The Moscow Times News

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.

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.

Bookmakers Say Odds Are on a Putin Victory

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

In the world of gambling, Russia's presidential election is turning into a sucker's bet.

Elections Commission Says Putin Articles Were Informational, Not Campaigning

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

Articles published this month by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in three major newspapers were not part of his presidential campaign, and were beneficial to voters in that they informed them about Putin's activities, the Central Elections Commission said Tuesday.

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.

Criminal Case Brought Over Nemtsov Cell Phone Leaks

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

Police have opened a criminal case in connection with the leak last month of telephone conversations of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

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.

17 Oil Tanks Fly Off Train in Amur Region

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

The side frames of freight cars on a train carrying oil through the Amur region in the Russian Far East broke Tuesday morning, causing 17 oil tanks to fly off the cars.

Vnukovo Airport Facade Beams Collapse Onto Bus

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

Decorative metal beams fell off the facade of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport onto a bus filled with passengers Tuesday morning, injuring one of them.

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.

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.

Cosmic Rays Likely Fried Fobos

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

The head of Russia's space agency said Tuesday that cosmic radiation was the most likely cause of the failure of a Mars moon probe that crashed to Earth this month, and suggested that a low quality, imported component may have been vulnerable to the radiation.

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.

Fire-Bombing Damages Perm Newspaper Office

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

The editorial offices of Perm region weekly newspaper Vecherny Krasnokamsk were badly damaged over the weekend in an arson attack.

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.

Russia Calls UN Draft on Syria 'Path to Civil War'

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

A senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday that the push to adopt a Western-Arab draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria would lead the country down a "path to civil war."

Protesting Kyrgyz Prisoners Turn to Self-Mutilation

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

More than 1,000 prisoners in Kyrgyzstan have sewn their lips together, a grotesque act inmates describe as a protest over their dismal conditions, but which authorities blame on organized criminal gangs who resent attempts to break the power they wield in prisons.

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.