Main News of April 30

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

*At least 103 people were killed and over 100 went missing after an overcrowded ferry carrying 350 passengers capsized in the Brahmaputra river in northeast India on Monday, the Times of India reported

*Britain spent 1.25 million pounds (almost $2 million) in 2011 to promote human rights and democracy in Russia, according to the Human Rights and Democracy Report, published on Monday

*A self-confessed Norway mass killer Anders Breivik keeps contact with Russian ultra right-wing activists who are now translating his Manifesto into Russian, the Dagbladet quoted on Monday Breivik’s lawyer Tord Jordet as saying

*Eight people have been killed in a series of blasts that hit an eastern Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk on Friday, The Izvestia v Ukraine daily reported on Monday quoting an anonymous hospital official as saying

*Sudan has informed Moscow of its readiness to start negotiations with South Sudan to settle their conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday

RUSSIA

*Two Russian nationals, arrested in Bali on drug smuggling charges, may face death penalty if convicted, the Jakarta Globe reported on Monday

SPORTS

*The Russian Curling Federation has asked two foreign coaches to prepare the women’s team for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics after the sports ministry “berated” the federation for the team’s poor performance, federation president Dmitry Svishchev told RIA Novosti on Monday

*The Russian women’s basketball team will play Britain, Australia and Brazil in the group stage of London Summer Olympics, FIBA website reported on Monday

*The Russian men’s under-18 and women’s hockey teams put in “unsatisfactory” performances at their respective world championships, Russian Hockey Federation officials declared Monday

*Zenit St. Petersburg coach Luciano Spalletti would be a worthy successor to Dick Advocaat as coach of the Russian national team, Zenit and Russia midfielder Roman Shirokov told RIA Novosti on Monday

*Former CSKA Moscow coach Valery Gazzaev should be the new coach of the Russian national team, CSKA and Russia midfielder Alan Dzagoev told RIA Novosti on Monday

*Dick Advocaat will step down as coach of the Russian national team in July after Euro 2012, he said Monday in remarks reported by Russian daily Sport-Express