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Main news of February 25

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A roundup of the main events of the past 24 hours. 25.02.2010, Sputnik International

2010-02-25T20:59+0000

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Main news of February 25

20:59 GMT 25.02.2010

A roundup of the main events of the past 24 hours.

WORLD

* Viktor Yanukovych has been sworn in asUkraine's new president in an inauguration ceremony held in the Ukrainian parliament

* New Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said that Kiev will build relations with both Europe and former Soviet republics,but will not form any military alliances either with NATO or Russia

* Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said he was happy that power was transferred to Viktor Yanukovych without excesses

* Azerbaijan renewed threats of military action to retake disputed Nagorny Karabakh over a lack of progress at talks with Armenia

RUSSIA

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that he and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would make a joint decision on the future of their "effective" ruling tandem

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he doesnot want the return of Soviet times

* Moscow expects a new nuclear arms reductiontreaty between Russia and the United States to be linked to Washington's plansto deploy missile shield elements in Europe, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

* Law enforcement agencies are unable to cope with rampant crime in Russia's volatile North Caucasus, the general prosecutor said

* A record flow of Afghan drugs is shifting toward Russia's North Caucasus on the back of a number of anti-drug trafficking operations in Pakistan, Russian drug control chief Viktor Ivanov said

* Russia's newly appointed chief of Ground Forces denied the country's plans to equip units in the northwestern military district with Iskander missiles later this year have anything to do with U.S. missile deployment in Europe

* Russia could grant amnesty to up to 300,000 convicts, releasing as many as 45,000 people from prisons, to mark the 65th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, a co-chair of the Russian Association of Lawyers said

* Moscow City Court sentenced a group of ultranationalist skinheads known as the White Wolves to six to 23 years in jail for a series of race-hate murders

BUSINESS

* Warsaw could get an additional billion euros ($1.35 billion) from Brussels in 2011-2012 as a reward for the country's dynamic economic growth in recent years, Polish Radio reported

* Despite widespread complaints and legal injunctions, Russia's largest mobile communications operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) continues to foist paid services on its customers without their consent or even their knowledge

* Over 600 Russian and foreign companies will take part in an international architecture and construction forum to open in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar

SPORTS

* For Russia, the 13th day of the Olympic Games in Vancouver lived up to its unlucky reputation. With no medals won on Wednesday, the country plunged to the 10th place in the medal count, and the crushing defeat from the Canadian ice hockey team ended Russia's hope of winning the Olympic medal it most desires

* Roman Pavlyuchenko will remain at Tottenham Hotspur after scoring four goals in less than one and a half games, the player's agent said in an interview

* China won gold in Short Track ladies' 3,000 m relay at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Canada's Vancouver setting a new World Record