Today's other stories in brief
Children urged to pray against Putin's foes
ST PETERSBURG – A parliamentary group has given Russian schoolchildren a leaflet that prays that the foes of prime minister Vladimir Putin and his government partner, President Dmitry Medvedev, to be reduced to ashes.
Independent website fontanka.ru said the prayer leaflet, entitled Prayer for the President of Russia, featured a picture of Archangel Michael and asked God to make Mr Putin and Mr Medvedev’s enemies “as meek as sheep and reduce them to ashes in the wind”.
Around 150 children who had won school competitions received the prayer, along with books, sweets and toys. – (Reuters)
Slovenian leader can't live on pay
LJUBLJANA – Slovenian prime minister Borut Pahor told students yesterday that he could not live on his salary of €3,000 a month and had to dip into his savings to make ends meet.
Mr Pahor was speaking at a conference on students’ rights, at which students protested against government plans to limit their right to work and more than double the tax on their earnings to 29.5 per cent from 14 per cent.
"I'm a prime minister and I earn 3,002 euros [net] per month . . . I cannot survive on that and I live from what I earned before," Mr Pahor said. – (Reuters)