Russian psychiatric hospital fire kills 38

Published April 26, 2013

Associated Press

MOSCOW –  A fire raged through a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow early Friday, killing 38 people, including two nurses, emergency officials said.

A third nurse managed to save two patients and they were the only three thought to have survived, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing the Health Ministry.

Police said the fire, which broke out at about 2 a.m. local time in the one-story hospital in the Ramenskoye settlement, was caused by a short circuit, RIA Novosti reported.

A photograph on the website of the emergency services showed a building consumed by flames.

The emergency services also posted a list of the patients indicating they ranged in age from 20 to 76.

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Russian spaceship docks with orbiting station

Published March 28, 2013

Associated Press

MOSCOW –  A Soyuz capsule carrying three astronauts has successfully docked with the International Space Station, bringing the size of the crew at the orbiting lab to six.

Chris Cassidy of the United States and Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin traveled six hours in the capsule before linking up with the space station's Russian Rassvet research module. It was the first time a space crew has taken such a direct route.

The incoming crew will spend five months in space before returning to Earth.

Their mission began with a late-night launch from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.

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Post-mortem shows Russian tycoon died from hanging

Published March 25, 2013

Associated Press

LONDON –  British police say that a post-mortem examination has found that self-exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky's death was "consistent with hanging."

Thames Valley Police did not specify Monday whether Berezovsky hanged himself, but said that a pathologist has found nothing to indicate a violent struggle.

The 67-year-old businessman — a one-time Kremlin powerbroker who later became a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin — was found dead at his home in England on Saturday.

Police say that further tests, including toxicology examinations, will be carried out and that it could take weeks for the results to be known.

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