Kremlin chief says cooling of relations over between Russia, Japan.

TOKYO, December 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Kremlin chief-of-staff Sergei
Naryshkin believes the latest period of strained relations between Russia
and Japan over Kurile islands is over and the dispute can be resolved only
in a benevolent atmosphere.
Asked whether the cool period in bilateral relations has passed,
Naryshkin told reporters on Friday: "Yes we can say that."
"We have discussed it with Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan and we
have concluded that the approach to the solution of the territorial issue
can be found only in a benevolent atmosphere. To reach a compromise we
have to raise cooperation between our two countries to a new level,"
Naryshkin said.
"A trust-based dialogue is underway and my meetings with leading
Japanese politicians confirmed that," he added.
Bilateral relations have cooled after President Dmitry Medvedev
visited a South Kurile island claimed by Japan which triggered tough
response from Tokyo.
"From the very beginning the inadequate reaction of the Japanese side,
including the public, to the trip of the president to South Kurils was
hard to comprehend as it is a duty of the president of any country to meet
the citizens living on its territory," Naryshkin said.


.Zatuliveter challenges deportation from UK.

LONDON, December 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Yekaterina Zatuliveter, who has
been arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of espionage, filed an
appeal on Thursday against arrest and deportation to Russia.
An aide to Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, Zatuliveter, 25, said
British authorities failed to provide any evidence her work was not
"conducive to national security", according to lawyer Tessa Gregory.
British intelligence service MI5 has the job of "protecting the
security of this country and I respect that," Zatuliveter said in a
statement released by Gregory.
"I fully cooperated with them when they questioned me. I have nothing
to hide and was only doing my job as a parliamentary researcher," she said.
Gregory said Zatuliveter is a highly educated woman who has been
wrongly painted by British media as a "honey trap Russian spy who has used
her feminine charms to infiltrate Parliament."
On Thursday British authorities informed the Russian embassy
Zatuliveter was detained for breaching the immigration law of the United
Kingdom. No espionage charges were mentioned.
Alexander Sternik, charge d'affaires at Russia's embassy in London,
said Zatuliveter, 25, was legally resident in Britain and held a valid
visa.

.Russia unveils commemorative plaque to Kim Philby spy.

MOSCOW, December 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Director of the Russian Foreign
Intelligence Service (SVR) Mikhail Fradkov on Thursday unveiled a
commemorative plaque in downtown Moscow to Kim Philby, a high-ranking
member of British intelligence who spied for the Soviet Union and defected
to Moscow.
The ceremony took place at the building of SVR press service in
Ostozhenka Street and was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei
Ivanov, Philby's widow Rufina Pukhova, and intelligence veterans - Hero of
the Soviet Union Gevork Vartanyan and Heroes of Russia Alexei Botyan and
Alexey Kozlov.
Harold Adrian Russell 'Kim' Philby (1 January 1912 - 11 May 1988) was
exposed in 1967 as a member of the spy ring now known as the Cambridge
five. He is believed to be the most successful in providing secret
information to the Soviet Union.

.White House hopes new START to be ratified this year.

WASHINGTON, December 10 (Itar-Tass) -- The White House predicted on
Thursday the new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia will be
ratified by the Senate this year.
"I think START is going to pass by the end of this year with a pretty
big bipartisan vote," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told a
regular briefing.
Ratification needs 67 of 100 votes in the Senate and Democrats need at
least nine republic votes in support.
Gibbs denied allegations the White House plans to trade START
ratification for estate tax abolition demanded by the opposition.
"That's not true," he said.
"I think we're going to get a vote for a number of reasons, not the
least of which it's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do for
our relationship with Russia and our relationships in the world. It's the
right thing to do to cut our deployed nuclear stockpiles," Gibbs said.

.Sochi to cut through rail-road tunnel for Olympics.

SOCHI, December 10 (Itar-Tass) -- A gala cut-through ceremony will be
held on Friday at the first 2.5-kilometer long road-railway tunnel which
is to link Black Sea coast with 2014 Olympic venues in the mountains.
The railway will be able to carry 8.5 thousand passengers an hour
while road vehicles will add up to 11.5 thousand passengers.
The tunnel system between Adler and Krasnaya polyana entails a 2.2km
road tunnel, a 2.5km rail tunnel and a 2.3km escape tunnel. All in all
the system foresees 50km roadworks and railways that will play a vital
role in Sochi 2014 Olympics and will comprise 26.5km of road, rail and
escape tunnels and more than 35km of bridges and trestles.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and Russian Railways CEO
Vladimir Yakunin will attend the cut-through ceremony.
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