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

Putin Backs Medvedev for President
By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed the candidacy of First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the March presidential election -- the first time Putin has publicly supported a presumed successor.

VTB Banker's Body Found Bound in Pool
By Catrina Stewart and David Nowak / Staff Writers Authorities opened a murder investigation Friday into the death of a senior executive at state-run bank VTB, who was found dead with his legs bound, in a swimming pool at his luxury dacha outside Moscow.

One Week To Wait For Putin's Anointed
By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer The mystery surrounding whom President Vladimir Putin will back as his preferred successor will end on Dec. 17, a mere 74 days before the presidential election. But until then, the name promises to be kept as a larger-than-life secret.

Renault Looking To Revive AvtoVAZ
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer Renault has emerged the winner to buy a 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ as the French carmaker looks to reinforce its position in what will soon become Europe's largest car market and help the Russian giant resuscitate its troubled Lada brand.

Bus Blast Kills 2 in Stavropol
Reuters A blast on a bus in southern Russia killed two people on Sunday, emergency services said, less than a month after five people died when a bomb exploded on a bus in a neighboring region.

Russia-Belarus Union Presidency Dismissed
Combined Reports A Kremlin source has dismissed as ""sheer speculation"" reports that President Vladimir Putin plans to create a new role for himself heading a union of Russia and Belarus.

Reporter to Be Freed From Clinic
Combined Reports A reporter who wrote critical articles about military actions in Chechnya has been ordered released from a Yaroslavl region psychiatric hospital where he was kept against his will for nine months.

Metropolitan Kirill Praises Papal Talks
The Associated Press A prominent official in the Russian Orthodox Church described a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI as ""very positive,"" and said Catholics and Orthodox must work together to promote Christian values while continuing efforts aimed at unity.

Think Tank Comes Under Fire
Reuters The Foreign Ministry has accused The Jamestown Foundation, a U.S. think tank, of spreading anti-Russian propaganda by hosting a debate on violence in Ingushetia.

Wary of Vote but Eager for Energy
The Associated Press Hungary will continue to seek closer ties with Russia despite doubts about the fairness of the State Duma elections there, the Hungarian prime minister said.

Shield Talks Planned for This Week
Reuters The United States and Russia will hold senior-level talks about missile defense in Budapest on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said.

Rice Fails to Convince Lavrov on Iran
By Matthew Lee / The Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has failed to persuade Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the urgency of new sanctions for Iran, and the two have clashed over the future of Kosovo.

National Bolshevik Activist Awarded $22,000 by Court
The Moscow Times The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to pay 15,000 euros ($22,000) to an activist with the banned National Bolshevik Party who was convicted of seizing a presidential administration reception office, the activist's lawyer said.

58 One-Way Streets
The Moscow Times Fifty-eight centrally located streets are to become one-way streets amid an ongoing struggle by City Hall to ease traffic congestion, Pavel Kozlov, head of City Hall's center for organization of road traffic, said Friday.

Kasyanov Chosen Kremlin Hopeful
By Francesca Mereu / Staff Writer Despite having difficulties with holding a congress the night before, the Russian People's Democratic Union managed to select its leader, Mikhail Kasyanov, as its candidate in the March presidential election.

Communists to Rally Against Vote Dec. 22
Combined Reports The Communist Party is planning demonstrations nationwide this month to protest ""flagrant violations"" during the State Duma elections, a senior party official said.

Cleanup Starts in Aftermath of South Korea's Biggest Oil Spill
The Associated Press Thousands of people used shovels and buckets Sunday to clean up a devastating oil spill at a scenic beach on South Korea's western coast, some battling headaches and nausea from the stench.

NATO Captures 2 Taliban Leaders
Reuters Afghan and NATO-led forces have captured two senior Taliban leaders during an offensive to retake the insurgents' most important stronghold in Afghanistan, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Sunday.

Europe Leaders to Stop Seeking Negotiated Solution to Kosovo
Reuters EU leaders are expected to agree this week that efforts to reach a negotiated solution to the Kosovo problem are exhausted and offer to take responsibility for security and justice in the Serbian province.

Africa Rejects EU Trade Deals
Reuters Most African leaders on Sunday rejected new trade deals demanded by the European Union, dealing a blow to efforts to forge a new economic partnership at the first EU-Africa summit in seven years.

Suicide Bombing Kills 8 in Pakistan
The Associated Press Eight people were killed, including two children, when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a police outpost Sunday in Pakistan's Swat valley, the site of an ongoing military operation against militants loyal to a fugitive cleric.

Inquiries Promised In CIA Scandal
By Pamela Hess / The Associated Press The U.S. Justice Department and the CIA's internal watchdog have announced a joint inquiry into the spy agency's destruction of videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists, as the latest scandal to rock U.S. intelligence gathered steam.

Business

Stillwater Allowed $2.6M Settlement
Bloomberg Stillwater Mining, the U.S. producer of platinum and palladium that is owned by Norilsk Nickel, has won a judge's approval for a $2.6 million settlement of a five-year shareholder lawsuit.

Ritzio Betting on Europe as Russia Restricts Gambling
Bloomberg Ritzio Entertainment Group, the country's largest gaming company, plans to expand its presence in Germany and Italy and enter other European countries before gambling is restricted in its home market.

Chavez Promises Belarus Unlimited Oil
By Ian James / The Associated Press President Hugo Chavez promised to supply the oil needs of Belarus for years to come Saturday, while President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to help Venezuela beef up its military.

Gas Supply Unaffected After Blast
Reuters A blast damaged a major gas pipeline running through Ukraine, the second such explosion this year, but supplies to Europe continue to run smoothly, the pipeline's operator said Friday.

Imedi TV Manager Complains of Sabotage
Reuters Georgian police smashed monitors and pulled out wires in a deliberate act of sabotage when they raided an opposition television station last month, managers said Friday after they were let back in for the first time.

2 Foreign Firms, Rosneft Eye TGK-10
Reuters Rosneft, Finnish utility Fortum and Gas de France are considering bidding for control of TGK-10, a source close to the deal said.

Lavrov Sees End to Polish Meat Dispute
By David Brunnstrom / Reuters Poland and Russia expressed hope Friday that a long-running dispute over Moscow's ban on Polish meat imports could be resolved in the course of a series of high-level diplomatic contacts mapped out amid warming ties.

Ignoring Global Credit Crisis, Economy Grows 7.6% in Q3
Bloomberg The economy expanded an annual 7.6 percent in the third quarter, better than expected, suggesting that problems on global credit markets have not had a major impact on the country.

Societe Generale's Buy Of Rosbank Is at Risk
Combined Reports But the French bank says there are no changes to its plans for Rosneft.

VTB Ready to Lend to Potanin
Combined Reports VTB may partly finance the purchase of a 25 percent stake in Norilsk Nickel by tycoon Vladimir Potanin for $15.7 billion, VTB's chief executive said Saturday.

Sports

Old Hand Takes Over At Ukrainian Champs
By Gennady Fyodorov / Reuters Former Russia manager Yury Syomin has been appointed Dinamo Kiev coach, the Ukrainian champion said Saturday.

Arbat & Main

Putin's Pretend Democracy
By Mark H. Teeter Now that the pretend results from the pretend elections to the nation's pretend parliament have been certified, the next order of political business will be the pretend presidential election in March.

Business in Brief
Pipeline Security to IncreaseKashagan Stake May RiseGas to Armenia SuspendedLUKoil Opens New UnitFirst Busan Terminal HerePossible Alcohol Sales LimitsVTB Profit May Be $800M

Ask the Boss
By Maria Antonova When is the best time of year to look for a new job?

Opportunities And Optimism
By Nikolaus von Twickel / Staff Writer A positive outlook is the winning strategy for Germany's top business lobbyist in Russia.

Ending an Empire Over a Few Drinks
By David Marples Sixteen years ago Saturday, the leaders of the three Slavic republics of the Soviet Union gathered at a hunting lodge in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha nature reserve near Minsk and signed an agreement that spelled the end of the Soviet Union.

Worn Out by Elections
By Robert Coalson With the dust settling from the State Duma elections, all eyes have turned to the presidential election in March. But some in the Kremlin might be turning their thoughts to the presidential election in general -- as in getting rid of it altogether.

Restaurant News
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer Bio Gourmet, the organic cafe located in Moscow's posh ""Golden Mile"" neighborhood, has commenced its German Christmas Bazaar.

Introduction to Italian
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer Piatto Italiano is a good starting point for the inexperienced diner looking to get acquainted with Italian cuisine.

News in Brief
German Embassy Visa FraudTymoshenko Vote NearsSerbs Arrest BusinessmanKyrgyz Activist InvestigatedPoles to Air Belarussian TV

Refugees Dreaming of Home in Hotel Charm
By Matthew Collin The Hotel Charm isn't really a hotel any more, and it's definitely not charming. The hallways are scruffy, the stairwells are filthy, broken light fittings cast a pall of gloom across the corridors, and in winter it's cold and damp. But for more than a decade, this dingy concrete block in Tbilisi has been home to around 25 families.

Market Matters

Stocks Roaring Despite Jitters
By Tim Wall / Staff Writer After the State Duma elections, Russian markets tick up on the back of a flurry of deals and relief over gas price reform.

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