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As opposition coalition Other Russia plans a series of further regional anti-government rallies, with a Dissenter’s March in St. Petersburg scheduled for April 15, opposition groups and parties are facing increasing pressure from the Kremlin. Last Thursday, a Moscow prosecutor banned the Nationalist Bolshevik Party on extremism charges, suspending the radical opposition group for the second time since it was outlawed in June 2006. The next day, the Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the Republican Party, citing its small size and lack of regional presence.The court decided that the liberal opposition party, which has in the past challenged Kremlin policy and criticized President Vladimir Putin, has too few members to be considered a party under legislation that came into force in 2006 (see story, page 3). |
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SEVEN UP!
Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters
Supporters of the Kremlin-backed organization Nashi (Ours) rally to celebrate seven years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency in Moscow on Sunday. Some 15,000 young people took part in the event, handing out brochures warning of the dangers facing the country. |
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MOSCOW — Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Russia on Monday on his third visit as national leader, seeking energy deals but also offering Moscow business opportunities and international cooperation as they expand ties. “I am certain this visit will give new momentum to the deepening of Russian-Chinese relations and to our practical cooperation in all spheres,” Hu said in a statement handed to reporters after his jet touched down in Moscow.
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 NIZHNY NOVGOROD — It was a mistake. But it forced two people into the camp of the opposition, which police roughly prevented from holding an anti-Kremlin march Saturday. Two old women were standing still on the central square in Nizhny Novgorod, their arms linked. They were not among the activists or journalists who had been detained minutes before. |
All photos from issue.
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 MOSCOW — Ten people died at a Moscow strip club early Sunday when a fire show involving a barman went horribly wrong. The blaze swept through 911 VIP, located in a wing of Lenkom Theater near Pushkin Square, when a barman trying to set himself alight accidentally set the club on fire, Moscow Deputy Prosecutor Vladimir Ponevezhsky told reporters. |
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MOSCOW — The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that Vladimir Ryzhkov’s Republican Party be disbanded for failing to adhere to a law that requires parties to have at least 50,000 members and 45 regional offices. |
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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced proposals to change registration procedures for COM, NET, ORG and other Internet domains. If adopted, the changes will eventually allow domain owners to become anonymous. Experts believe the changes will open the law to new forms of abuse. |
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MOSCOW — Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov on Friday presented urgent proposals to the State Duma to remedy the current crisis affecting a government-sponsored prescription drug program. |
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Electric Opening ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — Electronics retail chain Moidodyr will open five new stores in St. Petersburg this year, investing about $1.5 million into the project, RBC reported Friday. At the same time the company plans to close two or three unprofitable stores in the city. |
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MOSCOW — Belarus will charge Russia for the land underneath oil and gas pipelines that carry Russian fuel to Europe, seeking to compensate for Moscow’s decision to double the price of the gas it sells to its former Soviet partner. |
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MOSCOW — The State Duma on Friday agreed to consider several bills next month, including proposals to boost spending on innovation and to introduce market value to real estate for taxation purposes. April’s agenda was approved by deputies prior to their week’s break from regular sessions, which they will use to work in their constituencies. |
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MOSCOW — Liquidity flows will tighten this week alongside a surge in tax payments, expected to peak Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning that a lot of the cash that would usually be flowing through the markets will instead be set aside. |
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On January 15, 2007 new regulations on the employment of foreigners in the Russian Federation entered into force. We provide a brief analysis of some of the key aspects of the new rules and how they affect both those wanting to work in Russia and the companies wanting to hire foreign employees. |
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Thirty-four companies were victorious in the ‘Worldwide Award for the Most Democratic Workplaces’ sponsored by WorldBlu, Inc., a Washington-based organization specializing in organizational democracy. |
 “We have recently seen a number of attempts to simplify employment procedures for foreigners in Russia. Federal legislation has changed. However, these changes have mainly been targeted at attracting labor migrants. And thus responsibilities and liabilities for employers have become more stringent. Of course, that the authorities introduced a “one window” principle for getting work permit and notification orders for registration in Russia was a step in the right direction. |
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 Waking up in a state of utter exhaustion, the last thing in the world one feels like doing is going to work. The rhythm of today’s professional is dynamic and tense —a career needs building, and if that means working overtime or even at weekends, then so be it. |
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Only several years ago it was every manager’s goal to move from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Russia’s capital has always exerted a powerful influence in the business world, regarded as the place to make money, contacts and take one’s career to the next level. |
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Expatriates beware: You now have to prove that you aren’t a drug addict to work in Russia. A little-noticed regulation came into effect at the start of this year that requires foreigners who work or intend to work here to have their blood tested for traces of drugs. |
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St. Petersburg’s largest employers demonstrated generosity on a spectacular scale last year, increasing salaries by an average of 14 percent. Some companies offered increases of as much as 50 percent, according to ANCOR recruiting company’s latest survey of salaries. |
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Four in ten businesses around the world have no women in senior management and this proportion has remained relatively stable over the last three years, according to the latest findings from the Grant Thornton International Business Report, published earlier this month. |
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Last week I attended a conference where I heard marketing-people discuss ways of dealing with consumers. One speaker spoke of the need to find more sophisticated strategies of communication. According to him, in the autumn of 2006 the Russian market reached an important stage in its development — the average salary reached $400 a month. |
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In some things in life, size is everything. But not when it comes to choosing your recruitment agency, it seems. While some industry players claim that in recruitment Big means Big Possibilities, others point to the “hand-picking” approach of smaller agencies as more careful and precise. |
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As St. Petersburg continues to attract foreign companies, foreign language speakers are increasingly in demand. Recruiters point out that now “fluent English” is often a must not only for administrative positions, such as interpreters, translators, secretaries, personal assistants or office managers, but also for different technical specialists, engineers and accountants. |
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“What should you do about staff who take a lot of time off work, whether it’s an inordinate amount of sick leave or to care for their children?” Henrik Winther, Rostik’s/KFC CEO: We of course follow the Labor Code in addressing these types of problems. |
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 Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Moscow which began on Monday shou8ld provide ample opportunity for Russian and Chinese leaders to sit down and assess the past, present and future of energy cooperation between the two countries. While Moscow and Beijing already work together in a variety of areas including trade, arms and diplomacy, energy has the momentum at present. |
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Cuba, which once threatened to be the greatest global flashpoint of them all, could soon be a source of trouble again. Fidel Castro’s health may be improving, but the “biological solution” so long awaited by Cuban exiles and some U. |
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BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed European Union leaders at a 50th anniversary summit on Sunday to reform the bloc’s creaking institutions by 2009, but met resistance from skeptical Polish and Czech presidents. At a solemn ceremony in Berlin, long a symbol of Europe’s Cold War division, Merkel told fellow leaders the EU needed to be put on a firmer basis to cope with enlargement. |
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NEW YORK — British pop singer Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday at Madison Square Garden on Sunday by recalling late Beatle John Lennon and raising his own record for most appearances at the storied New York venue. |
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KINGSTON, Jamaica — A week after the murder of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer and with no clear suspects in sight, Jamaican police said on Sunday they have video that could contain a clue to the killer. Investigators were transferring images from an old videotape surveillance system at the Pegasus Hotel, where Woolmer was found last Sunday, to a digital format to preserve the pictures before examining them thoroughly, said deputy police commissioner Mark Shields. |
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Red hot Metallurg Magnitogorsk edged Sibir 3-2 in Novosibirsk on Friday sweeping the Siberian team 3-0 in their series. Metallurg is undefeated in the play-offs and are looking like it could be the team to beat. |
Temp: -2°C moderate or heavy snow showers
Issues Archive