Anti-communist Congressman dies at 94
Published: 31 August, 2007, 21:24
Charles Vanik
Charles Vanik, a former Democratic Congressman, has died in Florida at the age of 94. He co-sponsored the controversial Jackson-Vanik Amendment in 1974, which forbade normal trade with communist states which stopped their citizens from emigrating.
The ruling is still applied to Russia, despite the country's move to a market economy and the lifting of emigration restrictions. It has proved a key barrier to Russia's entry to the World Trade Organisation.
Critics of the Amendment continue to call for its abolition, saying it amounts to trade discrimination and is irrelevant since the end of the Cold War.
31.08.2007, 16:14
Tourist fined for illegally buying souvenirsA court in Central Russia has ordered a Chilean woman to pay a fine of 15,000 roubles (around $US 580) for illegally buying state medals and awards. The 29-year-old student says she had no intention of breaking any laws or harming the country's interests. |
31.08.2007, 21:43
Shake-up for Russian fishing industryVladimir Putin says it's time to restructure Russia's uncompetitive fishing industry. The President says the country is selling its produce 'dirt cheap' abroad before importing processed fish at inflated prices. Visiting a sturgeon fishery on the Caspain |
