Russia's Far East launches tsunami center.

VLADIVOSTOK, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian Far East opened a
tsunami center in Vladivostok on Friday that will decrease the warning
time from half an hour to one minute.
The center will monitor the sea across the whole Pacific coast of
Russia through dozens of stations located in Primorye region, on Sakhalin
and Kamchatka Peninsula.
The press service of the regional weather service told Tass the
tsunami center is operating in a test regime so far to streamline computer
software.
In the 20th century 5-meter high tsunami hit Russia's Far East four
times causing major damage. However scientists warn 10-meter high waves
may threaten the eastern coast of Primorye region because of major
earthquakes close to the western coast of Japan.

.Russian poaching captain sentenced for three years.


PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKI, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- A court in
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski sentenced the Russian captain of a Cambodian
refrigerator vessel to three years in prison for crab poaching on Friday.
The captain of the Ray ship will also have to pay a fine of 300
thousand rubles (10 thousand dollars).
The Ray refrigerator was detained in Russian territorial waters in the
Sea of Okhotsk in May 2009 after it illegally loaded 124.6 thousand tons
of crab. The damage was estimated at 78.9 million rubles.
Belize-registered Global Ocean Shipping Ltd. is to compensate the
damage.
The Ray refrigerator is under arrest. Its captain became the first one
in several years to get a prison term for poaching.


.Russian coast guards open warning fire to stop Cambodian ship.

VLADIVOSTOK, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian coast guards had to open
warning fire to stop suspected poaching fishing vessel flying the
Cambodian flag.
Sakhalin coast guard service said on Friday the Jae Su vessel was
spotted on Thursday near Cape Aniva in the Russian exclusive economic zone
and ordered to stop.
The fishing vessel attempted to escape and the Zabaikalie coast guard
ship had to open warning fire. After that the Jae Su stopped the engine.
The coast guard service said the crew comprised 12 Russians and four
Indonesians. Close to one ton of crab was found on the ship, as well as
four tons of Alaska Pollack, and one ton of herring. No documents
confirming the right to fish and carry the haul were provided.
Also on Thursday the coast guards detained another fishing boat flying
the Cambodian flag - the Mariner with 14 Russian crewmembers.
The Jae Su and the Mariner are escorted to the port of Korsakov for
investigation.

.CIS foreign ministers to discuss VE-Day celebrations.


MOSCOW, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- CIS foreign ministers will meet in
Moscow on Friday to discuss celebrations of the 65th VE-Day anniversary in
May and promotion of the Russian initiative for a European security treaty.
At a meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "the
ministers will consider a draft address of CIS heads of state to war
veterans and workers on the home front in connection with the Victory
anniversary," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.
"A deep exchange of opinions is planned on actual international
policy issues, in particular, concerning OSCE activities in the context of
Kazakh presidency in the organization in 2010, as well as the promotion of
the Russian initiative for a European security treaty," he added.


.Russia to ratify border protection deals with Abkhazia, SOssetia.

MOSCOW, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian State Duma will discuss on
Friday ratification of border protection agreements with Abkhazia and
South Ossetia.
The agreements with the two Caucasian republics whose independence
Russia recognized after Georgian armed aggression against South Ossetia in
2008 envisage Russian assistance in training border guards and developing
national border services. Russia receives the right to freely use the air
and sea space of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in protecting their borders.
Border protection efforts "are not aimed against third countries," the
documents say.
Agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia are valid for five years
and will be automatically prolonged for five-year periods if neither party
decides to terminate them.
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