The Moscow Times

Market Matters : Oil and Metals Shine as RTS Breaks 2,100
The RTS, the country's benchmark stock index, breached the 2,100 barrier for the first time this year, as oil and metal stocks pulled away from the field.

Putin's Legacy : How the State Got a Grip on Energy
It was early March 2000 when Vladimir Putin landed in Surgut, one stop on a long campaign trail that would help take the acting president to the official seat in the Kremlin.

News

Hermitage Hits Back Over Tax Allegations
By Tai Adelaja, Max Delany and Catrina Stewart / Staff Writers Hermitage Capital Management on Thursday hit back against what it said was a personal attack on its chief executive, William Browder, after a newspaper reported that he would face tax-evasion charges.

Good and Bad NATO News for Putin
By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer For President Vladimir Putin, the good news was that Ukraine and Georgia were out for now. The bad news, as Putin arrived in Bucharest on Thursday evening, was that missile-defense systems might be in Central Europe soon.

Berezovsky Blamed in Politkovskaya Murder
By David Nowak / Staff Writer Dmitry Dovgy, a senior Investigative Committee official under investigation for possible corruption, has accused self-exiled businessman Boris Berezovsky of ordering the October 2006 assassination of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

28th and Crowning Visit for Presidents
By Anna Smolchenko / Staff Writer Despite complaints that George W. Bush has ignored Russia during his presidency, one fact cannot be disputed: In visits, he has made President Vladimir Putin a priority.

Cult Leader Hospitalized With Head Wounds
Combined Reports A Penza cult leader who inspired his followers to hide in a bunker for five months as they waited for the end of the world is in the hospital with serious head wounds, officials said Thursday.

Tenant Finds Body on Balcony
By Alexander Osipovich / Staff Writer A Yekaterinburg man who clubbed his mother to death with a hammer, stashed her body on the balcony and then proceeded to rent out their apartment has been charged with murder after a horrified tenant discovered the corpse, prosecutors said Thursday.

Opposition to Discuss 2nd Parliament
By Natalya Krainova / Staff Writer The fractured liberal opposition will meet Saturday in St. Petersburg to discuss the creation of a broad liberal alliance and an alternative parliament scheduled to convene next month.

Medvedev Reassures Web Users
Combined Reports Authorities should take a measured approach to policing the Internet, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday in a speech that may ease concerns about a crackdown on free speech in cyberspace.

Macedonia Odd Man Out in Trio
Reuters Macedonia's foreign minister said Thursday that his delegation would walk out of the NATO summit in protest at being denied membership.

Sarkozy Mulls NATO Return, Pledges Troops for Afghanistan
Reuters French President Nicolas Sarkozy signaled a revolution in French security policy Thursday by announcing that he would decide in the coming year on returning to NATO's military command, which Paris quit in 1966.

As Chaotic Election Looms, Italy Lives Up to Reputation
Reuters Italy is living up to its image as a country with a talent for chaos, not knowing whether it can hold a general election in just 10 days and rejecting the French rescue of loss-making airline Alitalia.

Mugabe Considers Runoff
The Associated Press State media gave Zimbabweans a hint of how President Robert Mugabe's embattled party might wage its campaign for a presidential runoff, with stories Thursday portraying the opposition as divided, controlled by former colonial ruler Britain and threatening land reform.

China Jails Human Rights Activist
Reuters A Buddhist Chinese dissident outspoken on Tibet and other sensitive topics was jailed for 3 1/2 years on Thursday, a conviction likely to become a focus of rights campaigns ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

Ahern Steps Down in Corruption Scandal
The Associated Press Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, the common-touch Dubliner who promoted Ireland's economic boom and Belfast peace, announced his resignation Wednesday under a darkening cloud of financial scandal.

Business

BP Chief Hayward Meets Gazprom, Rosneft Heads
By Anatoly Medetsky / Staff Writer BP chief Tony Hayward and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller agreed to look at new opportunities Thursday, just two weeks after law enforcement agents raided the British energy firm's Moscow offices.

Top Steelmakers Face Antitrust Probe
Bloomberg The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said Thursday that it would investigate steelmakers including Severstal, the country's biggest, after oil companies complained about the prices paid for metal used in pipes.

Gazprom Weighing Eni Assets in Libya
Reuters Gazprom is considering energy assets in Libya in its swap deal with Italy's Eni, a source at the gas export monopoly said Thursday.

Rosneft Adds 8% to Total Reserves in '07
Reuters Rosneft said Thursday that its total hydrocarbon reserves rose by 8 percent in 2007, allowing it to keep the top spot for oil reserves among the world's public companies.

Business in Brief
NLMK to See $1.5Bln$2.1Bln Spent Online in '07Uralkali Profit DoublesVTB Profit Falls 57% in Q1Foreign Reserves at $507BlnWest Siberian ProductionItalian Firm's Sukhoi InterestFor the Record

Domodedovo Conflict
The Moscow Times East Line, the secretive company that owns Domodedovo Airport, is fighting a decision to nationalize several of its major assets, Kommersant said Thursday.

Ruling on Storchak Detention Delayed
The Moscow Times A Moscow court said Thursday that Sergei Storchak, the deputy finance minister charged with embezzlement, would remain in custody until Apr. 8 to allow investigators more time to gather material on the case.

Renewed Fears Send BoNY Stock Falling
By Christopher Condon / Bloomberg Bank of New York Mellon, the largest custodian of financial assets, fell 4.8 percent Wednesday on concerns that the government will succeed with its $22.5 billion money-laundering suit against the company.

Opinion

Not All American Adoptive Parents Are Abusive
Your Letters

The New Nuclear Risks
By Joschka Fischer Humans love to suppress abstract dangers. They react only after they get their fingers burned. In handling nuclear risks, however, we can hardly get away with such childlike behavior.

The Word`s Worth

Putting Up With All of That Noise
By Michele A. Berdy Ah, spring. The sound of birds chirping in the morn -- What? What did you say? Can you speak a little louder? I can't hear you! Hello?! Huh? Please speak up! Say what? Louder!

« to older

Features

Services

Tools

MT news

Testimonials

Sponsored links

News

Business

Opinion

The Word`s Worth

Currency Exchange

Weather

Most Popular Stories

Archive

Columnists