European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 222007 stars and stripes Page 11 in the world toll at russian mine explosion hits 107 by Misha Japharidze the associated press Novokuznetsk Russia rescuers pulled More bodies from a siberian Coal mine tuesday As investigators tried to pin Point what sparked a methane Gas explosion that killed 107 people in russian dead Liest mining disaster in a decade three Days of mourning were declared in the entire Colarich Region known As the Kuz Bass where the Ulanovskaya mine was located and where most of the Popula Tion works in mining or mining related industries president Vladimir Putin ordered a Thor Ough investigation of the Accident a Federal emergency situation ministry officer put the death toll at 107 tuesday night while three others were still missing 93 had been rescued earlier regional governor Aman Buleyev said about 20 top mine officials including its chief Engineer who were in the mine checking on the operation of a Brit is made Hazard monitoring system were among the dead Sergei Chere nov a spokesman for the regional government said a British employee of the British Ger Man mining consultancy inc had also been killed some 200 workers were underground at the time of the blast which occurred Early monday at a depth of around 885 feet officials said two of the three miners injured in the blast were hospitalized in intensive care there was a bang and smoke then the rescuers came we switched on our safety kits and started going to the surface five of us came out first they helped me to walk then it was All Normal and i came Back to my senses one Miner Alexei Loboda told first Channel television Nikolai Fultyn an inspector with Federal Industrial regulator Rostek Hadzor said there were no Gas monitors where the pocket of methane Gas had accumulated he said the High number of deaths was Likely due to the fact that Many people were in a Small area at the time of the blast the explosion want so Strong As to de stroy the mines equipment Fultyn said in televised comments this was a coincidence of circumstances so Many people gathered so close to the epicentre in a statement Rostek Hadzor said it was unlikely that faulty equipment had caused the incident and that investigators were looking into soil subsidence or human error As possible causes the Agency also said mine operators had passed re cent safety tests and the mine had All Neces sary operating licenses Kemerovo Gover nor Aman Buleyev said he had ruled out human error though he did not explain Why emergency situations minister Sergei a Loigu also said the mine had modern equipment the mine in the City of Novokuznetsk about 850 Miles East of Moscow is operated by  an affiliate of rus Sian Coal and steel company Nevraz group a which acquired a 50percent stake in the company in 2005 Misha rescuers take a rest after returning from the Ulanovskaya mine about 1850 Miles East of Moscow on tuesday Cherry blossoms Bloom Early by Kozo Mizoguchi the associated press Tokyo Cherry Blossom sea son in Japan usually symbolizes the coming of Spring this years unusually Early Blooming is symbolizing something else fears of global warming the delicate Pink petals appeared in Tokyo on tuesday eight Days earlier than average and one Day earlier than last year it followed the wan nest Winter on record in Japan the meteorological Agency spotted the first blooms in All of Japan on five or six buds at the Garden of Tokyo Masukuni shrine Agency official kunihiro Yamagishi said the High number of cars Emit Ting exhaust in Tokyo and air conditioning fumes from the cites High rises Are pushing up temperatures Here this could be Spur ring Flowers to Bloom earlier he said Japan experienced its warmest Winter this year in nearly 60 years hitting 152 degrees cel Sius higher than average that tied the Winter of 194849 Mak ing the two Winters the warmest since the Agency started keeping records in 1899 also Tokyo had the seasons first Snow on March 16 73 Days later than Normal and 95 Days later than the previous season Yamagishi said official word of the Flowers which Are sure to inspire raucous parties under the boughs this coming weekend came after the Agency rumbled its initial fore casts Flower watchers previously pegged the first blooms to come on March 18 then switched last wednesday to say the petals would open on March 23 this Fri Day Katsumi Kanz Akura or Winter blossoming Cherry Trees Are in full Bloom More than a week earlier than usual at Tokyo Ueno Park on thursday this years unusually Early Blooming is highlighting fears of global warming the meteorological Agency spotted the first blooms in All of Japan on five or six buds at the Garden of Tokyo Masukuni shrine Agency official kunihiro Yamagishi said a miss of a few Days might not seem like a lot but in Japan the March of the Flower front As it moves up the archipelago is closely watched tuesdays Blooming led the 6 pm news on National broadcaster Nhok convenience stores time Beer and Box lunch stocks to meet the seasons Peak when millions pack the country Parks to picnic and party under the Flowers the biggest crowds by far Are at Tokyo Ueno Park where 23 million Are expected to partake in the Blossom season us envoy Calls n Korea nuke talks kind of slow the associated press Beijing International nuclear talks Are still on track de spite a Boycott by North Korea on tuesday Over million of its funds Frozen in a Macau Bank the chief us Delegate said the norths main negotiator re fused to participate in a meeting of top envoys earlier in the Day until All the Money was released japans representative said assistant Secretary of state Christopher Hill characterized the Days Progress As kind of slow but expressed optimism that the issues would be resolved i think were still on track Hill told reporters late tuesday japans main envoy Kenichiro Sasae said a meeting of the chief delegates of the six nations involved in the disarmament talks was cancelled because Pyongyang refused to attend there was no Progress at All today Sasae said China As chairman of the talks urged North Korea to come to the table but they would not come the talks by envoys from the two Korea the United states Japan Russia and Host China resumed monday shortly after the United states announced that a key sticking Point North Kore an funds Frozen in the Macau Lender Banco Delta Asia had been resolved Russia pulling experts kurdish activists from Iran reactor reigned in at festival Vienna Austria Russia is pulling out its experts from the iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build us and euro Pean government representatives said tuesday the move reflected a growing rift Between Iran and Russia that could Lead to harsher in sanctions on the islamic re Public for its refusal to Stop uranium enrichment Turkey irritated by eur ceremony slight Ankara Turkey Turkey criticized Germany on tuesday for not inviting the country a candidate for european Union membership to a Summit marking the 50th anniversary of the treaty of Rome saying it was a missed Opportunity to showcase a United european family european leaders Are set to meet in Berlin on March 2425 for a Summit marking the treaty that launched the european common Market Ankara Turkey turkish authorities said tuesday they would not tolerate illegal demonstrations by kurdish activists Dur ing an upcoming Spring festival while reinforcing Security around the country against possible Trou ble the Nowrouz festival on wednes Day is celebrated largely by the country kurdish population and is traditionally used As an Opportunity to highlight separatist demands by kurdish rebels 62 die in russian nursing Home fire Kamysheva Skaya rus Sia fire swept through a Nurs ing Home in Southern Russia after the night watchman ignored two alarms tuesday at least 62 peo ple were killed in a town where the closest fire station was nearly an hours drive away officials said from the associated press