Politics

MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - A drunk...

"The driver was stuck in his car," he said, adding that the driver of the Lada sedan had been hospitalized and the accident created long traffic jams.

Drunk driving caused about 2,200 traffic accidents in January-April 2009, according to official statistics, 18% less than in the same period last year.

The reduction could partly be explained by recently introduced tougher punishments for drunk driving, which now include imprisonment or long suspension of the driver"s license.

MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Hearings...

MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Hearings in the civil court case against McDonalds" for a burn caused by a cup of coffee began in the Butyrsky court of Moscow, lawyer Maxim Dombrovitsky, who represents the interests of injured Olga Kuznetsova, said. The company is sued for 100,000 rubles ($1=28.12R) According to Mr. Dombrovitsky, the representatives of McDonalds" intend to bring 14 witnesses to the next court session, "who can confirm that medical assistance was allegedly offered to Ms. Kuznetsova." The defense also intends to present a number of additional proofs at the hearing, he continued. According to Mr. Dombrovitsky, his client is seeking compensation for first and second degree burns caused by the spilled coffee. Ms. Kuznetsova is also demanding 500 rubles for medical treatment. The plaintiff is also demanding that a penalty of 100,000 rubles be imposed on the restaurant as compensation for moral damage. Mr. Dombrovitsky said that in the McDonalds" in the town of Khimki, near Moscow, his client overturned a tray after being hit by the entrance door and spilled hot coffee on herself. The respondents have not pleaded guilty in this action, since the cups with coffee bear a warning inscription saying that coffee is hot, Mr. Dombrovitsky added. The McDonalds" report, received by RIA Novosti, contains a similar statement. The report also makes it clear that the company "regrets that a burn was received" but "does not see any faulty actions by the McDonalds staff which caused the damage." There are world precedents of actions filed against McDonalds. The most famous trial, named The Case of McDonalds" Coffee, became widely publicized after in February 1992, 79-year-old Stella Liebek from the state of New Mexico in the U.S. got a third degree burn from hot coffee. She sued McDonalds, and the court ruled that the latter pay $2.9 million to her. However, this sum was later reduced to $640,000.

A delegation of top-ranking Bolivian officials...

A delegation of top-ranking Bolivian officials will visit Moscow on April 26 for talks on energy, military and industrial cooperation, Bolivian President Evo Morales has said.

A Cambodia-flagged cargo ship with 24 Russians...

A Cambodia-flagged cargo ship with 24 Russians on board has been stranded in the Sea of Japan after the main engine failure amid a snow storm, a local sea rescue center official said on Friday.

Name:
Site address:	http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits (spam protection):