TV-6 TO BE RENOVATED
Izvestia, January 16, 2002, p. 3
On January 15, 2002, the collective of TV-6 made a decision to set up a new legal entity: the limited liability company TV-6. The decision was supported unanimously by 50 journalists and heads of branches of the TV company that will not be included in the new organization. Yevgeny Kiselev was elected general director of the new company.
Tatiana Blinova, Chief of the press service of TV-6, has said, “We have fulfilled all the organization operations and signed all the necessary documents.”
Today TV-6 will submit its documents to the Registration Chamber, after which it will ask the Media Ministry to give it a license for broadcasting. According to Tatiana Blinova, the procedure of registration may take from one week to 10 days. Journalists received the proposal to register a new legal entity from Media Minister Mikhail Lesin right after the decision of the Supreme Arbitration Court on liquidation of TV-6.
GROUND TROOPS PUTTING ON BLUE HELMETS
Izvestia, January 16, 2002, p. 4
Lieutenant General Valery Yevnevich, Commander of the Operative Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria, has been appointed by President Putin’s decree to the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Troops. He will be responsible for activities of peacekeeping forces. This decision was a logical consequence of the president’s last year’s decision on giving peacekeeping functions to the newly founded command of the Ground Troops. Previously these forces had been controlled by the Airborne Troops.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Troops General Nikolai Kormiltsev has announced that Yevnevich has a good experience of administrating large military detachments, as well as an experience of communicating with international public and military organizations. He has accumulated this experience in Transnistria.
Yevnevich is expected to start fulfilling his new duties in ten days.
VOLOSHIN INSPECTING PRESIDENTIAL ENVOYS
Izvestia, January 16, 2002, p. 4
On January 17, Chief of the Presidential Administration Alexander Voloshin is to arrive in Yekaterinburg. His trip is related to the upcoming congress of presidential envoys that will take place in a week in the Kremlin.
Voloshin’s trip to the Urals is a notable event because he rarely travels to the provinces.
Voloshin will conduct two conferences in Yekaterinburg: with the authorities of the administration of the Ural presidential envoy and with authorities of federal structures of the Ural Federal District.
BALLOT-BOX CONTROLLED
Trud, January 16, 2002, p. 2
Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Alexander Veshnyakov has commented on results of presidential elections in the republics of Yakutia, Adygeia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and the Altay Territory. He said that the thorough and effective public control has made the elections in these regions successful. He has stated, “No serious infractions have been registered.”
The experience of the CEC will soon come in handy during the election in North Ossetia scheduled for January 27. Some problems have been noticed there already. The local prosecutor’s office and the Interior Ministry of the Republic of North Ossetia have reported to the CEC that one of the candidates for presidents of the republic, Mr. Khetagurov, has presented incorrect information about himself. In return his supporters are threatening employees of the republic’s election commission and members of their families, which has disrupted one meeting of the commission. The situation in the republic is being tensed by means of illegal pickets. Veshnyakov has announced in this connection: “If a candidate has arguments, he should propose them not on a square but in the court. There he should explain why he uses different passports, presents false data about his residence, and answer other questions that law enforcement agencies will ask him.”
GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE PROBLEM OF WAIFS
Rossiiskaya Gazeta, January 16, 2002, p. 1
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov to take urgent measures to solve problems of homeless children. He stressed that this problem has become a disgrace of the country and is leading to a threatening growth of juvenile delinquency. On Tuesday, the president gave the same errand to Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko, who chairs the Interagency Commission for Teenagers’ Affairs.
According to estimates of the government’s experts, there are about one million homeless children in the country, and 90% of them have living parents. Every year the number of adults deprived of parental rights growth. In 2001, there were 43,000 such people.
Currently, there are over 700 asylums for homeless children in Russia and almost 1,500 children’s boarding schools. However, this number is certainly insufficient. Besides, it is impossible to solve this problem only by this method.
In the opinion of Vladimir Putin, the problem is handled ineffectively so far. It is necessary to handle in at all levels, both formally and informally, but it is the government that should control this process.
