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

British Council Ordered to Close in Weeks
By Nikolaus von Twickel / Staff Writer The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday ordered the British Council, a British government-funded organization, to suspend operations in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg by the end of the month. The British government said it would not comply. The exchange threatens to worsen poor relations, and the Foreign Ministry exacerbated matters Wednesday by linking its demand to a political spat involving the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

Polish Meat Ban Will Be Lifted
By Max Delany / Staff Writer The government will lift an import ban on Polish meat next week, bringing to an end a damaging two-year dispute that has prevented Russia from starting talks on a broader cooperation agreement with the European Union. The announcement came after talks in Moscow between Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev and his Polish counterpart, Marek Sawicki.

Medvedev Quiet on Foreign Policy
By Simon Saradzhyan / Staff Writer Despite being tipped as a presidential contender for months, Dmitry Medvedev has offered little but curt generalities about his stance on foreign policy issues. This may be a reflection of Medvedev's dislike for the strong anti-Western rhetoric that seems to have become almost obligatory for senior officials over the past year, and his silence promises an incremental rapprochement with the West if he becomes president, analysts said Wednesday.

Little Fanfare for Yeltsin's Holiday
By Natalya Krainova / Staff Writer But for a smattering of banners and civics lessons from pro-Kremlin youth groups, Russians across the country Wednesday greeted Constitution Day with little fanfare.

Parliament Deadlocked on Vote for Premier
By Sabina Zawadzki / Reuters The Orange parties cry foul while Yanukovych calls for a broad coalition.

Passport-Free Zone Up to Russia's Border
By Gunta Gasuna / Reuters Optimists call it the end of the Iron Curtain. Pessimists fear a ""Fortress Europe"" or a wave of illegal immigration from Dec. 21, when passports will be checked at fewer European borders.

Ivanov Expects Putin to Mull Offer
The Associated Press President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to respond swiftly to a proposal that he become prime minister after the presidential election, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.

CFE Treaty Frozen but Russia Ready for Talks
AP, Reuters, MT Russia on Wednesday implemented its moratorium on participating in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe but is ready for talks in reviving it, the Foreign Ministry said. The treaty places limits on the number of conventional weapons that can be deployed west of the Ural Mountains. President Vladimir Putin called for the suspension because NATO countries have not ratified a revised version of the treaty, which originally was signed in 1990. Russia ""is prepared for continuing a results-oriented dialogue on the CFE during its suspension,"" a ministry statement said. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe urged Russia to reconsider the moratorium. ""The loss of the [treaty's] system of limitations, information and verification would be detrimental to all and could have security implications for all of Europe,"" said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, the OSCE chairman.

Senator's Advice: Wear Clean Shorts
The Associated Press Australia -- A senior Australian lawmaker who was once handcuffed in his underpants to a pole during a drunken night in a Russian strip club said Wednesday that he had learned from the experience: ""Always wear clean underwear.""

Business

Kazakhstan Aluminum Plant Opens
Reuters Kazakh metals major Eurasian Natural Resources opened a $900 million aluminum smelter on Wednesday, the country's first, which it expects will hit full capacity of 250,000 tons per year by 2011.

Pricey Nuclear Headquarters Planned
Bloomberg The state will spend 30 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) on building a headquarters in Moscow for its new nuclear corporation, said Denis Kozyrev, coordinator of the project, Vedomosti reported Wednesday.

Kiriyenko to Head New Firm
MT, Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday appointed Atomenergoprom chief Sergei Kiriyenko as the head of the country's new state-run nuclear corporation, Rosatom.

Nuclear Assets Rolled Into Giant Group
By Guy Faulconbridge / Reuters As Russia re-establishes itself in the global nuclear arena, it has formed a company to consolidate all civilian nuclear assets.

UES to Spend $4.2Bln in Buyback
Bloomberg Unified Energy System will spend 101.9 billion rubles ($4.2 billion) to buy back its stock from shareholders who voted against a proposed breakup of the national utility.

Bird Flu Link Examined in Rostov Poultry Deaths
Reuters The Agriculture Ministry's animal and plant health watchdog is investigating whether the death of 35,000 poultry in the Rostov region was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, a spokesman said Wednesday.

LUKoil Net Up 2% Amid Cost Controls
By Tanya Mosolova / Reuters LUKoil, the country's No. 2 oil firm, reported a 2 percent rise in third-quarter net income Wednesday, just beating analysts' expectations but failing to keep pace with sales growth.

Gazprom Seen Selling Izvestia to Rossiya
Bloomberg, MT Gazprom-Media has agreed to sell its stake in newspaper Izvestia to Bank Rossiya, according to a source within Gazprom.

Sports

Reds Complete European Comeback
By Zoran Milosavljevic / Reuters Liverpool and Real Madrid secured berths in the Champions League last 16 with emphatic wins in their final group matches Tuesday.

The Man With the Midas Touch
By Gennady Fyodorov / Reuters Long before Guus Hiddink took over Russia's national team midway through 2006 he was considered a lucky coach after quickly turning mediocre teams into formidable opponents.

Business in Brief

Business in Brief
OPEC May Not Use DollarTariff Hike UnlikelyKovykta Field Sale DelayedGazprom, Iran in Gas TalksGazprom to Up U.K. SalesSerbia, Russia to Sign DealLUKoil to Publish DiscoveryLUKoil to Finish UpgradeLukin's Energy Agency PostMegaFon Dividends SoonCorbina Plans Stock SaleSitronics Wins $100M DealTwo Banks Drop X5 LoanKazakh Media Role

Small Democratic Step
By Michael McFaul Democracy is not made by economic, cultural or historical determinants. Democrats make democracy.

Khash
By James Marson Shashliks, kebabs and khachapuri may be the most widely known dishes of Caucasus cuisine but, in the colder months, a rather more unusual delicacy takes its place at the table.

Sicily in a Slick Setting
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer The Etazh chain has been expanding at quite the clip of late. The ever-increasing number of these urbane cafes has been providing city dwellers with standardized minimalist interiors plus menus with all the familiar favorites -- a bit of Italian, a dash of Japanese and even a touch of Mexican -- all at reasonable prices.

Khash
By James Marson Shashliks, kebabs and khachapuri may be the most widely known dishes of Caucasus cuisine but, in the colder months, a rather more unusual delicacy takes its place at the table.

A Troubling Pattern With 'Premier Putin'
Dmitry Medvedev's announcement that President Vladimir Putin would be his choice for prime minister if he became president should have surprised no one.

Rice Offers Praise for Medvedev
Reuters, AP U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Dmitry Medvedev, named by President Vladimir Putin as his preferred successor, was ""of another generation"" of Russian leaders, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Putin's Future Not on Minsk Agenda
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer President Vladimir Putin will travel to Minsk on Thursday to discuss steps to create a single state from Russia and Belarus amid speculation that he could head the unified country after his second term ends in May.

The Road to Sergiyev Posad
By Maria Antonova / Staff Writer A day trip can be a spiritual journey to another place and time.

Using Pull of FSB Patrons to Make Deals
By George Bovt The recent interview in Kommersant with Oleg Shvartsman, head of the little-known FinansGroup, caused quite a storm.

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