Over 60 prc of antimonopoly law violations in 2008 committed by

MOSCOW, July 11 (Itar-Tass) -- In 2008 Russia's Antimonopoly Service
exposed 30 percent more violations of the competition law than in 2007.

The service exposed a total of 7,200 violations in this field, a
government official said.
The government will hear a report on the state of competition at its
meeting on July 13.
A larger number of cases - 6,500 -- were opened last year in
connection with violations of the competition law, representing an
increase of 40 percent from 2007.
In the structure of violations, 60.5 percent of them were committed by
authorities, the official said, adding that 23 percent were related to
abuse of the dominating position on the market, and over 5 percent were
unfair competition cases.
The official said that the government would also assess the results of
work to collect fines for violations of antimonopoly legislation.
Over one billion roubles worth of fines were issued for violations
connected with overstated prices for aviation kerosene. The fines were
imposed on Gazprom Neft, Rosneft and TNK-BP Holding.

.Patriarch Kirill to visit Ukraine July 27 - August 5.

KIEV, July 11 (Itar-Tass) -- Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia'
s visit to Ukraine will promote church unity and help overcome divisions
in Ukrainian Orthodoxy, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
said in an appeal to the clergy and believers.
The Synod called for "praying for pacifying the passions that have
lately been fanned over the visit by ill-wishers" and for meeting Kirill
"as am archpriest who brings peace".
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will visit Ukraine from July
27 to August 5. He will make a trip to Kiev, the Kiev Cave Monastery, the
Pochayev and Svyatogorsk lavras and Khersones, the place where Prince
Vladimir was baptised.
The patriarch will attend celebrations marking the 450th anniversary
of the presentation of the Pochayev miracle-working Icon of the Mother of
God to Volyn and the 350th anniversary of the uncovering of relics of St.
Iov of Pochayev.

.ESPO pipeline begins to be filled with oil from Talakan eastward.

IRKUTSK, July 11 (Itar-Tass) -- Work has begun to fill a new section
of the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline with oil.
The section runs from the Talakan field to Lensk in Yakutia. It's
total length is over 300 kilometres. The section has undergone hydro tests
and has been examined from the inside, Vostoknefteprovod, a subsidiary of
Transneft, told Itar-Tass on Friday.
Oil will be provided by the head pumping station Taishet in two stages
with a 24-hour break: at first from the 1,102nd kilometre to the 1,250th
kilometre, and then from the 1,250th kilometre to the 1,420th kilometre.
The first stage of the ESPO is expected to be commissioned by December
2009. It runs from Taishet in the Irkutsk region to Skovorodino in the
Amur region.
After the first phase of the ESPO pipeline, Transneft will start its
second phase to port of Kozmino in the Primorsky Territory. An extension
to the border with China will be built before that.
The first export shipment of oil from the special oil terminal Kozmino
is scheduled for December 2009.
The initial phase of the ESPO pipeline is designed to transport 30
million tonnes of hydrocarbons a year. After the pipeline has been
extended to the Pacific, its capacity will increase to 80 million tonnes.
Oil will be supplied from Western Siberia and oil fields in the
Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk region, and Yakutia.
The construction of the second phase of the Eastern Siberia - Pacific
oil pipeline may begin in the second half of 2009.

.Defend Georgia movement created in Georgia.

TBILISI, July 11 (Itar-Tass) -- A new pubic movement called Defend
Georgia was presented in Tbilisi on Friday.
Prominent theatre director Robert Sturua, actress Ninel Chankvetadze,
film director Keti Dolidze, legendary chess player, five-times world title
winner Nonna Gaprindashvili are members of the new organisation.
A number of politicians without patty affiliation, including former
presidential candidate in the 2008 election Levan Gachechiladze and former
State Minister for Conflict Resolution Georgy Khaindrava, have also joined
the movement.
Internationally renowned writer Chabua Amiredzhibi, the author of the
novel "Data Tutashkhiya", has become the honorary chairman of the new
movement that has also been joined by a number of public organisations.
"Georgia is on the brink of an abyss, and if this process is not
stopped, nothing will be left of the country. Our movement should keep
Georgia from falling into the abyss," Gaprindashvili said.
According to Chankvetadze, "Members of the movement will oppose not
only the authorities, but also, if need be, of the opposition to make sure
it makes no mistakes in the struggle for a peaceful change of power and in
the subsequent revival of Georgia."
Gachechiladze said earlier, "The movement is being created for the
purpose of consolidating society for a peaceful change of power in the
country, and for the appointment and holding of free pre-term presidential
and parliamentary elections."
-0-zak/