Russia: Sakhalin Region media highlights 13-19 Mar 06.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

The following highlights are from the ASTV Alternative Sakhalin TV and state GTRK Sakhalin TV, the ASTV-Inform website, Sakh.com news wire and Ostrova news agency for the period 13-19 March 2006:

Political

By-elections for the Sakhalin Region duma, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city council and Tymovskiy District council were held on Sakhalin on 12 March. The regional duma by-election failed in two out of the three constituencies due to the low turnout, the electoral commission said. Viktor Lyubushkin won a seat in the regional duma in the two-seat constituency No 7. The repeat election to the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city council also failed as the voter turnout did not reach 20 per cent. (GTRK Sakhalin TV, Vesti. Sakhalin-Kurily news, 1030 gmt 13 Mar 06)

Presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Kamil Iskhakov has visited the South Kuril islands. He met the military commanders and the Yuzhno-Kurilsk mayor, visited a living compound of the military and a secondary school on the island of Shikotan.

"I have understood once again that the Kurils need large investments. If everything …