Kiev in no hurry to answer pressing questions on downed airliner, Putin urges parties in Ukraine conflict to cease fire, New bio-satellite to go farther and for longer, Sanctions could impact Rosneft privatization, Russia says it backs international crash probe, Bolivia becomes first nation to legalise child labour from age 10. These issues in Voice of Russia's daily Press Review.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports that Anatoly Antonov, deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, has officially asked Ukraine's army major questions which would shed light on how the Malaysian commercial airliner was shot down. For instance, Antonov proposed that Kiev would produce a report on anti-air missiles in possession of the Ukrainian armed forces in order for the international experts to be able to determine which missile downed the Boeing-777 July 17. Quote “Answers to these questions would allow us – not only in Rusisa, but also in western and eastern nations – to attempt and find the answer to the main question: what exactly happened in the skies above Ukraine and what should be done to prevent this from ever happening again.” end quote Other questions include motivation for Ukraine placing the blame on militia, actions of Ukrainian flight dispatchers, and lack of interest in international cooperation, such as launching own investigative activity instead of collaborating with international parties. The daily notes that representatives of the Russian defense ministry highlighted that accusations of one of Russian-made Buk systems being the one to shot down the plane are groundless as no such hardware has crossed the border, and doing so covertly 'would have been impossible'.
On Friday Russia's President Vladimir Putin commented once again on the armed conflict in Ukraine's south-east, calling upon both sides to cease fire. Quote “All parties of the conflict must immediately cease military action and begin peace talks. It's necessary to facilitate direct contact between warring sides as fast as possible. We're in contact with Ukraine's president Petr Poroshenko, I hope he will be able to offer to the people of Ukraine and all people regardless of where they live this way of ensuring legal rights and interests which would lead to a complete, final and long-term peace on this land.” end quote. The daily notes that people in Russia are concerned with what is going on in Ukraine and asked Patriarch Kirill, head of Russia's Orthodox Church to assist in seeking out peace in Ukraine. Speaking during the celebrations marking the seven hundredth anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh, an important figure in Russian Orthodox Church, Putin highlighted the importance of spirituality and principles of St. Sergius in these trying times.
Five geckos, fruit flies, plant seeds and microorganisms were launched on Saturday, July 19, on the bio-satellite Photon-M, Moskovskiy Komsomolets writes. A representative of Roscosmos, Russia's Space Agency, told the newspaper that the objective of experiment is to monitor animal and plant life subjected to microgravity and other conditions experienced in Near-Earth orbits. The daily notes that comped to the previous bio-satellite Bion-M, which spent a month in space, Photon will be orbiting our planet for two months due to its using solar panels as a power source instead of chemical reactions. Moreover, the new engine allows the satellite to operate on a higher orbit – over five hundred kilometers from Earth's surface. The previous model was orbiting at only three hundred thousand kilometers. Apart from conducting bilogical experiments, Russian and German scientists launched a joint experiment to create semi-conductor crystals in microgravity. This will allow researchers to produce extra-clear crystals with improved structure, which may lead to better manufacturing.
The U.S sanctions against state-owned oil giant Rosneft may impact the planned privatization of a nineteen point five percent share in the company, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Saturday. The Moscow Times quotes Ulyukayev as saying: "The U.S. sanctions imposed on Rosneft, without a doubt, may affect the process of its privatization.” The daily reminds that with its latest wave of sanctions on Wednesday, the U.S. targeted both Rosneft and Novatek, Russia's largest independent gas producer. The companies were blocked from buying dollar debt with a maturity period of less than 90 days but otherwise are free to continue operations on U.S. markets and with U.S. companies. The state has been planning to reduce its 69.5 percent stake in Rosneft to 50 percent plus one share in 2015, the daily reminds. Ulyukayev said previously that the sale could even take place this year if market conditions were right. On Friday, Rosneft's shares closed at 231.75 rubles ($7) on the Moscow Stock Exchange, a drop of 9.4 percent from the previous week. Its share price was hit first by the announcement of sanctions and then by the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, which brought Russian shares down a total of 1.3 percent on Friday.
Russia said Saturday it supports a transparent international investigation of the downing of a Malaysian airliner. The Washington Post reports that U.S. and other Western officials said they saw no evidence Moscow was seeking to impose that message on its eastern Ukrainian militia who still control the site of the crash. In a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry “underscored that the United States remains deeply concerned” that international investigators were denied access, the article note adding that the a state department statement said that that victims and debris were reportedly being “tampered with or inappropriately removed from the site.” Meanwhile, a Russian statement said Lavrov and Kerry “agreed that all physical evidence, including the black boxes, must be made available for such an international investigation and that, on the ground, all necessary arrangements must be made for access by an international expert team.”
The Telegraph reports that while most of the world is trying to diminish child labour, Bolivia has become the first nation to legalize it from age 10. Congress approved the legislation early this month, and Vice President Alvaro Garcia signed it into law last Thursday in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was travelling, the daily notes. According to the newspaper, the bill's sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work, adding that the bill offers working children safeguards. The daily quotes Senator Adolfo Mendoza, one of the bill's sponsors: "Child labour already exists in Bolivia and it's difficult to fight it. Rather than persecute it, we want to protect the rights and guarantee the labor security of children.” The article explains that under the legislation, 10-year-olds will be able to work as long as they are under parental supervision and also attend school. It sets 12 as the minimum age for a child to work under contract; they also would have to attend school.
