An annual study for the U.S. Congress finds that in 2005 Russia, for the first time, sold more arms to the developing world than the United States did, UPI said.

Russia’s sales included eight new aerial refueling tankers to China and surface to air missiles to Iran, The New York Times reported. Both deals make the U.S. government nervous because of the possibility of a crisis with China over Taiwan and with Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

The report, “Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations,” found that Russia’s arms agreements with developing countries came to $7 billion, up from $5.4 billion in 2004. France was second with agreements totaling $6.3 million and the United States just behind at $6.2 billion.

India was the largest buyer among developing countries. Russia’s largest customers were India and China.

The United States continued to rank first in total arms sales, followed by France and Russia.

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An elderly woman died after setting herself on fire in Russia’s St. Petersburg, news agencies reported.

The woman poured inflammable liquid all over herself and put it on fire. She received burns of 100 percent of skin and could not be saved.

Witnesses said the woman was behaving like a mentally ill person.

The incident took place in Yekaterininsky Prospect.

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Iran’s Presidential Advisor Mohammad Nahavandian said Iran-Russia cultural ties are important for establishment of peace and tranquility in the world, IRNA reported.

In a panel discussion on Iran-Russia cultural ties and its impact on Islamic world on Saturday, Nahavandian described the prospect of the bilateral ties ’good’ which should be used properly.

The panel discussion was held in the framework of International Conference of “Iran and Russia, Dialogue among Civilizations” under auspices of the Russian Presidential Office.

Stressing that three years have passed since the signing of cultural cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia, Nahavandian called for the evaluation of its outcome.
President’s advisor said the world situation is abnormal and full of tension adding, “In this situation, Iran-Russia relations can contribute to the peace in the world.”

He went on to say Iran and Russia can cooperate in three national, regional and international levels for which mutual understanding and relations are necessary.

Nahavandian set forth proposals for expansion of cultural ties between the two countries including; doing joint research projects in the higher education institutes, exchanging university professors and students, holding cultural days in the scientific centers and displaying art and constructive movies in both countries television networks.

Iran’s embassy cultural attache in Russia Mehdi Eimanipour was another participants in the panel discussion who emphasized the necessity of bilateral cultural cooperation between Iran and Russia.

Referring to the beginning of the work of the Russian Strategic Viewpoints and the Islamic World Group, the Iranian cultural attache said, “Experienced experts are working in the group and are trying to find ways to solve existing problems and expand ties of Russia and Islamic world.”

He said Russia’s intention to develop ties with the Islamic world has various internal and external reasons.

Internally, 20 mln Muslims living in Russia is an important factor and the weakening of the US and the west positions in the Islamic world, is a good opportunity for Russia to expand its presence among world Muslims, and in this concern Iran can be a good help to Russia.

Another speaker in the panel discussion was Iran’s Deputy of Culture and Islamic Guidance minister Mohammad Hadi Homayoun, who emphasized Iran’s increasing intention on dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Christianity.

He said, “By creating cultural studies courses and implementing joint research projects, the experts from Iran and Russia try to get acquainted more with both countries.”

Professor Alexander Logonov from Russia State University criticized both Iran and Russian text books and said, “Information about Iran and Russia is not sufficient and even unfriendly which does not conform with existing relations.”

He suggested that expertise groups of both countries cooperate in compiling text books.

The Russian professor also called for displaying of TV programs and movies about Muslims and Christians.

Sadeq Haqiqat, a professor from Mofid University in Qom, proposed exchanging university students and experts and holding cultural exhibitions to promote cultural cooperation.

Jahangir Dorri, a writer and a professor in Russian Military Academy also presented 3 proposals in this concern.

The proposals included, Considering information on Iran and Russia in their history text books, translating Iran’s contemporary novels in Asian and Africa Magazines and printing Russian and Persian literary books in both countries.

International conference titled “Iran, Russia, Dialogue among Civilizations” wrapped up its works Saturday after two-day discussions and exchange of views.

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Activists of several Russian youth movements gathered in Moscow downtown to protest against hosting Olympic games-2014 in Russia. Most sports of the winter Olympics are alien to Russia, and there is no need to plant foreign culture where there is lots of own nice traditions, activists said.

The protesters chanted “Seoul — yes! Sochi — no!” indicating that they saw South Korean city as a much more suitable bidder than Russia’s Sochi.

Many of the young people were wearing t-shirts with the Olympic bear, famous symbol of Russian Olympics, crossed out.

Sochi, a city on the Black Sea coast, bade to host the Games, and is now up against the Austrian city of Salzburg and the South Korean city of PyeongChang. However some youth activists, as well as environmentalists, are not at all happy about Sochi making it to the shortlist.

“Mountain skiing is an alien sport for Russia,” one of the action’s participants, head of Green Patrol in Krasnodar region, told RIA Novosti. “Russia keeps trying to take up alien habits and hobbies. ”

“Russia has own traditional winter sports — playing snowballs, making snowmen. Mountain skiing is an intellectual sport that will take ages to sink in Russia. This is why we think the Olympic Games should be held in Seoul,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russian environmental researchers have also voiced concern about the impact of staging the Games in Sochi. They say the sports venues worth billions of dollars that are to be built for the Olympics will seriously disturb migrating birds, who stop at the Black Sea bays on their way to the south.

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An official spokesman of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that schools should teach other theories of human creation apart from Darwin theory, but did not name any options.

Darwinism should not be presented at schools as the only scientific hypothesis of human origin, said the Secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate’s External Relations Department Michail Dudko.

“Obviously, this theory may be taught in school but not as the only scientific view on the origin of the world. Besides, Darwin’s theory contradicts Christian ideology according to which our world was created and did not evolve gradually”.

The official also noted that the Church’s point of view had the right to be presented in schoolbooks on equal terms with Darwin’s theory.

Dudko made the comments as a court in St. Petersburg started hearings into the lawsuit of a schoolgirl who said teaching Darwin’s in schools infringed her rights as a Christian believer. The girl, represented in court by her father, also claims that presenting Darwin’s theory as the only correct theory encroaches her human right to choose the point of view.

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Government authorities will ban Azerbaijan broadcasters from airing programs of the Voice of America, the BBC and Radio Liberty starting next year, the Associated Press news agency reported quoting a statement by Aziri broadcasting chief Nushirrin Maharramov.

The local broadcasters lack licenses allowing them to air programs of the foreign radio stations, said Nushirrin Maharramov, the head of National Broadcasting Council.

But opposition media denounced the move as part of a government campaign against the freedom of speech.

Pressure on independent media and attacks on opposition journalists are frequent in this oil-rich Caspian Sea state, which has been ruled with a tight grip by President Ilham Aliev since 2003, when he succeeded his long-ruling father in flawed elections.

Maharramov said that the ban would take effect Jan. 1. However, he said the British Broadcasting Corp. and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague, Czech Republic, would be able to continue using frequencies allotted to them by Azerbaijani authorities. He said officials are willing to discuss providing a frequency to Washington-based Voice of America.

“We are ready to provide additional frequencies to foreign radio stations if necessary,” he said.

Editors of leading opposition newspapers and media freedom advocates issued a statement voicing concern, and promised to launch a campaign against what they said was increasing official pressure on freedom of speech.

Ali Kerimli, head of a leading opposition movement, said the decision reflected government attempts to “restore the Soviet-style authoritarianism.”

Kerimli, who accused the government of trying to weaken the opposition and independent media ahead of the 2008 presidential election, said opponents were planning hunger strikes and pickets to protest the move in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

BBC World Service said in a statement it was “watching the situation carefully” and wanted “to continue to offer our listeners in Azerbaijan independent and impartial news and information.”

The move comes months after the Russian government curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs, a move that drew criticism about the state of democracy under President Vladimir Putin. But Russian officials said the matter is simply one of stations’ conforming with their broadcast licenses.

Both Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are funded by the U.S. government, but with an independent editorial board.

During the Soviet era, Radio Liberty was one of the few sources of uncensored information in the region.

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A Russian region has imposed a state of emergency after more than 400 people were taken to hospital and 15 died as a result of drinking tainted alcohol, the Reuters news agency reports.

The state of emergency was declared in the Pskov region, about 700 km (435 miles) west of Moscow, but other regions across the country also reported mass outbreaks of alcohol poisoning with dozens of deaths.

Public health officials who seized alcohol on sale in the Pskov region found it contained substances usually used in medicines, Channel One television said.

The substances react dangerously when mixed with alcohol, it said. The first cases of alcohol poisoning were reported three weeks ago. Many of the people who needed medical help are suffering from liver problems.

Prosecutors in Pskov region, which is on Russia’s border with Latvia, have opened a criminal investigation for selling food products unfit for human consumption, the channel said.

Russia’s is the world’s biggest consumer of vodka, but its penchant for the drink causes major health problems.

Thousands of people died each year from the effects of excessive drinking. Bootleg vodka —- which can often contain methylated spirits and other substances to boost its alcohol content —- is especially deadly.

In cases of alcohol poisoning elsewhere in Russia, 18 people have died in the Irkutsk region of Siberia in the past few days and 70 people are being taken to hospital with the symptoms every day, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

In the Ural mountains town of Kirov, 21 people have died from acute toxic hepatitis brought on by drinking tainted alcohol, Interfax news agency reported.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin defended national team coach Guus Hiddink and said there were too many foreigners playing in Russia’s domestic league, AP reports.

Putin, speaking Wednesday in his annual televised question-and-answer session, said the Dutch coach had a proven record.

“It’s not about the new coach, it’s about the way soccer is organized in Russia,” Putin said. “The coach that came to Russia to work on contract basis is a good specialist and he proved it in practice by working in various countries in the world.”

Hiddink, who was hired in April to coach Russia even though he was still the coach of Australia, has led both the Netherlands and South Korea to the World Cup semifinals.
This year, he took Australia to the second round, where it lost to eventual champion Italy on a late penalty.

Russia qualified for the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 European Championship but failed to advance to the second round. The team failed to reach this year’s tournament in Germany and has one win and two losses in three Euro 2008 qualifiers under Hiddink.

Putin suggested that the Russian league was the problem, and that it should impose a quota on foreign players.

“This number should be limited, because when a national team is being composed, there is nothing to compose it from,” Putin said. “This excessive quantity of (foreign) players suppresses the growth of young and talented players.”

Precise figures were not immediately available, but several Russian clubs have experienced an influx of foreign players.

Last year, CSKA Moscow became the first Russian team to win a European trophy. Brazilian players Daniel Carvalho and Vagner Love scoring two of the three goals against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup final.

Putin also said Russia lacks soccer fields and that more attention should be devoted to children who want to play sports, especially soccer.

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A sea-launched Bulava ballistic missile was self-destroyed several minutes after the test-launch due to a deviation from the preset trajectory, Russian Navy press service said on Wednesday.

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Britain and France on Tuesday presented a draft sanctions resolution on Iran to Russia and China, UN Security Council sources cited by Kyodo news agency said.

The sources said the resolution warns Tehran additional sanctions will be imposed under Article 41 of the UN Charter’s Chapter 7 if Iran continues to defy a UN Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment and sharply improve cooperation with the UN probe of suspect Iranian atomic activities.

According to part of the text read out to Kyodo News, the resolution said in part: “States shall take necessary measures to prevent the supply, sale or transfer directly or indirectly from their territories or by their nationals or using their flag vessels or aircraft to, or for the use in or benefit of, Iran and whether or not originating in their territories, of all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”

The resolution also says UN member states should also “take the necessary measures to prevent the provision to Iran of technical assistance or training, financial assistance, investment brokering or other services and the transfer of financial resources or services related to Iran’s nuclear or ballistic missile programs.”

Reuters news agency earlier reported that Britain, France and Germany on Tuesday circulated their draft sanctions resolution against Iran.

The three key European nations took the action after failing to reach agreement with the United States, splitting over such issues as a U.S. demand that Russia be forced to halt work at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, the report said.

The draft exempts “construction” of Bushehr and appears to allow some 1,500 Russians to continue working at the site in southwestern Iran, Reuters quoted a European diplomat as saying.

The United States and its European allies said Iran’s nuclear program is designed to make weapons while Iran insists its nuclear program is for energy production.

The Associated Press said in a dispatch from Vienna that the Western moves are narrowly focused in hopes of winning Russian and Chinese backing for sanctions.

A Security Council resolution passed last week imposed similar sanctions on the sale or transfer of technology that could contribute to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs after that nation’s Oct. 9 nuclear test.

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