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MOSCOW - It is becoming a spring tradition in Moscow's political circles to watch for the date of President Vladimir Putin's state-of-the-nation address and interpret any delay, or suspected delay, as a sign of confusion or infighting within the Kremlin. |
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MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin and his counterparts from Armenia, Belarus and three Central Asian states agreed Monday to add meat to the bones of the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization by appointing a new chief of the post-Soviet military-political bloc and making plans to set up a rapid reaction force in Central Asia. |
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In the latest indication that Moscow has taken the leading role in organizing the festivities for St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary, federal officials held a press conference here on Monday to put a positive spin on the event. Despite a number of delays and glitches in the city's reconstruction process, the Kremlin representatives spoke confidently of the preparations for the festivities scheduled for the end of May and the beginning of June. |
All photos from issue.
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MOSCOW - A dog barking and racing around the debris of collapsed buildings. A parrot clinging to the bars of its cage. A bleeding cat lying in the dust. This is how some Muscovites recalled the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings, which left more than 200 people dead. |
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MOSCOW - People who want to obtain a temporary residence permit either as a Russian equivalent of the U.S. green card or as a step toward Russian citizenship will finally be able to do so after the May holidays, Viktor Kuznetsov, deputy head of the presidential department on citizenship, said Monday. |
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Syria, Russia Plea DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria and Russia on Monday said efforts must be stepped up to end the "foreign occupation" of Iraq and safeguard Iraq's security and territorial integrity. The call was made during a meeting in the Syrian capital, Damascus, between Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa and the visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov. |
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 MOSCOW - The cabinet last week approved sweeping tax cuts for next year equivalent to 1.75 percent of GDP, in large part by lowering the country's value-added tax. A reduction in VAT from 20 percent to 18 percent is the centerpiece of the plans proposed by the Finance Ministry to reduce the tax burden on gross domestic product and boost growth. |
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MOSCOW - The government commission in charge of reforming the national electricity sector has approved a long-awaited reform plan on how to carve up Unified Energy Systems and sees 2006 as the year the monopoly will cease to exist. |
 MOSCOW - In a rare affront to the sector he oversees, Central Bank Chairperson Sergei Ignatyev lashed out at the banking industry last week for spiriting offshore the ruble equivalent of $5 billion in 2002 under the guise of paying for "marketing services. |
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MOSCOW - The state boosted its presence on Aeroflot's board Saturday through support from minority shareholders, but it has yet to identify who will take its helm. |
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MOSCOW - A Norilsk court on Monday barred a labor leader at the city's main employer, Norilsk Nickel, from participating in Sunday's run-off for mayor, citing campaign violations. Vyacheslav Melnikov, chairperson of the federation of Norilsk Nickel unions, won the first round Wednesday with 47 percent of the vote, 15 percent more than his main opponent, city council Chairperson Sergei Shmakov, but less than the 50-percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off. |
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MOSCOW - LUKoil said Monday its proven hydrocarbon reserves have grown 17 percent since Jan. 1, 2002 to 19.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent, keeping it the world's second-largest by reserves after ExxonMobil. |
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THE Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, or RSPP, has put forward an extremely liberal proposal: To radically cut the number of ministries and government agencies. Our government is truly amazing, when you stop to think about it. Take Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev, who handles agriculture policy. |
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OPEC member countries are now involved in discussions with a view to reducing the current high production levels that, if allowed to persist, threaten a sharp fall in the oil price over the summer months. |
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FOLLOWING the adoption of the Chapter 23 Individual Tax section of the Tax Code, which became effective on Jan. 1, 2001, the applicable tax rate for foreigners working in Russia can vary significantly. The code establishes two different rates - a 13-percent rate for those considered to be Russian "tax resident," as a result of being physically present in Russia for 183 days or more in a calendar year (days of arrival in Russia are not counted) and a 30-percent rate for those present less than 183 days. |
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THE Iraqi crisis is not over. Ahead lie unexpected twists and turns, and unpleasant surprises for many of the parties involved. However, in essence, it has ended in victory for the military force and behind-the-scenes diplomacy of the United States, together with Britain and their allies. |
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TRADITIONALLY, April is the month that we remember Vladimir Lenin. In Soviet times, however, April was not so much the month of Lenin's birthday as it was the time of the communist subbotnik. For those who never lived in the Soviet Union, let me explain: At the height of the Civil War, a group of revolutionary workers went to work on their day off and mended a few steam-engines for free. |
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Open Book Some cynics claim that U.S. President George W. Bush and his closest advisors - whom cynics cynically refer to as "bloodthirsty corporate pimps" - are just a bunch of vicious, shifty liars. |
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 Yes, there is a Hungary beyond Budapest. Hop on a train and plunge south through immense fields of sunflowers and poppies, past countless deer, storks and swollen pheasants. By the time you reach gently rolling hills a couple of hours later, you're almost there. |
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Looking around the room at a number of children missing limbs at the St. Petersburg Albrecht Institute of Prosthetics, Brent Clemens smiled and asked "Does anyone play hockey?" Clemens, the chairperson of the Canadian Amputee Hockey Committee, was recognized by institute Deputy Director Dr. |
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Issues Archive