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

Sandy Berger, the national security adviser under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, resigned Tuesday as a senior adviser to John Kerry's presidential campaign after the disclosure that he had improperly removed classified materials on terrorism from a secure government reading room last year.

Canada has the Trans-Canada Highway. Brazil has the Trans-Amazon. Germany has the Autobahn and Russia now has the Trans-Russian. This summer, from westernmost Tsaganuur to Halhyn Gol in the east, road crews are working to add another to the list, the Mongolian Millennium Highway.

An American arrested in Afghanistan with two countrymen for illegally detaining people he suspected of being Islamic militants said Wednesday that he was working for the U.S. government, and he had evidence to prove it.

The average banker would have some reservations about opening a bank in a newly capitalist country with a failing economy, sky-high inflation and no tested formula for success.

Sergei Krylov has been appointed head of the Sistema JSFC international relations office. Previously, Krylov served from 1997-2004 as ambassador to Germany.

RusAl Revenues Jump MOSCOW (Reuters) -- RusAl said Wednesday that its first-half 2004 aluminum and alloys output rose by 5.1 percent year-on-year to 1.33 million tons from 1.27 million tons. Exports of value-added casthouse products increased by 27 percent year-on-year, with North America and Asia as the main regions of growth. In North America and Asia, RusAl's exports increased by 96 percent and by 53 percent respectively. RusAl's first-half revenue was $2.6 billion versus $2.1 billion in the same period last year due to a sharp increase of aluminum price and continued production growth. Full-year 2003 revenues totaled $4.5 billion. Gold Output Rises MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Gold output was 61.82 tons in the first half of 2004, a 6.4 percent rise year-on-year, due to an increase of refining of the metal from scrap and as a byproduct, the industry lobby said Wednesday. A statement by the Russian Gold Industrialists Union said gold output in January-June 2003 was 58.07 tons. Mine output declined to 50.