Third round of talks on child adoption deal begins.

NEW YORK, June 15 (Itar-Tass) - The third round of Russian-American talks on a new international adoption agreement opened at the level of experts at the U.S. State Department on Monday.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Phillip Crawley said that the main
aim of the talks was to work out a deal that would provide for more
reliable protective mechanisms for children and families in the process of
adoption.
A court hearing into the case of Russian boy Vanya Skorobogatov that
was held in the York County (Pennsylvania) on Monday proved how urgent the
problem really is. Seven-year-old Vanya died tragically in the United
States in the summer of 2009. His adoptive parents, Michael and Nanette
Cravers, were charged with criminal homicide under aggravating
circumstances and are now standing trial. However, none of the two
pleaded guilty at Monday's hearing.
Asked by the judge whether the defendants considered themselves to be
guilty, the Cravers' lawyer answered that they didn't. Both Michael and
Nanette kept silent.
At the same time, the York County prosecutor confirmed that he would
continues demanding a 'death penalty' for the Cravers, given the boy's age
and the misery he had to tolerate while living with his adoptive parents.
The next court hearing on Vanya Skorobogatov's case is scheduled for
September 22.
Sergei Logachev, a counsellor of the Russian General Consulate in New
York, told Itar-Tass on Monday that the court was expected to announce the
final verdict on September 22.

. UN Security Council condemns violence in Kyrgyzstan.

UNITED NATIONS, June 15 (Itar-Tass) - The United Nations Security
Council has condemned the recent violence in Kyrgyzstan and has urged to
end the bloodshed.
"Members of the United Nations Security Council condemn the ongoing
violence in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan," said Mexico's ambassador to the
United Nations Claude Eller after the emergency hearings held behind the
closed door on Monday.
The U.N. Security Council members supported efforts to deliver relief
aid to the needy people in southern Kyrgyzstan. They are calling for calm
and the restoration of the rule of law.
The residents of Osh confirm that humanitarian aid has now started to
arrive in the devastated city, but it's not reaching everybody. It was
quieter in the streets of Osh and Jalal-Abad on Monday evening. The
shooting had stopped but the situation remains tense. The city residents,
irrespective of nationality, are gathering in volunteer groups to protect
their neighbourhoods but they are helpless in front of militants who have
snipers in their ranks.
Kyrgyz nationals have taken Osh and the adjacent suburbs under full
control. Ethnic Uzbeks have barricaded themselves in their villages and
are afraid of going out.
Shops are being looted in Osh and Jalal-Abad.
Local civilians, including the Russians, Bashkirs, Tatars and
representatives of other ethnic groups, are panicky. They hope for the
earliest arrival of Russian peacekeepers.
On Monday, the Kyrgyz interim government announced that it had
detained an organizer of the recent unrest. He turned out to be Paizull
Rakhmonov, the ex-governor of the Jalal-Abad region who had always been
close to the family of ousted President Bakiyev.
In the meantime, Uzbek refugees continue fleeing Kyrgyzstan. They are
women, children, old people and the wounded. The Kyrgyz authorities have
put the number of refugees at 6,000 while the International Committee of
the Red Cross has given a figure, which is ten times higher. Officials in
Tashkent claim Uzbekistan has accepted about 100,000 refugees.
Mass disturbances flared up in Osh on the night to June 11. They
spilled to Jalal-Abad the next day. The interim government in Kyrgyzstan
imposed a state of emergency and a curfew in the area of clashes. The
Kyrgyz authorities sent additional forces of the Kyrgyz Defence Ministry,
Interior Ministry, internal troops as well as volunteers to Osh and
Jalal-Abad. They received orders to shoot to kill if there is a threat to
their lives and the lives of civilians.
Partial mobilization has been announced in Kyrgyzstan. Reservists from
southern regions are joining the Kyrgyz army.
Nine hundred foreigners and students have been evacuated from the
conflict zone.

. North Korean leader attends concert of patriotic songs and poems.

PYONGYANG, June 15 (Itar-Tass) - The families of servicemen of several
units of the Korean People's Army have given a concert for North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday that the repertoire
included patriotic songs and poems glorifying the Korean People's Army
during the Songun revolutionary years.
Kim Jong-il praised the "rich ideological content of the songs." He
also liked the artists' bright presentation, which he described as an
example of revolutionary upbringing of the people.
The North Korean leader was accompanied by a large group of military
leaders and party officials.

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