The Moscow Times

Market Matters: Struggling Stocks Spur New Record Oil Prices
Oil hit another record of just under $143 as global stocks tumbled last week, with the Dow briefly dipping into bear market territory as investors sought safety in gold, government debt and the Swiss franc.

News

Trial Stops But Judges Won't Free Aleksanyan
By Svetlana Osadchuk / Staff Writer Moscow's Simonovsky District Court on Wednesday adjourned the trial of former Yukos executive Vasily Aleksanyan so that he could be treated for an AIDS-related terminal illness, but did not order his release from detention.

From Legal Eagle to Dying in a Cage
By Alexander Osipovich / Staff Writer A Harvard-trained lawyer, Vasily Aleksanyan was once a high roller who drove around Moscow in a Mercedes-Benz luxury SUV.

U.S. Pastor Held for Bullets in Suitcase
By David Nowak / Staff Writer A U.S. pastor is being held in a detention cell in Sheremetyevo Airport after trying to bring a box of ammunition into the country.

Deep Purple's Gazprom Gig a Special Gift for Medvedev
Reuters Deep Purple is heading to Moscow as a farewell gift to First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom and a virtual lock to become the country's next president.

Russia Says EU, NATO Forces in Independent Kosovo Illegal
Reuters Russia warned the European Union and NATO on Wednesday that their presence in Kosovo would be illegal if in support of a self-proclaimed independent state.

Fur Reported as Clue in Politkovskaya Killing
The Moscow Times The gun used to kill Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya contained fur from a dog owned by three Chechen suspects now in custody, the Tvoi Den newspaper reported Wednesday.

Moscow Suspicious of Iranian Rocket
Reuters Russia said Wednesday that Iran's test launch of a rocket raised suspicions about the real nature of the country's atomic program, in what could signal a hardening of its stance toward Tehran. Iran launched a rocket Monday designed to carry its first locally made research satellite next year, showing the country's advances in ballistics at a time when Western powers are already wary that it may be developing a nuclear weapon.

Chechen Warns of Islamic Extremism
By Nora Boustany / The Washington Post A Chechen human rights researcher is warning that militant Islamic ideology is gaining currency in Chechnya and broadening its appeal elsewhere in the tense North Caucasus.

Advance OSCE Team Arrives for Elections
By Francesca Mereu / Staff Writer Representatives from OSCE's election-monitoring arm arrived in Moscow on Wednesday despite the organization's complaints that Russia has placed restrictions severely hampering monitors for the March 2 presidential election.

Statue Has Its Cheese Returned
The Moscow Times A 200-kilogram bronze block of cheese is back in its rightful place less than a week after vandals removed it from a statue in the north of Moscow.

Business

Merrill Sees Big Ruble Gain in Q1
By William Mauldin / Bloomberg Merrill Lynch on Wednesday advised clients to buy the ruble against the dollar on speculation that the government will let the currency strengthen to slow inflation.

Norilsk Unit May Halve Work Force
Bloomberg Norilsk Nickel may halve the work force at one of its main units to cut costs, the unit's head said.

Rostelecom Announces Lower Prices for Long-Distance Calls
By Tai Adelaja / Staff Writer Rostelecom, the country's dominant long-distance telephone company, announced plans Wednesday to reduce charges for long-distance calls in an effort to expand its client base and stay ahead of the competition.

Kazakh State Seeks Bigger Energy Role
By Raushan Nurshayeva / Reuters Fresh from a bitter dispute with Western oil companies over a Caspian oil field, Kazakhstan wants to build up its weight further in its energy sector, the President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Wednesday.

2 Russians Seen in SocGen Fraud Case
By Catrina Stewart / Staff Writer Two Russian brothers are being investigated after the bank alerted authorities, a French newspaper says.

Karimov Stresses Partnership on Visit
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer In his first official visit abroad since being re-elected in December, Uzbek President Islam Karimov was joined Wednesday by President Vladimir Putin in pledging to intensify and improve economic ties between their countries.

BoNY Says Customs Falsified Document
By Anatoly Medetsky / Staff Writer The Federal Customs Service's $22.5 billion money-laundering lawsuit against the Bank of New York Mellon hit a new snag Wednesday after the bank's lawyer accused customs service representatives of using a falsified document in the case.

Opinion

Stuck in the 19th Century
By Robert Kagan Russia and the European Union are neighbors geographically. But geopolitically they live in different centuries. A 21st-century EU, with its noble ambition to transcend power politics and build an order based on laws and institutions, confronts a Russia that behaves like a traditional 19th-century power. Both are shaped by their histories.

Always a Dissident

A Primary Only the Kremlin Could Concoct
By Boris Kagarlitsky Since the outcome of next month's presidential election is a foregone conclusion, we can move on and speculate instead about what will happen after the vote.

Business in Brief
Sakhalin-1 Output to DropChemezov Asks for $500MSibir Output Jumped 80%Fertilizer Prices May Freeze35-Ton Oil and Gas SpillTusk Wants Meat TradeVeropharm Sales Rise 39%PPF to Raise Nomos StakeGazprom Neft ProductionGazprom's New LNG Plants21 Bids for Potash StashAntitrust Request for MinesFor the Record

Far From Pint-Sized Bar
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer If any bar could get away with calling 400 milliliters a pint, Gradus Bar is it.

Visit the All-Russia Honey Festival
By James Marson The Manezh's Central Exhibition Center will host the 19th All-Russia Honey Fair from Feb. 12 to 27.

News in Brief
Krasnodar Car Crash Kills 5Blast Victims MournedTusk Calls Threat 'Funny'Minsk Graffiti Artist Freed

Warsaw, A Low-Cost Getaway
By Adrian Carnegie / Special to The Moscow Times Poland's capital offers a reasonably priced weekend away spent in relative luxury.

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