The Moscow Times Top Stories

Anti-Putin Banner Appears on Billboard Overlooking Kremlin

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

A banner with the words "Putin, leave" and an image of the prime minister's face with a black cross over it appeared Wednesday morning on a billboard above a building adjacent to the Kremlin.

Gazprom No Longer Profit Leader

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Gazprom said Wednesday that it expects to rake in almost $40 billion in last year's profit, a big increase from 2010 but not enough to stop ExxonMobil from spurting into the lead again as the world's most profitable publicly traded energy company.

Hints Emerge That 'Reset' Is Buoying U.S. Firms

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

In a possible sign of increased business activity amid the "reset" in U.S.-Russian ties, a U.S. government agency that assists U.S. companies enter and expand in Russia has seen an increase in demand over the past year.

Failed Travel Agency 'Stole' From Tourists

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Investigators have opened a large-scale criminal fraud case against the management of one of Russia's largest tour operators, which left more than 3,500 clients stranded in Russia and abroad when it went bankrupt over the weekend.

First Electric Cars Take to the Road

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

The little boy was walking home from school when he spotted the bubble-shaped silver vehicle in the courtyard.

Volgograd Balks at Medvedev's Pick

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

President Dmitry Medvedev has met rare resistance in the appointment of a new governor, with supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin balking at accepting a candidate tainted with vote-rigging allegations.

Putin Presses for 'Full-Cycle' Farming

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the government should introduce incentives for an increase in dairy production as imports grow.

Space Firm Plans $100 Million Fobos-Grunt-2

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Russia may build a space probe to replace the Fobos-Grunt device that plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, Space Research Institute head Lev Zeleny said Wednesday.

Life News Defends Publishing Nemtsov Phone Conversations

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Tabloid news website Life News did not break the law in publishing private telephone conversations of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, because the information contained in the recordings served the public interest, Life News lawyer Tatyana Khokhlova said Wednesday.

Minister Khristenko Resigns to Join Eurasian Economic Commission

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

President Dmitry Medvedev accepted Trade and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko's resignation Wednesday, the Kremlin website reported, as the long-serving minister moves to take the position of head of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Activist Says Bank Accounts Blocked By Tax Authority

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

An activist known as Doctor Liza says three bank accounts for her charity have been blocked by tax authorities, an action she suspects is linked to her role in the fair elections-promoting League of Voters.

Analysis: Taxes May Be Real Challenge to Putin

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Winning Russia's March presidential election could be the easy part for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has called for a "decisive tax maneuver" to put the country's increasingly oil-dependent public finances on a more sustainable footing.

U.S. Exchange Program Popular With Russians Will Change After Abuse Charges

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

The U.S. State Department plans major changes to a foreign exchange program popular with Russians that has been exploited by unscrupulous labor brokers and organized criminals in the sex industry.

$6Bln Arms Exports to Syria Part of the Equation

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Russia is counting on President Bashar Assad to keep his grip on power to see through potential arms contracts worth up to $6 billion and help Moscow reach a record defense export year, according to the CAST think tank.

Abandoned Newborn Survives Hour in -20 C Weather

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

A one-day-old child was left on the ground outside a Moscow apartment building despite a temperature of minus 20 C, before being found and picked up by a passerby.

Saakashvili Insists He Won't Cling to Power "Like Putin"

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has dismissed opposition claims that he wants to stay in power as prime minister when his term expires next year, saying his country "can have no Putin."

Ministry Branch 'Advised' Journalists on Putin Rally

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

An article on the Odintsovo.info news portal claims that the Moscow region branch of the press ministry sent a memorandum to state-owned news outlets with instructions on how to properly cover a pro-Putin rally, but the ministry denied the claim.

British Oil Executive Fractures Skull on Fall From Airplane Stairs

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

TNK-BP vice president and UK native Alexander Dodds was hospitalized with a skull fracture after falling from stairs when exiting a plane at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.

8 of 10 Cars on Moscow Roads Carry Driver Only

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Eighty percent of the cars on Moscow roads at any given time contain only one person, the driver.

Protest Organizers Meet to Settle on Demands

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Organizers of Saturday's opposition rally gathered Tuesday to set an agenda for the mass march - the third major protest since the disputed State Duma elections in December.

U.S. Law Enforcement in Izhmash Deal

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Weapons maker Izhmash has signed a contract to supply its latest shotgun to U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Economy Expanded 4.3% in 2011

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0300

Russia's economy grew faster than forecast last year after falling unemployment and record-low inflation helped bolster consumer demand in the fourth quarter.