Gdansk, Poland, world leaders remember start of WWII.

GDANSK, September 1 (Itar-Tass) - Memorial ceremonies dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the start of World War Two are held here on Tuesday.

The ceremonies will be attended by the Heads of Government and Foreign
ministers of the European countries that survived in the most terrible
war in the history of mankind.
The ceremonies will be hosted by Polish President Lech Kaczynski and
Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia,
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of
Italy, and Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko of Ukraine will be among the
guests. In all, the Gdansk ceremonies will involve 30 national delegtions.
Events commenced at 04:40 local time on Cape Westerplatte, with only
Polish representatives particiating. It was precisely there that the first
shots from the German cruiser Schleswig-Holstein were fired at 04:48 on
September 1, 1939. The cruiser opened fire on Polish military depots.
On Tuesday morning, participants in the ceremonies will tour the
defence museum of Westerplatte and lay wreaths at the graves of its
defenders.
On Tuesday afternoon, the leaders of foreign delegations are to make
speeches, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war,
near the Westerplatte memorial complex.

.Putin arrives in Gdansk to attend ceremonies, hold talks.

GDANSK, September 1 (Itar-Tass) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of the
Russian Federation has arrived here to attend ceremonies dedicated to the
70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, to hold
Russo-Polish talks, and meet with half a dozen of his counterparts.
On Tuesday, apart from attending the ceremonies, the Head of the
Russian Government is to make a working visit.
Delegations from 30 countries will gather in the city of Sopot
Tuesday. However, the Polish side intends to hold bilateral talks
precisely with Russia. Vladimir Putin's working day will begin with a
meeting with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. Russo-Polish talks in a
broader format are to be held later in the day. At the close of the talks,
the sides are planning to sign several joint documents. Putin and Tusk
will answer journalists' questions.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Russian Premier is to meet with Ukraine's
Head of Government Yulia Timoshenko. After the meeting, the Russian Head
of Government will lay flowers at the grave of the defenders of the coast
and will attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the start of
WWII.
At the close of the ceremonies, Vladimir Putin will have conversations
one after another with Premier Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands,
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko
Borisov, Prime Minister Jandranka Kosor of the Repubic of Croatia, and
Slovenia's Premier Borut Pahor.

.Cross-country gas pipeline bursts in Ingushetia Tue.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, September 1 (Itar-Tass) - A burst of the cross-country
gas pipeline, Mozdok - Tbilisi, has occurred near Verkhniye Achaluki
village. The diameter of the pipe is 720 mm
An official at the Southern regional center of the Russian Ministry
for Emergencies told Itar-Tass early Tuesday that the breakdown had been
followed up by a blaze.
At present the supply of gas has been suspended while the gas
remaining in the pipeline is burning out. The causes of the incident have
not been reported. These are to be ascertained later on.

.Northern Forum GenAssembly to open in Canada Tue.

OTTAWA, September 1 (Itar-Tass) - Delegations of 17 countries will
attend the 9th General Assemby of the Northern Forum, opening in the
Canadian city of Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory.
This organisation, estalished in 1991, tackles the problems that are
common for the regions with rigorous climate -- support for small
businesses, the development of telemedicine, energy, and protection of the
environment.
An official at the organising committee has told Itar-Tass that
representatives of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, the Republic of Sakha
(Yakutia), and the Chukotka Autonomous Area will take part in the Northern
Forum proceedings on behalf of Russia.
The organising committee official pointedout, "These Russian regions
address the same problems that the Yukon Territory government encounters
as well".
Mikhail Nikolayev, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council upper
house of the Russian parliament, is to deliver a report at the forum on
the theme of "Arctic Problems and Regional Cooperation in the Light of
Globalisation".
Dennis Fente, Premier of Yukon Territory, said on the eve of the
opening of the forum that this meeting opens up opportunitites for the
governors of various regions to exchange information on social, cultural,
and economic problems.
The regional authorities bear important responsibility, namely to
ensure sustainable development of the economy. This meeting is quite
timely, considering growing interest in the North, Fente added.
A Whitehorse Declaration is to be adopted on the final day of the
forum, on September 3.