Dakar-2010 race starts in Buenos Aires.

BUENOS AIRES, January 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The Dakar-2010 race has started
in the Argentinean capital on Friday.

The racers started from the Obelisk, a 67-meter-high pointed column,
which is considered the symbol of Buenos Aires and is situated on the
central and broadest street of the Argentinean capital - the Avenue of 9
de Julio.
The motor racers from more than 50 countries are to pass 9,030
kilometers, including 4,810 kilometers of high-speed sections. The race
route of 14 stages is running along Argentina and Chile. The racers will
finish in Buenos Aires on January 17. The race will be held in four
categories between 50 trucks, 138 cars, 184 motorbikes and quads.
The Russian truck team KAMAZ-master, which is the eight-time winner of
the most prestigious motor race in the world, will compete in the category
of 'heavyweights'. The Russian truck team traditionally has three crews,
including famous Russian pilots - the Dakar-2009 winner Firdaus Kabirov,
Vladimir Chagin and Ilgizar Mardeyev.
The leader of the Russian team Semyon Yakubov believes that the Dakar
race will be heavier this year since the organizers added more stages
running along Chile, where the competitors will face the desert and high
temperatures. According to him, the Russian team is striving to win, but
the Dakar race is unpredictable. "We do not rule out some accidents," he
told Itar-Tass.
The Dakar race is held in South America for the second year running.
In 2008 the race was cancelled in Africa over the threat of terrorist
acts. Therefore, the organizers decided to move the Dakar race to
Argentina and Chile. However, they are still planning to bring the race
back to Africa.
According to Yakubov, "The Dakar race did not lose anything in its
authority, interest and its originality in South America, proving that the
professional organizing is more important than geography." Even if the
race were held in Australia, it would be Dakar all the same, he pointed
out. If earlier the race was named after its route Paris-Dakar, now Dakar
is a proper name. "This race can be held anywhere. I believe that it is
the best holiday of the motor sports in the world," Yakubov said. "The
race will be most likely brought back to the African continent, Africa, so
be Africa, though I do not object to America anyway, it is interesting
here too and there is something to see," he added.

.Snow cyclone raging in Sakhalin.

VLADIVOSTOK, January 2 (Itar-Tass) -- A snow cyclone is raging on
Sakhalin, a strong avalanche hazard is forecast on Saturday, the press
service of the main EMERCOM department in the Sakhalin region said on
Saturday.
Three snow avalanches have already fallen down on the island in
January 2010. The avalanches rolled down on the railway, derailed a
diesel-powered locomotive and a snow remover. Three railway workers were
entrapped under the snow drift three meters high and about 80 meters long
overnight to January 1. One of them was found alive; the search for other
two railway workers is underway.
A team of rescuers is fighting its way to the accident area.
The visibility all round the island makes less than 500 meters with
the winds up to 22-25 meters per second amid the snow cyclone and the
blizzard. The Vanino-Kholmsk ferry line is closed until January 4.

.Russian rescue tugboat towing Victor freighter to Vladivostok.

VLADIVOSTOK, January 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian rescue tugboat Grif
started towing the Victor freighter to Vladivostok in the Sea of Japan
(the East Sea) overnight to Saturday. The rescue tugboat Lazurite is also
involved in the rescue operation providing for the safe towing of the
Victor freighter, all engines of which are out of order.
The Victor freighter with a shipment of Japanese-made cars left the
Japanese port of Otaru to Vladivostok. The Victor main engine went out of
order and the cargo ship was short of fuel on the New Year eve. The
Russian tugboats are towing the Victor about 70 nautical miles off the
Primorsky coast amid the storm with the waves up to four meters high.
According to the Vladivostok maritime rescue coordinating center,
first of all, the Victor should be towed closer to the coast, where it
will be possible to pass the fuel for auxiliary engines of the freighter
in distress. If the Victor puts these engines in operation the cargo ship
will be provided with electric power and heating supplies. After that the
Victor will be towed further to Vladivostok.
The Cambodia-flagged Victor freighter has the crew consisting of
Russian citizens. On December 31, the Far Eastern tugboat Captain
Gnezdilov was trying to take in tow the Victor drifting after the engine
failure, but failed to do it as the towing cable had broken down. A coast
guard patrol vessel was providing safety of the Victor in distress waiting
for the rescue tugboats. The freighter has drifted 73 nautical miles far
in the Sea of Japan (the East Sea) for the period of forced drifting.
-0-baz