The Moscow Times

Market Matters: As Conflict Ends, Markets on Road to Recovery
After tumbling to its lowest point in almost two years on Tuesday, Russia's MICEX Index began to slowly claw its way back over the rest of the week, suggesting a possible end to the volatility that has plagued the country's markets since tensions erupted between Russia and Georgia on Aug. 8.

News

No Sign of Promised Troop Pullback
By Nabi Abdullaev, Nikolaus von Twickel / Staff Writers Russian forces occupying central Georgia made no signs of leaving Monday, despite claims by the Defense Ministry that a pullout was beginning.

Medvedev Vies With Putin in Word War
By Anna Smolchenko, Matt Siegel / Staff Writers President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday made a surprise visit to Vladikavkaz, near the border with South Ossetia, to commend soldiers on their valor during the conflict with Georgia and promise them a better future.

Prague Spring Buried in Moscow's History
By Max Delany / Staff Writer It was just before 10 o’clock on a warm August evening when Khabas Bekulov’s battalion received the order to invade.

Germany Seeks EU Conference
Reuters Germany said Monday that it would push for a European Union conference with Georgia's neighbors to help bring stability to the region.

NATO to Review Relations
The Associated Press NATO is expected to consider a range of upcoming activities planned with Russia -- from military exercises to ministerial meetings -- at an emergency meeting Tuesday and decide case by case whether to go ahead with each activity.

South Ossetian Cabinet Sacked
Reuters The leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia fired his government on Monday and declared a month-long emergency to cope with the aftermath of an armed conflict with the central government in Tbilisi.

News in Brief
Russia Eyes Pakistani CrisisSweden Cancels MeetingsLukashenko to Visit SochiTymoshenko Called BetrayerPoles Want U.S. Shield Now

Moscow Considers Suit Against Tbilisi
By Svetlana Osadchuk / Staff Writer The Foreign Ministry said Monday that it might file suit against Georgia in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in answer to a Georgian case against Russia over its incursion into Georgia.

International Red Cross Head Is Barred From South Ossetia
Reuters The International Red Cross said Monday that it was seeking urgent clarification from Russia after its president was unable to enter the breakaway province of South Ossetia on a humanitarian mission.

Paper Reprimanded Over Georgia
By Natalya Krainova / Staff Writer Novaya Gazeta's St. Petersburg edition is accused of inciting hatred of Georgians by reporting an ultranationalists' statement.

Russian Media Spins Saakashvili's Tie Chewing
By Anna Malpas / Staff Writer As he waited for a BBC interview to begin, Mikheil Saakashvili took a call on his cell phone, absentmindedly stuffed the end of his red silk tie in his mouth and began to chew it in an apparent attack of nerves.

Business

Norilsk Cited in Pollution Inquiry
By Nadia Popova / Staff Writer An official who granted Norilsk Nickel a permit to emit polluting gases is being investigated over possible abuse of office and causing the state 1 billion rubles ($40 million) in damages, the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's General's Office said Monday.

Yevroset Prepares To Pick President
By Tai Adelaja / Staff Writer Yevroset, the country’s largest mobile-phone retailer, is set to appoint a new president after Alexei Chuikin said he stepped down last week. Commercial director Dmitry Denisov, the company’s acting president, is considered the main contender for the post.

Weak Growth in July Comes as a Surprise
By Toni Vorobyova / Reuters Russian industrial output was weaker than expected in July, data showed on Monday, suggesting that June’s sharp slowdown in growth was only partly due to workers downing tools to watch Euro 2008 football games.

Mirland H1 Profit Tumbles to $3.1M
Reuters Property company Mirland Development said Monday that its net profit tumbled 95 percent in the first half of 2008 compared with the same period of 2007, when earnings were boosted by asset revaluation.

Moscow Bringing 'Elite' to Tskhinvali
By Tai Adelaja / Staff Writer Moscow taxpayers will pay 2.5 billion rubles ($100 million) for the construction of an elite neighborhood named in honor of Moscow in the destroyed South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

Nabucco: Survey Shows Demand for Pipeline
Reuters Nabucco Gas Pipeline, which plans to pump gas from Central Asia to Europe starting in 2013, said Monday that a survey of potential customers showed its capacity would be overbooked from the first day it goes onstream.

$830M in Loans Promised To Kazakhstan's Businesses
Bloomberg Kazakhstan’s small and medium-sized businesses will get 100 billion tenge ($830 million) in loans as the government seeks to bolster economic growth in its two biggest cities.

Kazakh Oil Exports Drop in First Half
Reuters Kazakhstan's crude oil exports fell 2.4 percent year on year to 30.7 million tons in the first half of 2008, still recovering from a sharp decline registered in the first quarter, official data showed Monday.

Rolf Holds Talks to Take Over Avelon
Combined Reports Rolf Group, the biggest Russian dealer of foreign cars, said Monday that it was in takeover talks with Avelon Group, a Finnish vehicle logistics service provider.

Serbia to Sell NIS, Host South Stream
Bloomberg Serbia will adhere to the provisions of an energy agreement with Russia that includes the sale of state-owned oil producer Naftna Industrija Srbije to Gazprom and the construction of part of the South Stream gas pipeline across its territory, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said.

Oil Exports Lowered for 2nd Month
Reuters Russia will export very low volumes of oil via sea ports in September for the second month in a row as high export duties coupled with falling global oil prices prompt firms to refine more at home.

Etihad of UAE Plans Flights to Moscow
The Moscow Times The United Arab Emirates’ flagship carrier, Etihad Airways, will start flying from its Abu Dhabi base to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport in December, the company announced Monday.

Business in Brief
iPhone Deals Seen SoonRuble Rises 0.1%Ingosstrakh StakeGrain Harvest Up 38%More Asian Grain ExportsSalym to Raise CapacityIraq Power Tenders

Opinion

The End of the Post-Soviet Era
The dream that many inside and outside Russia had since the Soviet collapse -- to see Russia integrated with the West -- was crushed long before Russian tanks rolled into Georgia.

Konstantin Sonin: A Tried and True Diversion Tactic
In any country -- whether it is democratic or authoritarian -- politicians in power do everything they can to make citizens pay more attention to foreign policy issues and less to domestic ones. The reason is simple: it is easier to manipulate people when the issue is abstract and remote.

Sports

National Hero Falls Before the First Hurdle
By Simon Denyer / Reuters Chinese fans were stunned into silence and tears as national hero and 110-meter hurdles Olympic champion Liu Xiang hobbled out of the games injured on Monday.

2 Anastasias Open Strong In Technicals
By Derek Parr / Reuters Russian world champions Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Yermakova led the way through the technical routine in their Olympic synchronized swimming duet title defense on Monday.

An Olympic Worst for Russian Gymnasts
By Sonia Oxley / Reuters Russian gymnasts are facing their worst Olympic showing, with silly errors and rifts in the team pointing to a crisis in the sport's former superpower.

Isinbayeva Automatic In Pole Vault Victory
The Associated Press With Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang gone, it came down to Yelena Isinbayeva to produce the magic Monday at the Beijing Olympics.

City Wise

5,000 Dancers Will Try to Bring Music to Life
By Alexandra Odynova / Special to The Moscow Times What do you get when you combine a DJ, a Russian orchestra and pairs of dancing Argentines?

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