Storm warning issued in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, March 22 (Itar-Tass) -- A storm warning has
been issued in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula as a powerful
cyclone which hit the island of Sakhalin on Sunday approached Kamchatka's
southern coast, the local meteorological service told Itar-Tass on Monday.

The strongest winds were reported in Kamchatka's south-western coast.
Windflows of 37 meters per second were registered near the settlement of
Ozernovsky. Wind velocity in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky reached 25 meters
per second. From 10 to 20 percent of an average monthly fallouts were
registered in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yelizobsky district. Snowstorms
are reported throughout Kamchatka's entire southern part, meteorologists
say.
Meanwhile, the cyclone is shifting northwards, and snowstorms and
strong winds are expected to grip Kamchatka's northern regions until March
24.
No emergencies or accidents were reported.

.130 people saved from cars stuck in snowdrifts on Sakhalin.

VLADIVOSTOK, March 22 (Itar-Tass) -- A total 130 people were saved
from motor vehicles stuck in snowdrifts on Russia's Far Eastern Sakhalin
island, local emergencies service told Itar-Tass on Monday.
A total of 35 motor vehicles, including two KAMAZ trucks, got stuck in
snow banks near the villages of Okhotskoye and Vostochnoye (Sakhalin's
southern areas).
According to reports coming from Sakhalin, the height of snow banks
reaches 1.5 meters. Snow is accompanied by strongest winds. This is the
most sever storm in the past few years.

.Chelyabinsk lawmakers to vote on new governor.

CHELYABINSK , March 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Lawmakers of the Chelyabinsk
region on Monday will vote on Mikhail Yurevich as the Russian president's
nominee for the post of Chelyabinsk region governor.
The candidature of Chelyabinsk mayor Mikhail Yurevich was submitted to
the Chelyabinsk Legislative Assembly by the Russian president on March 15.
The list of nominees submitted to the president by the United Russian
party, which is holding the majority of seats in the local parliament,
included five names: member of the Russian State Duma lower parliament
house Mikhail Grishankov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Andrei
Dementyev, Vice-Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Yuri Klepov, Deputy
Minister of Regional Development Roman Panov and Chelyabinsk Mayor Mikhail
Yurevich.
Mikhail Yurevich was born in 1969 in Chelyabinsk. He graduated from
the Chelyabinsk State Technical University (now South Urals State
University) majoring in civil engineering. He was founder of Makfa
Agro-industrial Association. In 1999 and 2003, he was elected to the
Russian State Duma and was member of the United Russia faction. Since
2005, Yurevich has been mayor of Chelyabinsk. He is also member of the
regional political council of the United Russia party.
Since 1996, the Chelyabinsk region has been headed by Pyotr Sumin, 63,
whose term of office expires in April. In early March, Sumin asked the
Russian president not to nominate him for another term in office, saying
younger people should be involved in regions' administrating.

.Pinkov to take office of Ulyanovsk mayor.

ULYANOVSK, March 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Alexander Pinkov, who won the post
of Ulyanovsk mayor in the March 14 elections, takes office on Monday, a
source in the mayor's office told Itar-Tass.
Pinkov, first deputy chairman of the Ulyanovsk region government, was
nominated for the mayor's post by the regional branch of the United Russia
party and scored 39.1 percent of the vote. His rival, Alexei Kurinny from
the Communist Party, scored 27.8 percent of the vote. A total of six
contenders vied for the mayor's post. The voter turnout was 33.7 percent.
Alexander Pinkov was born in 1952 in Ulyanovsk region. He graduated
from the Ulyanovsk branch of the Kuibyshev (now Samara) Planning
Institute. For many years he worked at the Ulyanovsk automotive works,
ascending from inspector to first deputy director general.

.PACE members arrive in Russia to monitor its CE commitments.

MOSCOW, March 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Members of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe Andreas Gross of Switzerland and Georgy Frunda of
Romania, who are responsible for a report on Russia's fulfilment of its
Council of Europe commitments, arrive in Moscow on Monday.
Gross and Frunda will meet with speaker of the Russian State Duma
lower parliament house Boris Gryzlov and will visit Russia's Ministries of
Foreign Affairs and of Justice, and the Prosecutor General's Office, said
Leonid Slutsky, deputy head of Russia's delegation to the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe and first deputy head of the State Duma
international committee. "It will be the first visit to this country in
order to look into fulfilment of its obligations to the Council of Europe.
The visit will last till March 24," he said.
Russia is one of the Council of Europe's five biggest payers with an
annual contribution exceeding 25 million euros.
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