov, who urged his Chechen colleague not to give him public counsel that he can do without (www.club-rf.ru, October 28).

At the same time, feeling offended by Akhmed Zakaev, who gave an interview to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Kadyrov declined to further pursue the London-based separatist leaders return home to Chechnya (www.bbc.co.uk, October 29). The very next day, on the tenth anniversary of the start of the second Chechen war, Chechnyas pro-Moscow parliament headed by speaker Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov issued an official decree regarding the dissolution of

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