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

Defending champion Maria Sharapova crashed out of the WTA Championships in Los Angeles in Saturday's semifinal, losing to France's Amelie Mauresmo 7-6, 6-3.

In his early years in office, President Vladimir Putin often compared Russia to tiny Portugal, noting that the former would have to work very hard just to catch up economically with the latter.

By a strange coincidence, the nationalist march through the center of Moscow on Nov. 4 took place against the backdrop of continued rioting in France by disaffected youths of Arab and African origin.

A sharp drop in violence across France fueled police hopes on Sunday that curfews and other measures had curbed the country's worst wave of urban unrest since 1968, despite the first clash in a major city center.

Putin Visits Turkey President Vladimir Putin will fly to Turkey next week to participate in a ceremony for the 1,213-kilometer Blue Stream gas pipeline, the Kremlin said Friday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are expected to join the Russian leader at Thursday's ceremony, a Kremlin statement said. The $3.4 billion Blue Stream is the world's deepest undersea pipeline and extends more than 360 kilometers through the Black Sea, reaching a depth of 2,100 meters. The Kremlin said the ceremony would mark the official opening of the pipeline, although Russian natural gas began reaching Turkey nearly three years ago. (AP) Kudrin Urges Wage Curb Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin suggested that state-controlled companies curb wage increases to help the government fight inflation, Vedomosti reported on Friday.