News for June 29, 2005

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Supreme Court spanked for confusion (June 29, 2005) - Ten Commandments rulings leave ‘puzzling’ precedent With its contrary, split decisions yesterday on the Ten Commandments, the U.S. Supreme Court is building on a confusing trail of jurisprudence that strays from the Constitution, charged many conservative public defenders and activists. The high court, ruling on the issue for the first time in 25 years, allowed a Ten Commandments monument at the Texas state Capitol but struck down displays at two Kentucky courthouses. more...

Moscow, Beijing to sign declaration on world order (June 29, 2005) - Chinese leader Hu Jintao will arrive here Thursday to sign a joint declaration on world order in the 21st Century, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote in an article published in the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta Wednesday. “This is a crucial document that reflects the convergence of Russia and China’s fundamental positions on key issues in modern world order - our common view for the outlook of the development of humankind,” Alexander Yakovenko wrote. According to Yakovenko, the declaration will affirm the parties’ commitment to forming a new fair and rational world order and to increasing the role of the UN in international politics. Russia and China will announce the unacceptability of monopolizing global affairs, dividing states into those who lead and those who are led, imposing models for social development from the outside and applying double standards, he wrote. Yakovenko wrote the sides will urge the international community to combine efforts in order to create a new architecture of security by shaping a global strategy to counteract new threats and challenges under the UN aegis, the article reads. more...

Russia-Israel cooperation developing positively (June 29, 2005) -- Russia-Israel military and technical cooperation is developing positively, a Russian minister said Tuesday. Information Technologies Minister Leonid Reiman said Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov had met with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after a session of a Russian-Israeli inter-governmental commission. The Russian premier had said that bilateral military and technical cooperation was developing positively. At the same time, Reiman said there were problems in bilateral relations. “As compared with other sectors, there are problems with investment protection,” he said. “We have been discussing the text of an agreement for five years, but two points have become a stumbling blocks.” According to the Russian minister, Israel and Russia agreed to set up a special working commission on solving problems in the field of protecting investment in both countries. more...

Russia wants to build more nuke reactors for Iran (June 29, 2005) - - Russia wants to construct up to six new nuclear reactors for Iran, despite U.S. criticism of its assistance to the Islamic republic, Moscow’s top nuclear boss was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Russia has pressed ahead with construction of Iran’s first nuclear power plant near the southern city of Bushehr, dismissing Washington's belief that Tehran could use Moscow’s technology and know-how to make an atom bomb. “When Iran announces new tenders to construct nuclear reactors, we’ll take part in them,” Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia’s Atomic Energy Agency, told Itar-Tass news agency. “Tehran intends to build another six nuclear reactors.” Rumyantsev’s remarks came just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would continue developing nuclear ties with Iran after ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s election as president of the Islamic Republic last week. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. more...