Executive at Russian Automaker AvtoVAZ Stabbed To Death
■ SAMARA (RIA Novosti) - The head of procurement at Russia's largest carmaker, AvtoVAZ Vyacheslav Shirshov, 36, was stabbed to death last week in his apartment building in Togliatti, in the Volga region, local investigators said.
Investigators believe the attack may have been linked to Shirshov's professional activities. Shirshov oversaw contracts on raw materials for AvtoVAZ and selected suppliers. Togliatti has a reputation for turf wars between criminal gangs seeking control over the lucrative auto industry.
Newborn Babies Dumped In Chelyabinsk's Trash
■ CHELYABINSK (RIA Novosti) - A newborn baby was found in a garbage chute Friday in Chelyabinsk, in the Urals, a police source said.
This is the second such incident in the city in a week and the fourth this year. On February 15, the corpse of an infant girl was found in a garbage can.
In the latest incident, a garbage collector noticed the body of the newborn baby boy, who was wrapped in two plastic bags, tumbling down the rubbish chute, and immediately called the emergency services. Medics were unable to save the baby, who died from hypothermia and blood loss as his umbilical cord had not been properly clamped.
Lemur Smugglers Caught In Southwest Russia
■ ROSTOV-ON-DON (RIA Novosti) - A group of smugglers were caught red-handed by customs officers in Belgorod, a city in southwest Russia, with exotic monkeys in their baggage on Ukraine's border with Russia.
"Several men were transporting lemurs in their car," a spokesman for the customs office said.
International trade of this species is prohibited by CITES (Conven-tion on International Trade in Endangered Species). The would-be smugglers could get an estimated $5,000 for the animals, the spokesman added. The lemurs are currently housed in the Belgorod Zoo. Police are continuing their investigation.
British TV Reporter Attacked In Moscow
■ MOSCOW (MN) - Television reporter Neil Harvey Robert, 32, British national, was beaten and robbed near the Orekhovo metro station in Moscow on Saturday and taken to a city hospital.
Unidentified attackers hit him on the head approximately 20 times before taking his cash. According to the medical experts, the victim will have to stay in the hospital for a minimum of 21 days. An investigation is underway. This marks the third time a foreign TV reporter was attacked in the capital.
In December 2007 BBC Corporation applied to Russian Foreign Ministry asking to investigate two cases of attacks on its reporters.
