Khimki forest on fire (Part 2)

Khimki forest on fire (Part 2)

"The stockpiled lumber in Khimki between Sheremetyevo Airport and the river Klyazma has been set on fire," a company spokesman told Interfax on Tuesday.

So far there is no precise information as to who set the lumber on fire and the extent of the blaze, he said.

The fire has spread to live trees, he said.

The arsonists used inflammable liquid, the company spokesman said.

Yevgenia Chirikova, the leader of the movement in defense of the Khimki Forest, told Interfax that "the forest has been set on fire by those who want the forest to cease to exist."

"We were warned as early as last year that they would do some of this. The season is fire dangerous now, and there are special instructions banning the work of heavy machinery in the forest at this time. But this machinery is working, and tonnes of fuel oil are stored there, while the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius. Everything will burn down soon," Chirikova said.

The Khimki Forest, through which a toll motorway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg is being built now, has recently become the arena of clashes between police and the organizations building the road on the one side and environment protection activists on the other. The forest defenders are protesting the project and believe the road construction would significantly damage the environment in this area.

va kk eb

(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)

05:35 20/07/2011ALL NEWS

Patriarch Kirill to make pastoral visit to Mordovia.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/188866.html

20/7 Tass 15

MOSCOW, July 20 (Itar-Tass) — Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is to arrive in Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, on Wednesday for a pastoral visit. This will be the Patriarch's first arrival in Mordovia, the land of his childhood years, in his capacity as Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

The future patriarch repeatedly made official and unofficial visits to Mordovia where his grandfather -- Reverend Father Vassily Gundyayev -- and grandmother -- Paraskeva (Parasceva) had lived for long and were buried.

During the three-day tour, the Patriarch will honour the memory of the relatives: on Thursday he will say a lity for the dead at the grandmother's grave at the city cemetery and on Friday a lity in the small village of Obrochnoye, Ichkalki District, where his grandfather lies buried.

On Friday, Patriarch Kirill will also visit the Kazan Klyuchevaya (water-springs) hermitage in Turgenevo Village, Ardatov District. The hermitage is part of the recently established (on May 30, this year, by a decision of the Holy Synod) Ardatov bishopric which encompasses the parishes of the eastern territories of the Republic: Ardatov, Atyashevo, Bolshiye Berezniki, Bolshoye Ignatovo, Dubenki, and Chamzinka Districts. During a tour of the Kazan Klyuchevaya hermitage, the Patriarch is to inaugurate a pilgim education center.

While in Saransk, the Patriarch is to attend festivities marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Saransk and Mordovian bishoprics, meet with the Head of the Republic, Nikolai Merkushkin, who has been awarded four orders of the ROC over 16 years of his work at this post.

A diocesan pilgrim center is to be ceremonially inaugurated in the St John the Theologian Makarov Monastery, with the Patriarch attending. Fragments of the relics of the reverend fathers of the Kiev Cave Laura are kept at the monastery.

The Primate of the ROC will also visit holy water springs of the Parasceva Ascension convent which is well known not only in Mordovia but also far beyond it. In 2005 the Patriarch, who was then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, visited the convent, after which font basins were built in the convent grounds in honour of Nicholas the Miracle-Worker and Rev. Serafim of Sarov.

During the tour, Patriarch Kirill will also visit several churches: the Kazan church in Romodanovo Township, Romodanovo District, the Church of St Dimitrius of Rostov in Ulyanka Village, Ichkalki District, the Church of St Michael of Arkhangelsk in the village of Ichkalki, and the Church of Nativity in Kemlya Township, Ichkalki District. The Patriarhc is to meet believers there and address them in a pastoral sermon. The Patriarch will consecrate cathedral of one of churches in honour of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hc2v-cwu3Jr6b6aRBkFB_13X982A?docId=CNG.aaeb0b1e1b33d1fff67122f964d94928.7d1

MOSCOW — One of Russia's most senior former nuclear officials has been arrested for allegedly pocketing state research grants and stealing other people's work off the Internet, a news report said Wednesday.

Yevgeny Yevstratov, who served as deputy general director of the Rosatom state nuclear corporation, oversaw a group that received some 50 million rubles ($1.7 million) in nuclear safety research assistance.

"However, instead of doing their own research, the corporation's employees downloaded scientific material off the Internet and pretended this was their own know-how," an unnamed nuclear official told Russian news agencies.

"And they pocketed the money," the official said.

It was not clear how many people Yevstratov oversaw or what charges he faces.

He served as deputy general director of Rosatom between 2008 and April 2011, when he was removed "in connection with a transfer to a different job", according to the corporation's website.

President Dmitry Medvedev has made innovation a key plank of his term in office, although Russia remains plagued by corruption and financial waste.

11:39 20/07/2011ALL NEWS

Rosatom ex-deputy chief detained on budget embezzlement suspicion.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/189039.html

20/7 Tass 98

MOSCOW, July 20 (Itar-Tass) —— The former deputy general director of the Rosatom state-run nuclear power corporation, Yevgeny Yevstratov, was detained on budget embezzlement suspicions, the chief of the Interior Ministry main department for economic security and corruption counteraction Maj. Gen. of Police Denis Sugrobov said on Wednesday.

Yevstratov has been in charge of nuclear and radiation security of nuclear power enterprises from December 2007 to April 2011, he said. “About at the same period of time (2008-2009) some 50 million roubles were allocated for the research at the nuclear power enterprises. However, instead of their own developments officials of the nuclear power agency were downloading the scientific materials from the Internet, were posing them as their own know-how and misappropriated the profit from this,” Sugrobov noted.

Meanwhile, he added that the detectives have found the documents proving the misappropriation of 60 million roubles, which were allocated in 2009 to build two facilities to dispose of the spent nuclear fuel.

Criminal cases were opened under Article 159 Part 4 of the Criminal Code for fraud.

The search and investigation continue, Sugrobov said. “Other criminal episodes are being investigated, including the misappropriation of the funds, which were allocated for modernization of Rosatom enterprises and research,” he said.

Upon the investigation results members of the organized criminal group will be charged.

11:28 20/07/2011ALL NEWS

Mayor of second biggest city in AltaiTer resigns.

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/189029.html

20/7 Tass 94

BARNAUL, July 20 (Itar-Tass) —— Anatoly Mosiyevsky - the mayor of Biysk, which is the second biggest city in the Altai Territory, has tendered his resignation, Altai Territory's Governor Alexander Karlin said on Monday.

On July 13 the Biysk Vostochny District Court ruled Mosiyevsky guilty of abuse of office in ten episodes. The indictment says that the Biysk mayor made entrepreneurs make voluntary contributions to the city treasury for a permission to entrepreneurial activities. The court gave a suspended three-year sentence to the ex-Biysk mayor. The court ruled Mosiyevsky guilty and banned him to occupy municipal posts.

"As far as I know, Mosiyevsky intends to file an appeal against the first instance court resolution. He might do it, but in a different status," Karlin said. The governor said "Mosiyevsky’s voluntary resignation was "the right step"." We have seen good things he did for the city and its residents, but both myself and the city population have many questions to this manager," the governor declared.

Anatoly Mosiyevsky became Biysk mayor in October, 2006. On April 4, 2010 he was re-elected to the mayor's post for another term.

Mosiyevsky was the last Biysk mayor elected to this post. His successor will be appointed on a contract basis by deputies of the Biysk parliament. According to the governor, in the nearest future the candidacy for the city manager will be determined to be then adopted by the Biysk city Duma; the head of the city will also be elected from the deputies.