Feature

Feature

A blast in the car of the acting deputy...

A blast in the car of the acting deputy Interior Minister of the Russian North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia has left at least one person injured, an Interior Ministry official said.

A delegation of top-ranking Bolivian officials...

A delegation of top-ranking Bolivian officials will visit Moscow on April 26 for talks on energy, military and industrial cooperation, Bolivian President Evo Morales has said.

A new Russian-U.S. arms control treaty will...

A new Russian-U.S. arms control treaty will not impair Russia"s defense capability, a top Russian military official said Wednesday.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed...

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed on Saturday that Moscow and Washington would continue their dialogue on a new strategic arms deal in Geneva in February.

At least 11 people, including seven police...

At least 11 people, including seven police officers and four drug smugglers, have been killed in a shootout in eastern Iran, BBC has said.

At least five suspected militants were killed...

At least five suspected militants were killed in Pakistan"s restive tribal zone on the border with Afghanistan during a U.S. drone attack on a militant hideout, the Press Trust of India said on Saturday.

A United Airlines Boeing 767 en route from...

A United Airlines Boeing 767 en route from Washington to Moscow made an emergency landing on an island of the Azores in the mid-Atlantic, the Russian Federal Air Transportation Agency said on Wednesday.

China said on Thursday that discussions...

China said on Thursday that discussions of new sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program could undermine the efforts to resolve the issue using diplomacy.

Danish authorities have prevented an attack...

Danish authorities have prevented an attack on cartoonist Kurt Westergaard known for his cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that caused Muslims" wrath around the world four years ago.

Gazprom top executives are to hold a key...

Gazprom top executives are to hold a key board meeting today as the energy giant faces up to the possibility of losing the U.S. market.

German troops operating in Afghanistan have...

German troops operating in Afghanistan have killed at least five Afghani soldiers in a friendly fire incident in the country"s northern Kunduz province.

Investigators have said the crew of the...

Investigators have said the crew of the Tu-204 plane that made a belly landing in the woods on its approach to a Moscow airport earlier this week used a pocket GPS instead of the primary air navigation system, a leading Russian business daily said on Thursday.

Iran is planning to spend some $9 billion...

Iran is planning to spend some $9 billion on the development of its gas infrastructure, the Islamic republic"s SHANA news agency said on Wednesday, quoting the head of the National Iranian Gas Company.

Iran"s Revolutionary Guards have completed...

Iran"s Revolutionary Guards have completed a wide-ranging military exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Fars news agency reported on Monday.

Iran started on Monday production of two...

Iran started on Monday production of two domestically-developed unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering high-precision bombing strikes and performing reconnaissance missions, the Fars news agency said.

Israel"s plans to build homes for Jewish...

Israel"s plans to build homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem "endanger" indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the EU foreign policy chief said on Monday.

Los Angeles County District Attorney"s Office...

Los Angeles County District Attorney"s Office has said in a statement it would file charges related to Michael Jackson"s death on Monday.

MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - The global...

MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) - The global market will undergo a significant shift in the next 15 years as a result of the increase in the number of companies entering foreign markets from emerging economies, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealed in one of its latest press releases.

Moscow authorities will create a map showing...

Moscow authorities will create a map showing the main areas of ethnic tension in the city, a Russian government daily reported.

MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s Reserve Fund dropped by 11.9% to 3.127 trillion rubles ($100.95 billion), and the National Prosperity Fund declined 3% to 2.784 trillion rubles ($89.86 billion) in May, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.

MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian...

MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government's foreign debt, including liabilities of the former Soviet Union, declined 2.7% in January-March 2009 to $39.5 billion, the Finance Ministry reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the country must set up a research and technological development center similar to the Silicon Valley in the United States.

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - The...

MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Communists (KPRF) have started a signature-raising campaign for a petition to protect of the Lenin Mausoleum and the Kremlin Wall Necropolis on Red Square in downtown Moscow.

MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s Central Bank has cut its investment in bonds with U.S. mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from $65.6 billion to $20.9 billion as of November 1, the bank"s chairman said on Wednesday."The amount of Bank of Russia investments has decreased as the securities have been repaid," Sergei Ignatyev said, speaking in Russia"s lower house of parliament. The banker said the U.S. Treasury move that saw both mortgage agencies come under U.S. government conservatorship in September 2008 guaranteed that they would honor their financial commitments. The Central Bank was not currently selling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds, nor had it signed any new deals with either of the two mortgage financiers, Ignatyev said. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin earlier said bonds held by the Central Bank in the two U.S. mortgage giants yielded over $1 billion in the first half of 2008. The U.S. government-sponsored firms, which together own or guarantee $5 trillion in U.S. mortgage debt or almost 40% of the market, were taken over by a federal regulator early in September to prevent their possible collapse amid the growing credit crunch. Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. residential mortgage financier, asked the U.S. Treasury last Friday to provide $13.8 billion after posting third-quarter losses of $25.3 billion.

MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) - Warships...

MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) - Warships from all of the Russian Navy fleets will be involved in measures to fight piracy in the Horn of Africa region, Russia's Navy commander said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - Sales...

MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - Sales of a traditional Chinese medicine against swine flu, which its producer says is especially effective for children, have been launched in China, a local newspaper said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia...

MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia must look into the implications of genetically- modified food and make sure they are safe before widely introducing them, a group of experts attending a seminar on the issue said Tuesday.

MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) - Jacques...

MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) - Jacques Rogge was elected on Friday for a four-year second term as president of the International Olympic Committee.

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator...

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) - The economic downturn has hurt both the price and the volume of the natural gas Russia exports to Western Europe.

MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Viktor...

MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Viktor Vekselberg, one of the four major Russian shareholders in TNK-BP, said Wednesday that the Russian-British joint venture was worth at least $60 billion. "I have always said that the company would be worth $60 billion," he told reporters. According to RTS quotes, TNK-BP"s capitalization is now around $24 billion. However, some industry watchers say the company has been undervalued by 40-45%. TNK-BP posted a net profit of $4.7 billion in the first six months of 2008, a 128% increase on the same period last year. The British oil giant and the Alfa Access-Renova consortium of Russian billionaire shareholders signed last week a memorandum of understanding that should put an end to their protracted dispute over the joint oil venture"s management. It includes an option to sell up to 20% of a TNK-BP subsidiary through an IPO on international financial markets. The deal is a concession by BP to a number of its Russian partners" demands, including the removal of BP-appointed chief executive Robert Dudley, whom they accused of acting in only BP"s interests, and the appointment of three independent executives. The British oil major earlier accused the Russian shareholders of orchestrating a state harassment campaign against TNK-BP, Russia"s third largest producer, and seeking to seize control of the venture.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen...

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday the West is no threat to Moscow and that Russia"s new military doctrine is off target, the Polish Radio Foreign Service reported.

Nord Stream AG and two German environmental...

Nord Stream AG and two German environmental organizations have agreed on measures to protect the Baltic Sea, the gas pipeline operator said Friday.

North Korea has redenominated its national...

North Korea has redenominated its national currency, the won, taking two zeros off the nominal value of banknotes in a bid to curb inflation and fight black-market currency trading.

One of the three hotels attacked by heavily-armed...

One of the three hotels attacked by heavily-armed militants in India"s Mumbai in November 2008 reopened on Saturday.

Outgoing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko...

Outgoing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Tuesday he was leaving office happy after serving his country"s independence, but was ready to return as premier in a new government.

Police detained over 50 people on Moscow"s...

Police detained over 50 people on Moscow"s Triumph Square for an attempt to hold a protest rally, a law enforcement source said on Thursday.

President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into...

President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into law amendments to legislation on economic crimes that should increase the use of bail for suspects awaiting trial and cut abuse of the system, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Relations between Russia and the United...

Relations between Russia and the United States must be based on concrete projects and expanded in such areas as space exploration, aircraft and nuclear energy industry, a senior Russian diplomat said.

RIA Novosti chief editor Svetlana Mironyuk"s...

RIA Novosti chief editor Svetlana Mironyuk"s comment to gazeta.ru online edition

RIA Novosti has joined the world"s largest...

RIA Novosti has joined the world"s largest financial information network, BT Radianz Shared Market Infrastructure, the news agency"s director general said on Tuesday.

Romania"s top national security body has...

Romania"s top national security body has approved a plan to replace Soviet-made MiG-21 LanceR fighters with second-hand U.S. F-16 Falcon jets, the president"s office said on its website on Wednesday.

Russia could help Slovakia modernize its...

Russia could help Slovakia modernize its fleet of Soviet-made combat helicopters, a Russian presidential aide said on Tuesday.

Russia has delivered a total of 15 batteries...

Russia has delivered a total of 15 batteries of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to China, the manufacturer said on Friday.

Russia is expected to lower oil export duty...

Russia is expected to lower oil export duty on its Urals blend from the current $270.7 to $253.7 per metric ton from March 1, following trends on global oil markets, a Finance Ministry official said on Monday.

Russia is ready to address Kiev"s concerns...

Russia is ready to address Kiev"s concerns over gas prices and discuss its proposals, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.

Russian authorities may reduce quotas on...

Russian authorities may reduce quotas on U.S. poultry imports due to failure by the United States to meet sanitary requirements, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at his annual address to the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory...

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin described as "provocative" Georgian calls for deployment of international police force and peacekeepers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russian law-enforcement authorities raided...

Russian law-enforcement authorities raided the offices of Hewlett-Packard in Moscow to probe into allegations that its executives paid millions of U.S. dollars to win a government contract, a U.S. business paper reported on Thursday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed into law a bill to extend a ban on human cloning, the Kremlin press service reported on Monday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday sent his condolences to his Haitian counterpart Rene Preval over the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Kremlin said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged support to Pakistan, which has seen a series of deadly suicide bombings in recent months, in its efforts to fight terrorism, the Kremlin reported on Saturday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday identified the central planks of the country"s economic development in the next two years, putting the emphasis on maintaining macroeconomic stability and balancing the budget.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on April 20 addressed the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday he hopes for successful cooperation with the United States in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will attend the ceremony of launching the East-Siberia - Pacific Ocean oil pipeline during his visit to the region on December 28-29, the government press office said on Sunday.

Russian prosecutors have asked the United...

Russian prosecutors have asked the United States to pass on information about corrupt practices at German auto giant Daimler AG to help investigate allegations of bribery in Russia, the prosecutor general said on Wednesday.

Russian specialists have helped 41 people...

Russian specialists have helped 41 people affected by the Chilean earthquake since they arrived to the devastated country, a Russian emergencies ministry representative said on Tuesday.

Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin intends...

Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin intends to contribute his entire fortune to charity when he dies, following in the footsteps of U.S. multibillionaire Bill Gates, a business daily reported on Tuesday.

Russia"s GDP decrease in 2009 will exceed...

Russia"s GDP decrease in 2009 will exceed the forecasted earlier figure of 8.5%, the Russian finance minister said on Wednesday.

Russia"s lower house of parliament, State...

Russia"s lower house of parliament, State Duma, adopted in the first reading on Friday a government bill extending a ban on human cloning.

Russia"s new high-tech research and production...

Russia"s new high-tech research and production hub outside Moscow will have its own police force and local administration, a Russian business daily said on Wednesday.

Russia"s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport...

Russia"s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport will showcase 150 exhibits of Russian naval equipment at a biennial naval show in Qatar on March 29-31.

Sales of new passenger cars in Russia in...

Sales of new passenger cars in Russia in January-February 2010 decreased by 34% compared with the same period last year, according to the Association of European Businesses (AEB).

Sergei Bagapsh, the president of the former...

Sergei Bagapsh, the president of the former Georgian republic of Abkhazia, will start a three-day official visit to Russia on Tuesday, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Students from earthquake-stricken Haiti...

Students from earthquake-stricken Haiti studying in Moscow are sick with worry for their relatives at home and are unsure if they will be able to continue studying.

The amount of cars imported to Russia declined...

The amount of cars imported to Russia declined in 2009 by 74.3% year-on-year, the federal customs service said on Monday.

The capacity of Nord Stream, a pipeline...

The capacity of Nord Stream, a pipeline to carry 55 billion cu m of Russian natural gas annually to western Europe under the Baltic Sea, could be further increased, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in...

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has apologized on national Afghan television for an airstrike that took the lives of up to 27 civilians, the alliance said on Tuesday.

The high-tech business park the Kremlin...

The high-tech business park the Kremlin is setting up near Moscow as the Russian "Silicon Valley" may get unprecedented privileges to expedite its development, a Russian business daily reported on Tuesday.

The lower house of the Russian parliament...

The lower house of the Russian parliament on Wednesday passed a bill introducing price ceilings for basic pharmaceuticals.

The plane of Polish President Lech Kaczynski...

The plane of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, which crashed in western Russia on Saturday, could have had 96 people on board rather than 132 as was reported earlier, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

The Russian Navy ideally needs to have at...

The Russian Navy ideally needs to have at least 50 nuclear-powered submarines, a high-ranking Navy officer said during a live interview with Ekho Moskvy radio station on Saturday.

The search for the Russian Air Force Su-27...

The search for the Russian Air Force Su-27 Flanker fighter jet which has been reported missing in the Khabarovsk Territory resumed early on Friday, the Defense Ministry said.

The state should not increase its presence...

The state should not increase its presence in the economy and should remove obstacles to the development of free enterprise in the country, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday

The United Nations should play the leading...

The United Nations should play the leading role in the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the chief of the Arab League said.

Twenty five cows will be handed over to...

Twenty five cows will be handed over to farmers in eastern Poland to graze in the open, creating an ideal habitat for the Lesser Spotted Eagle, Polskie Radio reported Tuesday.

Two passenger trains have been delayed after...

Two passenger trains have been delayed after a bomb exploded on the rails in the Republic of Dagestan in Russia"s volatile North Caucasus region, local railway officials said on Sunday.

Ukraine"s Nemiroff vodka company, a leading...

Ukraine"s Nemiroff vodka company, a leading global producer of spirits, is considering selling a majority stake to a strategic investor, a respected Russian business newspaper reported on Wednesday.

U.S. Coast Guard officials began investigating...

U.S. Coast Guard officials began investigating reports that oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico has hit the coastline in the early hours of Friday, posing a threat to nature on islands along the Gulf Coast, the New York Times said.

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell...

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who earlier postponed his visit to the turbulent region amid a row between the U.S. and Israel over plans for new settlement construction in east Jerusalem, would travel to the Middle East on the weekend, the U.S. State Department has said.