Museum of a name of Pushkin in Moscow

MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The European...

MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - The European Union welcomes Russia"s commitment to the ongoing international fight against terrorism financing and money laundering, the deputy head of the European Commission"s delegation in Moscow said Thursday. Paul Vandoren said the European Commission and the Council of Europe will contribute 3.5 million euros ($4.5 million) through 2010 on a program to assist Russia in its continuing enforcement efforts. Alexander Seger, the head of the Council of Europe"s technical cooperation division in the Department of Crime Problems, said that Russia and the EU already have considerable experience working together to stop financial crimes. Russia is an active participant in the international fight against money laundering and a full-fledged member of the Egmont Group, he said, referring to the coordinating body for international financial intelligence units (FIUs) formed in 1995 to promote and enhance international cooperation in anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing. He said that international money laundering and terrorism financing registered a 15-fold increase in 2006 and early 2007 over previous years, although he did not cite any specific figures for Russia.

MOSCOW, August 19 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian-U.S...

MOSCOW, August 19 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian-U.S. agreement on military transit to Afghanistan will go into effect on September 6, although the United States has not made any requests yet, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Moscow and Washington signed the deal on military transit via Russian territory, both overland and by air, on July 6 during President Barack Obama"s visit to Russia. Andrei Nesterenko said the agreement would formally enter into force only after the "legal procedure" was finalized, adding that with regard to Russia that meant its ratification by parliament. Until then, he said, its implementation would only be provisional. He also said the United States had not as yet specified "transit parameters or plans." The official said Moscow operated on the assumption that "Russian-U.S. transit cooperation will become a significant contribution to ensuring security, stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan." The Russian foreign minister previously said Moscow would have the right to inspect U.S. military planes overflying its territory. Sergei Lavrov also said the U.S. planned to make 4,500 flights to Afghanistan via Russian airspace. Russia already has bilateral transit deals with Germany, France and Spain, and also signed an agreement with NATO in 2008 on rail transit of non-lethal supplies to Afghanistan. The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has about 64,500 troops in Afghanistan, including 30,000 from the United States, under a UN mandate to give security support to the Afghan government and stop the flow of drugs from the country. There are a total of 62,000 U.S. troops in the country, with that figure set to rise by 6,000.

At least 41 people have been killed and...

At least 41 people have been killed and 106 injured by a female suicide bomber in Baghdad, Aljazeera news agency, citing the Iraqi interior ministry, said on Monday.