iHub Mining Sector Entrance Lobby

[Frank Pembleton]

Marcos-- a news story that touches both Kinross and Bema -- two companies with mining operations in that region.

Regards,
Michael
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Magadan Governor Laid to Rest
The Associated Press

Funeral services were held Tuesday for the governor of the gold-rich Magadan region who was killed in an apparent contract hit last week.

Friends and relatives of Valentin Tsvetkov, 54, gathered for services at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. President Vladimir Putin and other top officials attended the ceremony.

Tsvetkov was buried in the Vagankovo cemetery, alongside famous artists and cultural figures.

The governor was killed Friday with a single bullet to the head while walking to his Moscow office with his wife and a deputy on Novy Arbat. It was the first time a governor had been killed in post-Soviet Russia.

Moscow police called it a contract hit, and Putin characterized the killing as a "crime against the state."

Investigators have flown to Magadan to search for clues behind the murder. Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov on Monday said the far eastern region is "quite criminal" and police have to cleanse the region of "criminal elements."

Magadan on Tuesday held a second day of mourning for Tsvetkov, who was re-elected to a second term in 2000.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/10/23/012.html