#6150
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ORT Review
www.ortv.ru
Compiled by Luba Schwartzman (luba7@bu.edu)
Research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy
at Boston University
HEADLINES,
Thursday, March 21, 2002
- Russian customs officers detained a man who was trying to smuggle 33 objects of value including icons and a dagger out of Russia. In total, Russian customs officers seized more than $158,000 in undeclared money, valuables and vehicles over the past 24 hours; 7 criminal cases and 162 cases on customs violations have been initiated.
- Russia's Media-Union continues preparations for the competition for the best Russia-language radio station. Winners in 19 categories will be announced on May 7, National Radio Day.
- The city of Norilsk will be Russian President Putin's first stop on his 2-day tour of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Putin will visit one of Russia's largest metallurgic enterprises, Norilsk Nickel.
- Security Council Chairman Vladimir Rushailo announced that the presence of American military advisors in Georgia and Central Asia is justified in the context of the fight against international terrorism.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry published an official statement this morning accusing Georgia of taking unrealistic steps in the fight against terrorism and of preparing to use force to solve the conflict with Abkhazia.
- Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Dmitry Rogozin declared that the kidnapping of the Russian peacekeepers was "yet another attempt to draw Russia into a conflict on the territory of another state."
- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov promised that the Russian Cabinet will monitor child health and healthcare. Over the past 10 years, the frequency of childhood illness has increased by 25 percent.
- The Russian government reviewed the ten-year Concept for the development of the domestic automotive industry. The Concept provides about 500 billion Rubles ($16 billion) for making Russian cars competitive with imports. Prime Minister Kasyanov stated that it's possible that taxes on imported cars will be raised to 25% for new cars, 35% for cars 5-7 years old and 25% for cars more than 7 years old.
- New Central Bank Chairman Sergei Ignatiev gave an interview to the Vremya news show. He said that his main goals will be to continue the Central Bank's monetary-credit and exchange policy of the last few years, to prevent deviations in the exchange rate and, above all, to gradually decrease inflation.
- President Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to Aleksei Yagudin, who received a gold medal in the men's free skate event at the World Figure Skating Championships in Naganoto. Yagudin is now a four-time World Champion.
- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov discussed bilateral relations and international security issues, including the situation in the Middle East, with German Chancellor Joschka Fischer.
- Accounting Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepanov summed up the preliminary results of an investigation of federal budget spending in Chechnya at an away meeting in Grozny. After the meeting he told journalists that there have been cases of fraudulent construction deals with the private sector.
- Flood management exercises were held in the Volgograd oblast.
- Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov declared that the rejection of Leonid Grach's registration for the Ukrainian parliamentary election was politically motivated.
- Georgian Justice Ministry's special service officers were attacked with chemicals when they tried to evict 17 families of Kodor Gorge refugees from a chemistry building at the Tbilisi Scientific Research Institute. The refugees then set fire to the building.
- President Putin discussed the development of sports in Russia with hockey star Vyacheslav Fetisov.
- A major drug ring was busted in Ulyanovsk.
- Two assassination attempts were made today in the North Caucasus. Ingush Justice Minister Mavlat-Girei Dzagiev was shot in the leg. A bomb exploded by the house of Makhachkala's Sovetsky Region Prosecutor Magomed Urudjae, but the blast was small and no one was injured.
- Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko arrived in Pskov on a one-day visit for the celebration of the city's 1100th anniversary.
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