IOC says Chinese athlete underage in 2000.

VANCOUVER, February 27 (Itar-Tass) -- China's female team may lose its
bronze medal from the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as one of the girls
concealed her true age, according to International Olympic Committee (IOC)
spokesman Mark Adams.
He said on Friday Dong Fangxiao was 14 during the Sydney Games,
according to an investigation by the International Gymnastics Federation
(FIG), while gymnasts must be 16 during the Olympic year.
The FIG has "cancelled" all of Dong's results and forwarded its
investigation to the IOC, which has to decide if China should lose any
medals.
"We can confirm that we have received the ruling from the FIG in the
case concerning Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun, and we take due note of their
decision," Adams said. "Clearly, we need to take time to consider the
findings before the Executive Board can consider the matter."
Yang has reportedly turned 16 in 2000. But Dong's accreditation
information for the Beijing Olympics listed her birthday as Jan. 23, 1986.
That would have made her 14 in Sydney.
The U.S. team was fourth in the event at the Sydney Games and may now
get the bronze medal.

.U.S. squadron to parade in Moscow on VE-Day.

WASHINGTON, February 27 (Itar-Tass) -- A unit of the U.S. armed forces
will parade on May 9 in Red Square in Moscow to mark the 65th anniversary
of the allied victory in World War Two, according to U.S. Assistant
Secretary of Defense for international security affairs Alexander Vershbow.
He confirmed it to Tass on Friday after speaking in the foreign press
center of the U.S. Department of State.
Vershbow provided no details, however informed sources told Tass a
unit of the U.S. armed forces up to a company is expected to participate
for the first time in the Victory Parade in Red Square together with a
U.S. military band. The servicemen will march in modern outfit and with
weapons.


.One killed, one wounded in Ingushetia liquor store.

NAZRAN, February 27 (Itar-Tass) -- The owner of one of the two
remaining liquor shops in Nazran, the capital of Muslim Ingushetia in
North Caucasus, was killed on Friday night after unknown gunmen opened
fire at the shop.
Police said shop owner Adam Bochalov died on the way to hospital,
while vendor Said Muzhekhoyev was wounded in the shooting and hospitalized.
Following a series of recent gunfire attacks on liquor shops only two
of them remained operating in Nazran.

.No casualties reported in strong Japanese quake.

TOKYO, February 27 (Itar-Tass) -- An earthquake force 6.9 hit Okinawa
Prefecture early on Saturday, but there were no casualty reports, Kyodo
News reported quoting Japan Meteorological Agency.
Kyodo said Okinawa prefectural police had received no information
about casualties, but there were reports about ruptured water pipes in
Naha city, the capital of Okinawa, and Nishihara town on the main Okinawa
Island.
The Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami, but lifted it
later. Kyodo said small waves of up to around 10 centimeters reached the
coast.
The quake originated around 10 kilometers underground in waters near
Okinawa Island.

.Chechnya to pay US$ 1000 for newborns on Prophet's birthday.

GROZNY, February 27 (Itar-Tass) -- Muslim Chechnya celebrated the
birthday of Prophet Muhammad on Friday and promised to pay a ruble
equivalent of one thousand US dollars for every newborn on the day.
However authorities conditioned the award by the names of the
newborns. Boys have to be named Muhammad, while girls should be called
after the Prophet's mother Aminat or after his wives - Aisha or Khadijah,
or daughters Fatimah, Umm Kulthum and Ruqayah.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov decided to celebrate the birthday of
the Prophet in 2011 at the international level and will invite heads of
Islamic states to the republic, according to Senator from Chechnya Ziyad
Sabsabi.
Representatives of Brunei, Algeria, Cameroon, Mali, Indonesia, Iran,
Libya, Iraq, Tajikistan and the Palestinian autonomy who participated in
Friday celebrations "expressed their admiration of the positive changes
that took place in the republic in a brief time and the high level of
celebrations of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, " the Chechen
presidential press service said.
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