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Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave Image from space shows several phenomena that occur early in eruption [Pic in URL] NASA Astronauts aboard the international space station captured this striking view of Sarychev Peak in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan, on June 12. Volcanologists are excited about the picture because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive eruption. An amazing new picture from space reveals a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage, with a huge plume of ash and steam billowing skyward and creating a shock wave in the atmosphere. Sarychev Peak...

ULAN BATOR, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will only sign a formal peace treaty with Japan on terms that meet Moscow's interests, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal treaty ending World War II hostilities, due to their territorial dispute over the four South Kuril Islands, former Japanese territory annexed by the Soviet Union after the war. "This [peace treaty] can only be done in a way that will meet the national interests of the Russian Federation," Putin told reporters. He said the content of a peace treaty would be...

A Japanese fisherman is reported to have been shot dead by a Russian patrol boat, near a disputed island chain. Japan's foreign ministry said that, if confirmed, the death was unacceptable. It also demanded the release of three surviving men from the Japanese boat, who are thought to have been detained by the Russians on a nearby island. Both Tokyo and Moscow lay claim to the four small islands, which Russia calls the southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories. The ongoing dispute has prevented the two nations signing a peace treaty to formally end hostilities from WWII. The islands...

The Russian government has backed a 17bn-rouble ($630m) plan to develop the Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The draft plan for 2007-15 aims to improve the islands' energy and transport infrastructure, including the construction of an all-weather airport. Russia has a long-standing territorial dispute with Japan over four Kuril islands, seized after World War II. Meanwhile, Russia plans to expand its restricted border zones that could be as big as in Soviet times, reports say. 'Ignored region' The government plans to spend nearly $1,000 for every resident of the chain of 56 Pacific islands a month - more...

The recent visit of President Vladimir Putin to Japan has again raised the critical problem of possible surrender of the disputed Kuril Islands. The grave economic situation in the islands and the vicinity of a powerful state can create an impression that Japan’s claims are fair. However, most of the Russian citizens including the clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church have spoken clearly for the preservation of the territorial integrity of the state. Bishop Daniel of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Kurils expressed the opinion of his parishioners on this matter in an interview to Olga Kiryanova of Interfax-Religion. -...

The upper house of the Japanese parliament has unanimously endorsed a resolution which sends signals that Tokyo may have expanded territorial claims against Moscow on the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Russia. The document has the same text as the resolution that the lower house of parliament passed on Feb. 22, ITAR-TASS news agency reported. It urges Japan and Russia to continue putting efforts into a buildup of partnership that meets their mutual interests adding that bilateral relations should be raised to a quality new level, but says at the same time the problem of the northern territories remains...

Japan's PM sees disputed isles By Colin Joyce in Tokyo (Filed: 03/09/2004) Japan's prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, defied Russian objections yesterday to sail within viewing distance of the disputed Kuril islands, seized by the Red Army at the end of the Second World War. Japan has never renounced its claim to the tiny islands, which it calls the Northern Territories. The dispute over ownership has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a post-war peace treaty. Mr Koizumi viewed the four islands through binoculars from a coastguard vessel in Japanese territorial waters. The visit was opposed by Russia which said: "Such...