vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #148 / Special reports / Reading article...

Fill those water jugs

Vladivostok residents can say good-bye to their hot water once more – and hoarding cold water may not be a bad idea. The mayor's office announced it will turn off hot water in the city because the municipal reservoirs are running dry due to a summer-long drought. City Hall says two typhoons would not be enough to correct the problem fully. Cold water will be decreased to only a few hours a day if it doesn't rain by August 22.

Oops. There goes the radioactive strontium

A lead container storing radioactive strontium dropped from a helicopter that was flying near Sakhalin and fell into the Sea of Okhotsk just north of the island August 11. The box weighed 2,300 kg and sank just off-shore. The Sakhalin Headquarters for Civil Defense said divers are working to pull it up but that it did not know how the accident occurred. The material was headed for a nearby meterological station, to be used as a power source.

Governor declares no outside income in 1996

Governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko released his income information for 1996, following President Boris Yeltsin's recent decree for top officials to do so. Nazdratenko's sole source of income was his political post, for which he earned 73.7 million rubles ($12,700) per year. The governor claimed he has no bank accounts and no securities. He owns a plot of land in the suburbs worth 7.2 million rubles ($1,200) and an apartment in town worth 297.2 million rubles ($51,400). Nazdratenko says he owns no cars, dachas or airplanes.

Immigration cracks down

Primorye authorities are clamping down on Chinese and North Korean transit into the krai. Chinese will be denied entry unless they can document their purpose, since they often stay to trade, says the krai migration service. North Korean contractors, who used to have free access, will now have to provide a list of their workers and a copy of their Russian contract.

Fake booze causes deaths this summer

Forty people died from contaminated vodka in Vladivostok in the last three months, according to the city's epidemiological center. Doctors say the problem is due to the fake vodka sold in many kiosks around town.

Krai in bad state, says federal government

A federal commission on Primorye says the krai's overall state of affairs is "unsatisfactory." The man who temporarily solved the krai's energy crisis, Sergei Kiriyenko of the energy ministry, says "key points" in his plan have not been followed. For example, coal workers who filled more than their quota for July still haven't received their salaries.

English is important for Vlad doctors

Vladivostok doctors recently found out they need to learn English. A group of American doctors came to deliver supplies and training. But the training fell through because so few of their colleagues spoke English. Now the Peace Corps will offer free English classes in 15 medical institutions throughout the city.

Russia, Chechnya, strengthen ties

President Boris Yeltsin and President Aslan Maskadov of Chechnya met Aug. 18 to discuss relations between Russia and its rebellious territory. The two leaders said afterwards that they share strategic interests, but Yeltsin declined to sign a treaty recognizing Chechnya's independence. However, Chechen will get more autonomy.

Chechens free Russian reporters

Three Russian journalists from national television station NTV were freed from Chechnya Aug. 18 after being held hostage since mid-May. On Aug. 17, two captive employees from TV station VID returned home. VID Senior Manager Alexander Lyubimov proposed that all Russian TV companies stop sending their employees to Chechnya in the future. He also estimated there are 300 "professional" kidnappers in Chechnya.

Top official murdered in St. Petersburg

Mikhail Manevich, vice-governor of St. Petersburg, was assassinated while riding in his car with his wife Aug. 18. Police think the hit-man shot from an attic on Nevsky Prospect because the bullets came through the car's roof. President Boris Yeltsin has ordered the Federal Security Bureau (former KGB) to investigate. Manevich was in charge of the city property committee, which is overseeing privatization. Officials say he was under pressure from criminal groups.

Mir crew faces more challenges

Problems on the Mir continued Aug. 19, as the crew attempted to fix the computer and reposition the station toward the sun. The recent computer failure resulted in the loss of solar positioning and therefore power. All systems except life support were down. NASA is now debating whether to continue sending replacement crews, as it recently did, to let the original ailing astronauts return to Earth.

Sports club took billions from state

The National Sports Fund, an umbrella organization for professional athletes, allegedly stole 37 trillion rubles ($6.4 billion) in state funds just in 1995, charges the federal audit chairman. Yury Boldyrev said the Fund abused its customs-refund privileges on imported sports equipment by also receiving rebates on cigarettes and alcohol – a highly profitable trade in Russia. No criminal case has been opened yet.

Nemtsov is the people's man

First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov is Russia's most trusted politician, according to recently released results of a national opinion poll. Out of 2,322 surveyed, 32 percent said they don't trust any politicians, but 21 percent said they believe in Nemtsov. Alexander Lebed, former security council secretary, came in second, at 16 percent. Seven percent said they trust President Boris Yeltsin. The figures were all down from May. Western media speculate Nemtsov may be the next Russian president.