Drugs control service chief warns of national 'heroin pandemic'.

MOSCOW, January 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia these days is faced with a
real 'heroin pandemic' the director of the national federal drugs control
service FSKN, Viktor Ivanov, told an international conference this week.

"We have every reason to say a real 'heroin pandemic" is on. Over the
past twenty years the number of drug addicts in Russia soared twenty
times. According to different estimates, this is equivalent to some two
million, and ninety percent of them are heroin addicts," Ivanov said.
The heroin that is being brought into Russia is of foreign origin.
"It arrives exclusively from Afghanistan, which has become an absolute
leader in its production," he warned.
"Afghanistan provides twice the amount of heroin the whole world
produced just ten years ago," he said. After NATO's invasion of
Afghanistan opium poppy harvests have grown more than 40-fold, although
before that the Taliban had managed to reduce it practically to zero.
"Heroin is a most powerful instrument causing degradation,
pathological dependence and eventual premature death. It kills a person
over five to seven years," Ivanov said.
According to his sources, up to seven billion doses of heroin are
brought to Russia every year.
"They are killing our youth and our future. Heroin addicts abandon
families and society. Afghan heroin is our River Styx, the river of death.
Society must be told loudly and clearly - the nation is big trouble and
there must be a proper response," Ivanov said.

.Ukraine's outgoing president dishes out awards to his entourage.

KIEV, January 30 (Itar-Tass) -- In his last days in office Ukraine's
outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko has begun to lavishly dish out awards
and titles to people who have been taking care of his comfort in everyday
life throughout his term of office, Ukrainian mass media said on Friday.
The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise was awarded to the chief of the
presidential office Roman Demchenko, first deputy chief of the
presidential secretariat, Alexander Shlapak, and director of the National
Institute of Strategic Studies under the presidential office, Yuri Ruban.
Employees of the presidential property department over the past few months
have enjoyed a downpour of awards. The newly declared holders of the title
of the Hero of Ukraine are Yuri Kosyuk, a business partner of the chief of
the presidential property department Igor Tarasyuk, and "their creature in
the seat of the agrarian policies minister, Yuri Melnik, and his
father-in-law Mikhail Zubets." The title of the honorary worker of the
services industry was awarded to the latter's son, Nikolai, the manager of
state-run President-Hotel. Also, Yushchenko awarded the "national" status
to the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences, of which Mikhail Zubets is
president.
According to the daily Ukrainskaya Pravda the president has paid with
state awards for the services of the chiefs of the department of state
bodyguards. The Order of Merit was conferred upon Pavel Alyoshin, the
chief of Yushchenko's bodyguards. Alyoshin's way up the career ladder is
remarkable. Just five years ago he was a lieutenant, attached to
Yushchenko. Last December he was promoted to colonel. The presidential
bodyguard's breathtaking promotion was in gross violation of the rules of
military service in Ukraine, Ukrainian mass media say. According to their
sources "several more high-profile decrees due soon are expected to
prolong the list of the Hero of Ukraine title holders with more people
from Yushchenko's entourage."
Presidential press secretary Irina Vannikova has offered this comment:
"This is a constitutional right of the president. Go and read the
Constitution, which says that the president has the power to award state
decorations, establish presidential awards and confer them upon those he
deems right."

.Gazprom builds up stake in Germany's gas distribution concern.

BERLIN, January 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has
increased its stake in Germany's gas distribution concern Verbundnetz Gas
AG by 5.26 percent. The decision to sell an extra share package to Gazprom
was made at an early general meeting of VNG in Leipzig on Friday.
The stake that was previously owned by Berlin's EEE-Erdgas Transport,
will be handed over go Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom-Germany. The Russian
gas giant's share in the VNG is growing to 10.52 percent. The transaction
is still to be authorized by the federal authority for control over
cartels (Bundeskartellamt).
EEE-Erdgas Transport is a 100-percent daughter company of the French
gas concern GDF Suez, which has been a shareholder of the VNG since 1992.
The VNG is Europe's third largest gas importer. The fuel supplies come
from Russia, Norway and other countries. The concern services mostly major
consumers.

.Duma to ease visa procedures for those with close relatives in RF.

MOSCOW, January 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's State Duma on Friday
adopted in the first reading of a draft law aimed at eliminating problems
foreign citizens and citizens without citizenship with close relatives in
Russia (parents or spouses) encounter when applying for entry visas. The
initiative was authored by a group of legislators under the chairman of
the State Duma's constitutional legislation and statehood construction
committee, Vladimir Pligin.
The bill is introducing amendments to the current legislation that
empowers the heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices to issue
visas to foreign nationals and citizenshipless people to issue visas on
the basis of written applications from Russian citizens - spouses or their
parents.

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