Ted Turner to introduce his book in Moscow Tue.

MOSCOW, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - American billionaire Ted Turner, the
founder of the world's first round-the-clock news channel CNN, is to
introduce his book of memoirs, entitled "Call Me Ted", at the Gorbachyov
Foundation here on Tuesday.

The book was published in 2008. It immediately became a sensation and
was put out in a print run of one million copies. In the book Turner
relates his life, the career, and how he was progressing towards the
cherished goal. The author's narration is supplemented with the opinions
of his family members and friends -- ranging from Bill Gates to his
ex-wife, actress Jane Fonda. Turner also describes his decades-long
friendship with ex-President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachyov.
Ted Turner, 70, the man who accomplished a revolution in television,
has practically drawn away from media affairs lately. He engages in
charity projects connected with the efforts to deliver the planet from
nuclear and environmental threats. In particular, he donated $1,000
million to UN programmes. The management of large land possessions takes
much of his time. He owns 680,000 hectares of land, which makes Turner
America's major private landowner.
Along with the CNN, Turner founded a TBS and a number of other
networks. In Russia, the tycoon in conjunction with Eduard Sagalayev,
established the TV-6 television channel in January 1993. He became
director at the Time Warner Corporation in 1996 after it had purchased his
television network. Turner quit the directorship in 2006.
Turner is the founder and chief sponsor of the Goodwill Games, which
by their scope are comparable with the Olympic ones. They have been held
since 1986, once in four years. Turner is also known as a prominent
enthusiast of yacht sailing and winner of at least two regattas of world
stature. His fortune is estimated at several billions of dollars.

.EU upbeat about prospects for new accord with RF--Bildt.

WASHINGTON, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Prospects for a new agreement
with Russia are viewed with optimism in the European Union (EU), Carl
Bildt, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, who currently presides over
the EU, said in an Itar-Tass interview here on Monday.
Bildt expressed confidence that the forthcoming Russia-EU summit, due
to be held in Stockholm on November 18, will be successful. "We expect,
first of all, progress as regards a new agreement between the two sides,"
said Bildt who had arrived in Washington to attend a US-EU summit. He
said, "This concerns the economic, political and other sectors".
"We also expect to discuss a number of other matters, including the
European security initiative proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev of the
Russian Federation," the Swedish Minister said.
Bildt took part in a conference, organised by the Washington-based
Brookings Institution, on EU-USA cooperation and on energy sufficiency.
Within the scope of the forum Bildt and other participants were asked
about visa formalities between EU countries and Russia, especially the
Kaliningrad Region. All speakers expressed confidence that the problem
would be solved. Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said, in
particular, that his country discusses the subject with Vilnius so that
Kaliningrad Region residents could visit neighbouring Poland and
Lithuania. Optimism on that score was also expressed by Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood
Policy. She said a solution to the matter would meet the interests of all
the sides.

.RAS member, curator awarded Order of Rising Sun.

TOKYO, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Academician Mikhail Bogolyubov, member
of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Honorary Dean of the Department for
Oriental Studies of the St Petersburg State University, and Beata
Voronova, longtime curator and keeper of the stocks of Oriental graphics
at the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, have been awarded the
Order of the Rising Sun here on Tuesday.
They are among 61 representatives of 32 foreign countries and
territories who have been decorated with high awards by the government of
Japan.
The names of awardees, who made a great contribution to the
development of cultural contacts between their countries and Japan, were
traditionally made public on November 3, on the occasion of the
country-wide holiday, the Day of Culture.
A ceremony marking the presentation of the awards is to be held
somewhat later, on November 5, in the presence of Emperor Akihito.
Incidentally, this year three citizens of Japan were awarded the
Russian Order of Friendship.These are famous actress Komaki Kurihara,
Moriteru Ueshiba, president of the International Aikido Federation, and
Morihiro Iwata, Bolshoi Theatre ballet dancer.
In all, over the past 50 years, more than 30 people from Russia have
received Japanese state awards. Those were primarily cultural figures,
scientists, and people who study Japan professionally.
Rear-Admiral Vsevolod Rudnev, commander of the famous cruiser Varyag,
was the first Russian to be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.
-0-pop