LOCAL NEWS

DEAL ON WTO SIGNED

MOSCOW — Russia and the United States on Sunday signed the long-awaited bilateral deal that paves the way for Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization after 13 years of diplomatic wrangling.Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref signed the deal with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi.

"This is a historic step — the last step — that marks Russia's return to the market principles of the world economy," Gref said.

Schwab also sounded an optimistic note, calling the agreement "an important milestone." Russia "belongs as a fully fledged member of the WTO," she said.

The agreement, an 800-page document that calls on Moscow to lower import tariffs on a range of goods, including agricultural and technological products, by the time of its accession to the WTO, lifts the biggest remaining obstacle to the country's entry into the 149-member organization.

TALKS TURN TOWARD IRAN, NORTH KOREA

MOSCOW — Russia and the United States, upbeat after striking a breakthrough bilateral deal on Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization, appeared keen on Sunday to cooperate in handling other tricky issues, such as Iran and North Korea.But Russian officials attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi were quick to say Washington should not expect them immediately to change their stand on Iran's nuclear program.

NATIONAL NEWS

KADYROV FOE SHOT DEAD ON MOSCOW STREET

MOSCOW — The former head of security for assassinated Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov was shot dead Saturday on Leninsky Prospekt during a police operation to arrest him for purported involvement in abductions and killings in Chechnya.Movladi Baisarov, who fell out of favor with Kadyrov's son, Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, was shot by a Chechen special forces officer after pulling a grenade on arresting officers, City Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said Sunday.

OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE SUSPECTED CASE OF CONSCRIPT BURIED ALIVE

MOSCOW — Defense officials are investigating whether a drunken officer buried a conscript alive, the latest claim of a brutal hazing to rattle the armed forces.

$5,166 Pays for 2 Cars, the Rent and Grandpa

MOSCOW — Cluttering most of the tabletops in Dmitry's apartment are old photos and new appliances — both reminders, in their own way, of his successful grandson, Slava."I bought him the microwave," Slava said, "and the next day he put a metal cup inside and broke the thing. I tried to get him another, but now he says he's scared of them.

LOCAL BUSINESS

ATTRACTIVE RETURNS FOR STOCK-PILING FINNS

A combination of high returns and general stability is making the Finnish financial market one of the most attractive in the world for both domestic and foreign investors, a group of experts said earlier this month at a Finnish Financial Market 2006 conference in Finland.

MAGNA, GAZ TO FORM JOINT CAR VENTURES

MOSCOW — Canadian car parts maker Magna International announced Saturday that it would form joint ventures with Oleg Deripaska's GAZ Group and would soon sign cooperation deals with AvtoVAZ.

LUKOIL SEES GAZPROM LEADING NEW PROJECTS

MOSCOW —LUKoil will cede majority control of a planned joint venture for new projects on national territory to state-controlled giant Gazprom, LUKoil CEO Vagit Alekperov said Friday.Alekperov said giving Gazprom the controlling stake in the venture would not mean LUKoil would lose control of its existing oil fields, but it appeared the development could further strengthen the state's growing grip on the lucrative petroleum industry.

THE FIGHT AGAINST BRAND SQUATTING

The opportunities available to the owners of exclusive rights are a constant source of temptation, not least for those seeking an unfair advantage over the competition.

OPINION

WTOCAN MAKE ECONOMY MORE COMPETITIVE

The bilateral agreement with the United States on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization is an achievement on par with the repayment of Russia's Paris Club debt and the practical elimination of debts to Western countries. Russia has ceased to be a debtor nation, and can now open a new chapter in foreign relations.

CHUKOVSKY SHOWS LITTLE HAS CHANGED

The communist system, as George Orwell noted, was not just different from the rest of the world. It was upside down and back to front.Take Soviet literature.

Milton Friedman Was a Giant of Our Time

Milton Friedman, who died last Thursday at age 94, was one of the very few intellectuals with both genius and common sense. He could express himself at the highest analytical levels to his fellow economists in academic publications and still write popular books such as "Capitalism and Freedom" and "Free to Choose," that could be understood by people who knew nothing about economics.

WORLD

BLAIR: AFGHANISTAN IS KEY TO WAR ON TERROR

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan — The security of the world will be decided on the desert battlefields of Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told his troops on the frontline of an increasingly bloody war on Monday."Here, in this extraordinary desert, is where the future of world security in the early 21st century is going to be played out," Blair said in remarks barred from publication until he flew out of Camp Bastion in Helmand province.

KERRY MAY RUN AGAIN IN 2008

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry said on Sunday he was still considering a second run for the White House in 2008, despite public criticism of what he has called a "botched joke" about the Iraq war.

FREE VIAGRA?

BRASILIA, Brazil — The mayor of a small Brazilian town has begun handing out free Viagra, spicing up the sex lives of dozens of elderly men and their partners."Since we started the free distribution of sexual stimulants, our elderly population changed.

WII FLOODS NEW YORK TOY STORE, GAMERS GO WILD

NEW YORK — Nintendo's new Wii video game console debuted on Sunday as thousands of die-hard fans, some of whom camped out for several days, welcomed the final entrant in the three-way scramble for dominance in the $30 billion global game market.

SPORT

Woods Can Relax at Hawaii Tourney

LOS ANGELES — Holder Tiger Woods will be bidding for his 10th title of the year at this week's PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii, a tournament he effectively owns.The American world number one has a near-perfect track record on the Poipu Bay Golf Course on Kauai's southern shore, having sealed victory there six times in seven starts.