Chagin's KAMAZ team wins in 4th stage of Dakar Rally.

SANTIAGO, January 6 (Itar-Tass) - Vladimir Cagin's KAMAZ team retains
the lead as a result of the fourth stage of the 2010 Dakar Rally that is
taking place in Argentina and Chile these days.

Chagin covered the 203-kilometre counted high-speed section of the
route, which crossed into Chile from Argentina on Tuesday and which ended
in the city of Copiapo in the country's north, in 1 hour, 53 minutes, and
36 seconds. Chagin's teammates Firdaus Kabirov and Ilgizar Mardeyev are
second, 7 min, 44 sec, and 11 min, 50 sec behind the winner, respectively.
Tuesday's win is particularly gratifying to Chagin who celebrates his
40th birthday. Russian KAMAZ trucks remain in the lead in the same order
in overall classification as well.
In the automobile category, the situation somewhat changed during the
fourth stage of the rally. The leader of the race, Frenchman Stephen
Peterhansel (BMW) ceded the lead to American Robby Gordon (Hammer), who
is now in the lead in overall classification. Peterhansel is second and
Nasser al Atiya(Volkswagen), a Qatari, is third.
In the motorcycle division, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) retains the lead,
and is followed up by Frenchmen David Caste (Cherco) and Cyril Depres
(KTM).
Localenvironmentalist organisations greeted theracers'arrivalin
Chile withportests. Foraseocndyearinsuccession they hav ebeen strognly
protesting gaitstheholdingofhteDADalar Rally intheareaontheground
thatmotorvehicles infolictanirretrievabvledamage onthefragile
econsystmesof theChileandesets and thearcheologicalmonuments inthe that
the hisgeographicalredions.
Chileanecologistsareof theopinoin thtthe vehicles taingpart
intherally consume tentimesasmuchfule asordinary ones,whichresults in a
muchgreater amount of harmfulsubstance dischargedintotheatmosphere. At
theend oflastyear local ecologiclorgnasiations applied to jiudicialbodies
seekingtoachieve ban ontheocnductof Dalar RalyinChiebut met with arefusal.
Mariano Rendon,leder othe Ecpological Actioorganisations,said Tuesday
tat ecologist intend to stage larg-escaele protestdeosntrations shortly
todattract att thelocalpopulation's attentiontothethem.

.Belarus, RF teams lead at int'l amateur ice hockey tourney.

MINSK, January 6 (Itar-Tass) - The teams of Belarus and Russia have
emerged as leaders in groups at the current VI Christmas international
amateur ice hockey tournament for the prize of Belarussian President
Alexander Lukashenko here on Tuesday after two days of competitions.
Belarus outperformed Ukraine, 10-5, in Group A on Tuesday. The
Gazprom-Export team, who represent the Russian Federation, won a landslide
victory over Germany, 18-3, in Group B. The Belarussian and Russian teams
now have to their credit two wins each. One can say with a hundred percent
certainty that it will be these two teams to play in the final of the
tournament.
The results of the other matches on Tuesday are as follows:
- Switzerland vs. Slovakia, 10-2 (Group A)
- Finland vs. Canada, 7-4 (Group B).
Last matches are to be played in the groups on Wednesday, January 6:
Ukraine vs. Switzerland, Germany vs. Finland, Belarus vs. Slovakia, and
Russia vs. Canada. The final match and a match for the third place are to
be played on January 7.

.121 journalists killed worldwide in 2009-- NGO PEC.

GENEVA, January 6 (Itar-Tass) - One hundred and one journalists were
killed in the world in 2009, according to a study circulated on Tuesday by
the non-governmental organization Press Emblem Campaign (PEC). Last year
saw the largest number of press people's deaths ever since the
Geneva-based PEC began to compile such estimates, the study said.
Thirty-three percent more journalists were killed in 25 countries in
2009 than the year before (91 people). The largest number of journalists
(38) were killed in the Philippines, with 31 journalists being executed
within one day in November. They were covering the election campaign in
the southern province of Maguindanao.
PEC points out that there has been no improvement in the situation in
this respect in Mexico, where 13 journalists died "in the fight against
narcotics and their trafficking". Somalia, where nine pressmen were killed
within the year, is third in the list
Marked improvements in this respect have come about in Iraq. Although
six journalists lost their lives there in 2009, this was a fraction of
death toll in past years (50 people in 2007, for example).
PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen has pointed out that ten
journalists were killed in 2009 every month on average by armed or
criminal groups, governments or as a result of terrorist acts.
The non-governmental organization has announced that it is planning
once again to urge the United Nations Council on Human Rights to convene a
special session to discuss matters concerning the protection of
journalists.
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