A brief look at the stories making headlines in the Russian-language press

As job growth continues to elude the U.S. economy, we're hearing two main excuses from the Bush administration and its supporters: that the real situation is much better than you're hearing,

We've got to do something about our front door,"" my wife Maria declared the other day. ""Look at it. The leatherette's at least 40 years old and it's completely worn out. Do something about it!""

Stock Limits Raised MOSCOW (Reuters) -- The state securities watchdog on Friday raised the limit on foreign trade in two New York-listed Russian stocks, mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems and food group Wimm-Bill-Dann. The move is likely to increase the amount of stock available to foreign investors in the Russian market, who face a severe shortage of investment instruments and declining free-floats in many companies -- but it may also create stock overhang. The increase is especially important for those investors who hold the 5 percent of MTS stock that was placed as global depositary receipts a year ago by MTS's strategic investor Deutsche Telekom, which sold stock in MTS to reduce its debt. Output Grows 8.7% MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Industrial output grew 8.7 percent, year-on-year, in February after a 7.5 percent gain in January, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said Friday, citing data from the State Statistics Committee. Industrial output rose 6.5 percent in February 2003.

A Moscow court on Friday convicted two former executives of Aeroflot for abuse of power and failing to transfer the carrier's foreign currency earnings to Russia, but ordered them free for time served, their lawyers said.

The new natural resources minister said Friday his first act was to suspend a slew of new oil licenses hastily issued in his predecessor's final hours as minister.