The Moscow Times

Market Matters : Oil Tax Pledge Buoys Markets
Markets surged after the swearing-in of Dmitry Medvedev as president in a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday and a tax-cutting speech by Vladimir Putin the day after, when he was approved as prime minister.

News

Putin Program Calls for Tax Cuts
By Anatoly Medetsky / Staff Writer After the State Duma overwhelmingly confirmed the new prime minister, investors offered their own positive reaction.

Softer Speech Before a Tougher Parade
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday warned against disregard for international law and ""irresponsible ambitions"" that lead to conflicts, as he presided over the Victory Day parade, which showcased military hardware for the first time since the Soviet collapse.

Medvedev Gets Sexed Up on the Internet
By Francesca Mereu / Staff Writer First, the Russian people — with a lot of help from Vladimir Putin — made him president. Now, someone seems to be trying to turn Dmitry Medvedev into a sex symbol.

High Spirits, Shrinking Numbers
By Anna Malpas and Matt Siegel / Staff Writers Floating high above the tracks at Kievsky Station, Stalin's smiling face beamed down from an enormous flat-screen television, exhorting his aging cadres to ""repel the enemy and bring home victory.""

A Show of Might On Red Square
Vladimir Filonov / MT Vladimir Filonov / MT Vladimir Filonov / MT Vladimir Filonov / MT Vladimir Filonov / MT Oksana Onipko / MT Oksana Onipko / MT AP Sergey Ponomarev / ...

Putin Takes Yeltsin's Pen and Some Clout
By Lynn Berry / The Associated Press When Boris Yeltsin left the Kremlin eight years ago, he gave Vladimir Putin the pen he had used to sign important documents and decrees, a gesture symbolizing the transfer of power to the new president.

Uzbek Father Says Son Died Of Torture in Desert Prison
Reuters An Uzbek prisoner who died while serving a 15-year sentence on charges of religious extremism had marks on his body indicating injuries from torture, his father said.

Sakharov Director Faces Religious Hatred Charges
The Associated Press Prosecutors said they would charge the director of the Sakharov Museum with inciting religious hatred for running a 2007 art exhibit that contained paintings portraying Jesus Christ as Mickey Mouse.

Airports Looking for Ill Travelers
By Natalya Krainova / Staff Writer Passengers arriving at international airports from some countries will go through intensified health screening following the onset of a deadly virus in several Asian countries.

Duma Votes to Streamline Visa Rules
By Max Delany and Natalia Krainova / Staff Writers The State Duma has passed a bill allowing the president to wave visa requirements temporarily for foreigners coming to major events like this month’s Champion’s League football final in Moscow or the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

News in Brief
German Minister to VisitProtester Gets 13 Days2 Crashes Kill 122 Dead in IngushetiaPoland on Missile DefenseNaked Protester DetainedCarousel Ride Kills 2Armenian Blasts 'Genocide'Azeri Court Jails 5U.S. Prisoner's HealthUN Tackles Tajik Locusts

EU Seeks End To Meat Ban On 7 Nations
Reuters The European Union's executive arm said a ban by Russia on imported meat from large companies in seven EU countries was disproportionate and should be removed.

China Looks Forward to Medvedev's Visit
The Associated Press President Dmitry Medvedev will visit China on May 23 and 24 for his first foreign trip since taking office, a further sign of improving ties between one-time bitter rivals.

EU Cautious on Medvedev Vow
Reuters A senior European Union official has welcomed a pledge by President Dmitry Medvedev to protect freedoms and improve the rule of law but said it remained to be seen if this would become a reality.

Bush Urged to Delay Russia Nuclear Pact
Reuters Key U.S. lawmakers are urging President George W. Bush to delay a civilian nuclear-cooperation pact with Russia until concerns about Russia’s nuclear ties to Iran are cleared up.

Suspected German Spy to Go on Trial
The Associated Press A German engineer who worked for EADS's Eurocopter unit will go on trial June 9 on charges of selling information to a Russian intelligence agent, a Munich court said.

Air Force's Commander Seethes Over NATO Jets
The Associated Press Air Force commander Alexander Zelin warned on Saturday that NATO fighters escorting Russian bombers on patrol flights over neutral waters are violating safety rules.

U.S. and Russia Swap Diplomatic Explusions
Combined Reports The United States and Russia have expelled five diplomats and military attaches from each other's countries, U.S. officials said.

Russia Eyes More Troops in Abkhazia
Combined Reports The Defense Ministry said it could further bolster its peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia, a move that would further anger Georgia and stoke fears of an impending war.

Sudan Cuts Ties to Chad After Attack
Reuters Sudan cut diplomatic relations with Chad on Sunday after an attack on Khartoum by Darfur rebels that Sudan said was supported by Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Defiant Serbia Conducts Vote In Minority Areas of Kosovo
Reuters Serbia underlined its rejection of Kosovo's Western-backed independence by conducting elections in the territory on Sunday, in defiance of the United Nations and the ethnic Albanian majority there.

Lag in Aid Threatens Thousands
Reuters Desperate survivors of Cyclone Nargis poured out of Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Sunday in search of food, water and medicine but aid workers said thousands would die if emergency supplies do not get through soon.

Hezbollah Gives Ground to Government
Reuters Lebanese troops patrolled Beirut on Sunday after Hezbollah fighters pulled back from areas they had seized in gun battles with supporters of the government.

Tornadoes Trail Across 2 States
Reuters At least 18 people were killed on Saturday in Missouri and Oklahoma after tornadoes swept through the area, authorities in the two states said.

Business

Vekselberg Wins Control of Oerlikon
By Antonio Ligi / Bloomberg The Swiss technology conglomerate's former main shareholder sells Renova a 6.5 percent stake.

Gazprom Tops China Mobile, GE
Bloomberg Gazprom overtook China Mobile and General Electric to become the world's third-largest company by market value after the presidential inauguration of its chairman, Dmitry Medvedev.

Gambling Billionaire Seeks $1.5Bln
By Maria Ermakova / Bloomberg Oleg Boiko, who controls Eastern Europe's largest gaming company, said his businesses planned to raise $1.5 billion this year to fund expansion in gambling, retail and real estate.

Oil Tax Pledge Buoys Markets
By Catrina Stewart / Staff Writer Markets surged after the swearing-in of Dmitry Medvedev as president in a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday and a tax-cutting speech by Vladimir Putin the day after, when he was approved as prime minister.

Deripaska Weighing Udokan Bid
Reuters Billionaire Oleg Deripaska is considering a bid for a huge Siberian copper field that may pitch him into competition or partnership with Russian Railways and Norilsk Nickel.

Deripaska Hires British Equestrian Pro
The Moscow Times Billionaire Oleg Deripaska has enlisted the help of a prominent British bloodstock agent to create a stable there, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Chechen Factory Rolls Out First Cars
Reuters A new factory in Chechnya assembled its first cars Thursday, the Chechen government said, in a boost for the Kremlin, which wants to present the war-scarred region as rejuvenated.

TUI Supervisory Board Chief to Stay
Combined Reports TUI's supervisory board chief, JЯrgen Krumnow, will remain at the company despite efforts by TUI's biggest shareholder to oust him at an annual meeting.

Business in Brief
Mosfilm May Get 2 Studios ST. PETERSBURG -- The country may transfer control of two state-run movie studios to the Moscow-based Mosfilm, which is also owned by the state, Mosfilm general director Karen Shakhnazarov said, Vedomosti reported Thursday. The Federal Property Management Agency earlier planned to sell Lenfilm and Gorky Film Studio to private investors, the newspaper said. Representatives of both studios declined to comment to Vedomosti. (Bloomberg) RusAl Wage Talks in Jamaica United Company RusAl, the world's largest aluminum producer, said Thursday that its Jamaican bauxite and alumina plant was operating normally and that wage talks with a labor union were ongoing. The plant, operated by Alumina Partners of Jamaica, has two unions, with one already agreeing to renew workers' contracts, said Halvor Molland, a spokesman for Norsk Hydro. Hydro owns 35 percent of the plant. RusAl, owner of the majority stake, commented separately in an e-mailed statement.

Opinion

Matthew Collin: Taking the Temperature In Georgia's Hot Spring
Tbilisi is bathing in an early summer glow. Babushkas are hawking bucketfuls of luscious strawberries and kiwi on the sidewalks, the fountains are gushing merry jets of water into the warm air, and the Georgian capital seems to be in a carefree mood. Is this really a country on the brink of war?

Mark H. Teeter: Medvedev the Bookworm
Forty years ago, a question of debate among American undergraduates was ""What tells you more about your dormmates -- their bookshelves or their record collections?"" Today's students probably ask ""their web Favorites or their iPods?"" -- or some other hi-tech pairing that ignores ""dead-tree books.""

Richard Lourie: Sinophobia
Russia is the only European country that borders China. That border is quite long (4,400 kilometers) and has a long and contentious history.

City Wise

Restaurant News
By Nathan Toohey The warmer weather has led to the opening of more summer terraces every day. The latest is at the Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow, which has opened its Conservatory Terrace.

A Deli for the Pond
By Nathan Toohey / Staff Writer The area surrounding Spiridonovka at posh Patriarch's Ponds is rife with upmarket eateries and swish cafes, but until now there was no true delicatessen. The recently opened Il Cucinino seems to have filled that niche.

Career

More Than Volcanoes
By Ed Pulford / Special to The Moscow Times The development of infrastructure on the Kamchatka peninsula is making the area more accessible.

The Danger of Isolationism
By Andrei Kortunov Russia has only two allies -- its army and navy."" This phrase, which was originally uttered 150 years ago by Tsar Alexander III, has become quite popular over the past several years to describe Moscow's shortage of allies.

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