The latest: Russia Expels Swedish Diplomat

24.05.2006
Russia Expels Swedish Diplomat
A young Swedish diplomat has been expelled from Russia as retaliation for the arrest of a Russian botanist researcher at Uppsala, Sweden.

24.05.2006
Russia Has “Asymmetric Response” to U.S. Missile Defense Plans
Russia has an appropriate and asymmetric response to U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, chief of the Russian armed forces General Staff Gen. Yury Baluyevsky said.

24.05.2006
British Producer Offers Russian Boxer Valuyev Acting Part
WBA Champion in super-heavyweight, Russian Nikolai Valuyev has received a proposal from well-known British producer Matthew Vaughn (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, “Snatch”, “Layer Cake”) to act in his new “Stardust” movie.

24.05.2006
Russian Telecoms Minister Accused of Money Laundering
A Swiss business arbitration tribunal has ruled that Russian Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman used money-laundering schemes in a bid to purchase a stake in mobile phone network operator OAO Megafon, LV Finance Group said.

24.05.2006
Russian Defense Spending to Reach 800 Billion Next Year
Defense spending in Russia will total about 800 billion rubles ($29.6 billion) in 2007, or 2.6-2.7% of GDP, Russian defense minister Sergei Ivanov told journalists.

24.05.2006
4 Senators Ask for Dismissal After Brief Standoff With Kremlin
Representatives of four Russian provinces in the upper house of the Russian parliament tendered their resignations Wednesday, days after legislatures in hometowns of two of them defied Moscow’s order to sack them.

24.05.2006
Russian Parliament Moves to Ban Officials from Mentioning Foreign Currencies
Russia’s parliament has given initial approval to a draft law that will punish government ministers for saying “dollar” when they could have used the word “ruble” instead.

24.05.2006
Motorola Dispute Patent Claim by Russian Firm
Motorola has disputed a patent claim made against it by a small Russian company RUS GPS. “The claims by RUS GPS that Motorola infringed its patent are without merit,” Motorola’s representative said.

24.05.2006
Ex-PM Kasyanov Urges Russia and U.S. to Overcome “Misunderstanding”
Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov believes there is a growing misunderstanding between Russia and the West, but that the situation is temporary.

24.05.2006
Lukashenko Says Will Ban Flights Over Belarus in Response to Sanctions
President Alexander Lukashenko suggested on Tuesday that he might ban Western overflights of Belarus in response to sanctions against his former Soviet state in connection with his disputed re-election. The U.S. and EU have barred entry to Lukashenko and other officials.

24.05.2006
U.S., British Travelers Detained in Russia Return Home
Two foreign travelers, Briton Karl Bushby and American Dimitri Kieffer, detained in Russia’s Chukotka last month for violating border crossing rules, have left the Russian city of Anadyr for Nome, Alaska.

24.05.2006
Russian Policeman Sentenced for Forcing Man to Eat Condom, Epaulettes
A Russian policeman has been sentenced to three years in prison for forcing a man to eat a condom and a pair of epaulettes.

24.05.2006
4 Russian Soldiers Killed, 3 Injured in Chechnya Clash
Four Russian soldiers were killed and three others injured in a clash with rebels in the south of the war-torn province of Chechnya.

24.05.2006
Law and Order Starts in Russia
Russian television viewers will soon be getting their own versions of two of the “Law & Order” series — replete with local cops, criminals and lawyers navigating the country’s justice system.

24.05.2006
Search Team Recover Second ’Black Box’ From Armenian Airliner
A Russian search team has recovered the second ’black box’ flight recorder from an Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea on 3 May, killing 113 people. Investigators hope it will help explain the cause of the tragedy.

24.05.2006
Governor of Oil-rich District in Northern Russia Arrested
Russian police have arrested the governor of the resource-rich Nenets district in northern Russia on suspicion of fraud and embezzlement. Alexei Barinov is in police custody and has begun a hunger strike.

24.05.2006
Russia, EU Leaders to Discuss Visa Regime, Iran
The European Union and Russia are set to approve a new visa agreement at a summit meeting this week. The talks begin Thursday in the Russian resort of Sochi on the Black Sea.

24.05.2006
Russia Backs EU Proposal, Urges Iran to Cooperate
Moscow supports an EU proposal aimed at coaxing Iran into halting sensitive nuclear work, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during his visit to Kuwait. The Russian official called on Tehran to cooperate. Earlier this week, Iran’s hardline government rejected the European offer and insisted its uranium enrichment program was not up for negotiation.