MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s top health official urged the government Tuesday to introduce a state monopoly on alcohol amid the rising death toll from bootleg vodka in the country. Russia has recently been swept by large-scale outbreaks of alcohol poisoning in several regions as bootleg vodka and poisonous substitutes have been sold at low prices in the country. Hundreds of Russians have died and several thousand others have been hospitalized in Russia with toxic hepatitis caused by substandard vodka in recent weeks. Gennady Onishchenko said alcohol consumption has increased considerably in the country in the last 10 years. "In the 1990s, per capita consumption of alcohol stood at 7.6 liters. In 2005, the figure was already 9.7 liters," Onishchenko said. Onishchenko said his department and the Interior Ministry were taking active measures to expose bootleg vodka and alcohol substitutes. Some critics have blamed a new alcohol regulation policy, introduced in July, for causing widespread confusion and an attendant shortage of alcohol, leading many to resort to substandard bootleg liquor.

Motorists in Moscow have ignored the city"s...

Motorists in Moscow have ignored the city"s requests to forsake their cars for public transport in January, forcing the authorities to tow 25,000 vehicles that were obstructing snow clearance, an official said.

Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya...

Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya should leave the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa before his term expires on January 27, Brazil"s Globonews TV channel said on Friday.