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EMERGENCY MEETING HELD FOR RUSSIAN MUSEUMS

The Presidium of Russia’s Museum Union is holding an emergency meeting in St. Petersburg on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the security and preservation of the most valuable art collections across Russia.

At the meeting on Monday, Mikhail Shvydkoi, head of Russia’s Agency for Culture and Cinematography, called for the creation of a full electronic catalogue of Russia’s vast museum resources.

Shvydkoi welcomed President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to form a commission to review and audit the collections of Russia’s museums. The commission, to include representatives of the Interior Ministry, the Culture Ministry, the security services and other state organizations, is due to start work on Sept. 1.

“The review will help to dispel a recent vicious myth about all museum directors and curators being thieves,” Shvydkoi told reporters on Monday. “The audit has to be carried out at high speed and completed within the next 15-30 years.”

Seventeen of the 221 artworks that were stolen from the State Hermitage Museum have been returned since their theft was officially reported on Aug.1.

Many of the items were recovered following anonymous tip-offs detailing where ...

RUSSIAN TAKES LAST HEAVYWEIGHT BELT FROM U.S.

LOS ANGELES — Oleg Maskaev scored a 12th round victory over Hasim Rahman to claim the WBC heavyweight championship on Saturday in Las Vegas, leaving the United States without a heavyweight champion.

Rahman, making his second defense, was the busier boxer throughout and had appeared headed for a narrow victory until the 37-year-old Maskaev came to life ...

Russia Uses Text Messages To Contact Chechen Rebels

GROZNY — Russia’s intelligence services have found a new way of getting a surrender appeal to Chechen separatist rebels — they are sending it on mobile phones by SMS text message.

Mobile phone subscribers in Ingushetia, which neighbours Chechnya, have begun receiving SMS messages from Russia’s state ...