The Moscow Times

Rallies Calling for Putin's Ouster Fizzle

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

About 20,000 protesters called for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to resign at dozens of rallies over the weekend. Opposition groups had hoped for a larger turnout that would increase pressure on the government.

Kiev Softening Stance on Pipelines

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Ukraine's new government is close to completing work on a bill that would let Gazprom and European Union companies join the country in operating its vast gas pipeline network, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Kluyev said Friday.

Putin Presses Clinton for Lower Trade Hurdles

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin demanded that the U.S. administration lower hurdles to Russian investment and offered U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a list of trade complaints during a meeting Friday.

State Awards $68.2M to Film Studios

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Eight major film studios will get 250 million rubles ($8.5 million) each from the state this year, with bonuses for movies that attract more than a million viewers.

Gryzlov Says Putin-Medvedev Tandem to Rule After 2012

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will continue ruling Russia in a tandem after 2012, when Medvedev's first presidential term expires, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said Friday.

Spanish Arrests Expose a New Kind of Mafia

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

When Spanish police announced the arrest of about 80 reputed mobsters across Europe last week, many media reports trumpeted the development as the latest crackdown on the Russian mafia.

Church Suggests Ukraine Gas Deal

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The Russian Orthodox Church made a request to the government that it lower gas prices for Ukrainian chemical companies, saying it was a "sensible initiative" to assist the companies, which help the Ukrainian church.

Policeman Shoots After Metro Passenger Refuses to Give Up Seat

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A Moscow police colonel was detained after he fired two shots from an air gun, injuring two people, amid an argument with a male passenger who refused to give up his seat on the metro to an elderly woman.

Wage Arrears 'Paid' to Sochi Olympic Workers

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

All salary arrears have been paid to workers building an Olympic site for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, the Prosecutor General's Office said Friday, but workers denied that they had been paid in full.

U.S. Institute Awards $1M To Reclusive Mathematician

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A private U.S. institute has awarded $1 million to a low-profile Russian mathematician who rejected the world's highest honor in the field in 2006.

Customs to Boost Staff to Tackle Mail

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A regional branch of the Federal Customs Service will increase the number of officials who process international express mail next week to deal with a mounting backlog.

Government Proposes Orthodox Holiday

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The government has proposed a new national holiday, Baptism of Rus Day, in what could be viewed as a victory of the Russian Orthodox Church in the clericalization of Russian life.

Putin Seeks Price Probe For Farmers

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday called on government agencies to look into rising prices for fertilizer and oil products while promising 100 billion rubles ($3.4 billion) in subsidies to the agricultural sector.

UAC Expected to Bid for U.S. Aerial-Refueling Tanker

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A surprise Russian bid was reported in the works Friday for a multibillion-dollar U.S. aerial-refueling fleet, even as Europe's EADS sought three more months for a possible bid of its own.

Shale Gas Could Fuel European Energy Demand

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Shale gas, which has transformed the U.S. market, could soon be flowing in Europe, shifting the balance of power in the continent's energy relationship with key supplier Russia.

Georgians Recall Russian Ties After Rugby Victory

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Georgia's rugby team stood holding candles before a priest Saturday to receive words of encouragement all too similar to those issued during the country's short 2008 war - beat Russia.

Retail Sales Rise, Below Forecasts

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Russian retail sales rose for a second month in February as higher wages fueled consumer spending, the State Statistics Service said Friday.

Finance Minister Expects Further Interest Rate Cuts

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The Central Bank will need to continue easing policy, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Friday, as the ruble surges and loan growth misses Central Bank projections.

Putin 'the Engine' Driving World Cup Bid

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is "the engine" driving forward his country's bid to host the football World Cup in 2018, Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Vitaly Mutko said.

Unemployment Falls to 8.6%, Even as Economy Backtracks

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The number of people out of work in Russia fell by nearly 400,000 last month, but the economy contracted as investment continued to fall and growth in retail sales and disposable incomes was very slow, data showed Friday.

Olympics Clouded by 19th-Century Deaths

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A Muslim diaspora is demanding that the Sochi 2014 Olympics be canceled or moved unless Russia apologizes for the 19th-century deaths of many of their ancestors in the location where the Winter Games will be held.

Australia Approves Uranium Exports to Russia

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Any Australian uranium sales to Russia would meet nonproliferation requirements, but the government remains firmly against sales to India, Trade Minister Simon Crean said Friday.

Ruble Rally Forces Trading Band Shift

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The ruble pushed past the key level of 34 versus the euro-dollar basket, forcing the Central Bank to shift its floating trading band Friday for the 21st time since mid-February, dealers said.

Russia Clears Oracle's $7Bln Sun Takeover

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said Friday that it had approved a $7 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems by Oracle on the condition that Oracle continues to develop Sun's MySQL database.

EU Clears Poland's Long-Term Gazprom Deal

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The European Union does not see any reason to block a long-delayed gas delivery deal between Poland and Russia, the block's new energy commissioner, Guenther Oettinger, said Friday.

8th Accomplice in Central Bank Slaying Jailed for 9 Years

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

A Moscow court on Friday sentenced to nine years in prison an eighth accomplice in the 2006 contract killing of First Deputy Central Bank Chairman Andrei Kozlov, the highest-ranking official murdered during Vladimir Putin's two terms as president.

'Karenina' Praised in West, But Stymied in Russia

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Sergei Solovyov's 2009 film "Anna Karenina" packs showings in New York theaters but fails to find a distributor in Russia.

The Kremlin Temptation

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

With a powerful China looming on the horizon, France and other world powers are courting Russia.

Sovok on the Upper East Side

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The Russian consulate in New York is located on Manhattan's tony Upper East Side, which would have been an elegant block except for the grim crowd shoving and clustering nervously at its doors.

China's Ukrainian Moves

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

The rising importance of China in Ukraine will have a direct impact on Moscow's geopolitical position in the former Soviet republics.

A Medvedev Tea Party Could Be the Answer

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Medvedev should start a serious dialogue on how to regain the country's competitive edge.

Surveillance Ship Adrift in Sea of Japan

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Gref on $17Bln Loan Swap

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Yanukovych to Repeal Bandera Hero Decree

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Putin's Container Line Visit

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

Business Leader for 'Valley'

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

State Won't Buy Into LUKoil

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

French, Russian Air Routes

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300

For the Record

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0300