.Russia pledges further counter-terrorism efforts - Churkin.

UNITED NATIONS, May 12 (Itar-Tass) - Russia considers dangerous any
attempts of establishing political contacts with extremist leaders in
Afghanistan and beyond its borders, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told
a meeting of the UN Security Council by chairs of the committees on
counter-terrorism.
The diplomat urged all states to take measures against the individuals
and entities on the consolidated list in compliance with the relevant
resolutions.
He expressed concern over the growing links between the Taliban and
Al-Qaida in Afghanistan and beyond.
Churkin stressed the key role of the Counter-Terrorism Committee in
consolidating and raising efficiency of international efforts towards
eliminating 'black markets' of weapons of mass destruction.
He affirmed the importance of keeping weapons of mass destruction out
of the hands of terrorists.
He pledged Russia's continued efforts to support these measures and to
cooperate with other CIS member-states in that area.



.Zhirinovsky's lawyers appeal against fine for defaming Luzhkov.

MOSCOW, May 12 (Itar-Tass) - Lawyers of the Liberal Democratic Party's
leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, appealed against the court's decision that
sentenced the latter to a one million rouble fine for defaming Moscow city
mayor Yuri Luzhkov and the Moscow city government.
"We filed a cassation appeal asking the court to cancel its decision
as illegal and unjust," the Duma deputy speaker's lawyer, Sergei Belyak,
told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.
In late April Moscow's Savyolovsky court announced a sentence obliging
Zhirinovsky to pay 500,000 roubles to Luzhkov and another 500,000 roubles
to the Moscow city government.
Members of the Moscow city government filed a lawsuit demanding a five
million rouble compensation for Zhirinovsky's statements on TV that marred
their business reputation.
On October 25, 2009, the Television Broadcasting Company /VGTRK/ aired
Zhirinovsky's accusations of the Moscow city government's corruption and
criminality.



.PACE president to discuss human rights observance in Armenia.

YEREVAN, May 12 (Itar-Tass) - PACE President, Mevlut Cavusoglu, begins
his two-day visit to Yerevan on Wednesday to discuss democratic
development and observance of human rights in Armenia, the press service
of the republic's parliament told Itar-Tass.
Cavusoglu will meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
parliamentary speaker Ovik Abramyan, Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan
and leaders of different parliamentary factions.
He will also hold meetings with Ombudsman Armen Arutyunyan,
representatives of the non-parliamentary opposition and diplomatic
missions.
Cavusoglu will meet with the chairman of the parliament's permanent
commission for state legal issues, David Arutyunyan, who heads the country'
s delegation to PACE, and will discuss issues related to the investigation
of mass bloody clashes between police and civilians in Yerevan on March
1-2, 2008.
PACE adopted two resolutions on the issue and set up a monitoring
group to control their fulfilment.



.Captain of poaching vessel to spend three years in prison.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, May 12 (Itar-Tass) - Kamchatka's collegium
for criminal affairs has dismissed a claim against the court's decision
that sentenced the Russian captain of a Cambodian refrigerator vessel to
three years in prison for crab poaching.
The captain of the Ray ship will have to pay a 300,000 rouble fine for
violation of the fishing rules.
Lawyers of the captain tried to appeal against the decision of the
court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and to remit the sentence, a source at
the Kamchatka regional court told Itar-Tass.
In May 2009 the refrigerator registered in Phnom Penh illegally loaded
124,600 tonnes of crab.
The damage was estimated at 79 million roubles. Belize-registered
Global Ocean Shipping Ltd. will compensate for poaching.

-0-isk/


Delete & Prev | Delete & Next