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

High Time for AvtoVAZ to Pick a Winner
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer When AvtoVAZ meets Friday to pick a strategic partner, it has a tough choice to make. Among the Western firms bidding for a stake in Russia's largest automaker are its joint-venture partner of six years, General Motors, and Italy's Fiat, the carmaker whose clunky small-car designs gave Soviet-era AvtoVAZ its start 40 years ago.

A Drive For Votes Ends in Suicide
By Svetlana Osadchuk / Staff Writer Almira Yamaletdinova said she wasn't sure why her husband hanged himself on the eve of the State Duma elections. But many relatives and friends are convinced that he folded under the pressure of United Russia's campaign to win the vote by a landslide.

A Veteran Delivers Weapons Warning
By Simon Saradzhyan / Staff Writer The entire architecture of strategic arms control could come tumbling down soon if Moscow and Washington fail to reach agreements on U.S. missile defense plans and adapting Cold War treaties to current realities, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said. ""If there is no movement forward, then a rollback begins sooner or later,"" Gorbachev told a nuclear arms control conference at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Russia Returning to Mediterranean
The Associated Press Russia dispatched an 11-ship aircraft carrier group to the Mediterranean Sea, the defense minister said Wednesday -- part of what he said was an effort to resume regular naval patrols on the world's oceans.

Uzbek's Extradition Flouts Court Order
Reuters Russia on Wednesday ignored an order from Europe's top human rights court and extradited a man to his native Uzbekistan, where he could face torture, rights activists said.

Nashi Writes to Her Majesty
By Alexander Osipovich / Staff Writer The youth group protests at the British Embassy, calling for the queen to call Ambassador Anthony Brenton home.

Embassies Threatened by Nearby Work
By Kevin O'Flynn / Staff Writer Tomas Arteaga Negrete sounds like a native Muscovite as he talks about the construction near his workplace. It is so noisy, he says, that it is hard to work and the builders sometimes keep pounding away through the weekend.

Yashin Says He's Ready To Replace Yavlinsky
By David Nowak / Staff Writer Yabloko party youth movement leader Ilya Yashin on Wednesday called for sweeping changes in the party's structure, saying he is ready to step up and become its leader should the need arise.

Kyrgyz Opposition Candidate Disqualified for Posting Ballot
Reuters Kyrgyz authorities have disqualified an opposition candidate ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, accusing him of illegally publishing a copy of the official ballot paper on his personal web site.

Consulting Firm Says Santa Should Move to Kyrgyzstan
The Associated Press Forget the North Pole. Santa Claus and his elves should set up shop in Kyrgyzstan to optimize the delivery of Christmas gifts to 2.5 billion homes around the world.

Business

State Mulls Rapid Food Export Ban
Reuters The government may adopt a legislative tool which will enable it to slap an immediate export ban on some agricultural commodities instead of waiting for more than a month, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said Wednesday.

State-Led Drive Aims to Close Technology Gap
By Lyubov Pronina / Bloomberg The government is focusing attention and funding on making the country a scientific and technological power again.

Tymoshenko Wants to Scrap Gas Deal
Bloomberg Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister poised to return to office, wants to scrap a natural gas accord with Russia, raising concern that a price dispute between the two countries could be repeated.

Taxes, Inflation Blamed for 25% Fall in Gazprom Profit
Bloomberg Gazprom said profit fell 25 percent in the second quarter as inflation and taxes drove up costs.

Pipeline to China Cost Hits $12Bln
Reuters The cost of an oil pipeline from Russia to China has risen to $12 billion, and the countries' struggle to agree on a pricing deal for a similar gas pipe could drag on for years, a Russian energy official said Wednesday.

Khodorkovsky Lawyer Sees New Trial
Reuters Jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Yukos, will probably be put on trial again next year for embezzlement and money laundering, one of his lawyers said Wednesday.

$1M Find In Storchak Apartment
Reuters A prosecutor said Wednesday that $1 million in cash had been found in the apartment of Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak, who faces charges of attempting to embezzle $43 million.

Sports

Klitschko to Square Off With Ibragimov
By David Skretta / The Associated Press Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko and Russia's Sultan Ibragimov intend to take the first step toward gluing together boxing's heavyweight division.

Always a Dissident

A New Era for Labor Unions
By Boris Kagarlitsky The State Duma elections, which tried but ultimately failed to frighten voters, are finally over. We can breathe a sigh of relief and forget for the time being about the parliament.

Business in Brief
Meat Shortage for Far EastLithuanian Heat Up 15%Sitronics, MTS Sign DealsMongolia to Buy WheatPharmstandard Sales Jump1.2% Consumer Price RiseTNK-BP to Invest $1BlnUES Delays TGK-4 SaleMol Plans Gas Transit Line$1.4Bln to Develop FishingProkhorov Rejects Bid PleaMorgan Stanley Into Dixy$1Bln Atomic Investment

Why the Vote Was Not Fair
By Klas Bergman On election day, with snow covering the street in Moscow, over 60 percent of voters went to the polls at well-organized and efficient polling stations and in a mostly calm and friendly atmosphere.

What to Do: Visit the Wine Festival
By Maria Antonova / Staff Writer A festival of Russian wines is starting this Friday at the All-Russia Exhibition Center, or VVTs, and continues over the weekend. More than 80 wine and other alcoholic drink-producers from various Russian regions are to attend.

Azeri Sindbad Is Back
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer The Azeri eatery Sindbad has long offered some of the city's finest alfresco dining. In summer, its leafy courtyard provides a wonderful, secluded retreat on a quiet backstreet just off the Garden Ring.

Oil, History, Islam and Tea
By Adrian Carnegie / Special to The Moscow Times Narrow, winding streets, a UNESCO-recognized Old City, a blend of the Middle East and the West -- Baku calls.

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