.Russian bathyscaphes may stop Gulf oil spill - Captain.

LONDON, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian bathyscaphes Mir-1 and Mir-2
may stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Captain of the
bathyscaphes, Evgeny Chernyayev, said.
The bathyscaphes may go as deep as six kilometres under the water,
while the spill is at the depth of 1.5 kilometres only.
"Our equipment is unique," he said. "We have two bathyscaphes and they
may work simultaneously."
"They are powerful enough to have additional equipment," Chernyayev
continued. "There are only six apparatuses in the world which can go as
deep as six thousand metres in the water, and they are the two Mirs,
France's Nautile and Japan's Shinkai."
"It is well known, that Mir is the best of them, and our crew is
highly professional," he said.
However, the use of Russia's Mirs may be possible only if the BP
management addresses for assistance, or if a request comes from the US
government. As of today, no such requests were forwarded to Russia.
In the meanwhile, the BP engineers hope to mount another
1.5-kilometres' cupola to collect the oil and have it transported by a
pipeline to special tankers.


.Naryshkin voices Medvedev's welcome to Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk.

VITEBSK, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Head of Russia's presidential
administration Sergei Naryshkin at the opening of the XIX international
festival of arts the Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk voiced the welcome from
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev.
"Over the past years, the forum has become a bright cultural holiday,
and the number of its participants has been growing," Medvedev said. "This
year, about 5,000 prominent and beginning people of arts from 34 countries
have come to Vitebsk, and the rich programme of the festival attracts
millions of spectators."
"The festival reveals good opportunities to deepen the connections
among the peoples of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and many other countries and
it favours the humanitarian cooperation and the promotion of talented
youth."
The audience applauded to the wishes of success to participants and
great impressions to the spectators.
Naryshkin added from himself that "the atmosphere of openness and joy
has become a key feature of the festival."
"I am sure that this atmosphere is a secret of the forum's success,"
he said. "Like previously, Russia presents its modern arts here, and I am
sure that Russian people of arts will be a decoration of the festival."
"Back in 1992, the Slavic Bazaar started as a project to strengthen
the cultural contacts among historically close East European countries,"
Naryshkin said. "Nowadays, the festival features different peoples, unites
different continents with firm humanitarian connections and forms the
unique space of mutual understanding, respect and friendship, it lays the
basis of new traditions of international cooperation for the future of our
planet."
About 70 projects make up the programme of the festival - concerts,
plays, exhibitions, films. Over 5,000 participants and guests are
registered at the event. The festival will continue till July 15.


.Tokyo urges DPRK to avoid worsening situation in Korean Peninsula.

TOKYO, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Tokyo demands Pyongyang refrain from any
actions that may worsen the situation in the Korean Peninsula, a
commentary from Japan's Foreign Ministry said following the adoption of
the UN Security Council's statement on the sinking of South Korea's
Cheonan corvette in March.
Japan supports the statement and said that it "respects the
conclusions of the joint commission of experts on the research of the
reasons of the accident and the DPRK's responsibility, it expresses deep
concern of the UN Security Council and highlights the importance of any
further hostile actions like the attack."
"As far as Japan is concerned, it minds the interests of peace and
stability in the region and the whole world and takes the North Korea's
attack of the South Korean corvette as an unproved action, and, supporting
South Korea, Japan has favoured diplomatically to have such a statement
adopted by the UN Security Council," the foreign ministry said.
"We hope that the DPRK will consider seriously this united message
from the world community and we demand it refrain from any hostile actions
which may worsen the situation."
Japan's foreign ministry is prepared "to coordinate its further steps
with all the countries concerned, and first of all with South Korea and
the USA."
The UN Security Council has disapproved of the attack of the Cheonan,
but did not name the side to blame for it, Japan's observers say. The UN
statement said that the Security Council disapproves of the attack and is
concerned deeply about the event. The statement contains appeals to
undertake relevant and peaceful measures towards those responsible for the
accident. The Security Council acknowledges the DPRK's response that it
has nothing to do with the accident.

-0-kar


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