News Marathon By Anna Arutunyan President Vladimir Putin held his farewell press conference before 1,364 journalists on Thursday. This was his last annual address in the closing months of his presidential term. The president spoke with his traditional knowledge of all subjects, taking 100 questions from enthusiastic journalists from all over the world, including why he refused to stay on for a third term, missile defense, NATO expansion. He even provided a very emotional definition of democracy.

News Death in London LONDON (RIA Novosti) - Georgian opposition leader and businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili died of natural causes, British police said in an autopsy report on Thursday.

News In Brief - Russia Warns Iran on Missile Development Russia Warns Iran on Missile Development, Russia Has No Plan for Kosovo Sanctions, Ukraine Says It Will Not Allow NATO Bases, Russian Pays Record Price for Rare Violin

News Overflight of U.S. Warship ‘Routine Training': Russian Official MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian bomber's overflight of a U.S. aircraft carrier last week was described as a "routine training" exercise on Wednesday by a Russian air force official quoted by Interfax.

News Crime Briefs - Regional Anti-corruption Official Assassinated Regional Anti-corruption Official Assassinated, Four Killed in North Caucasus Fighting, Court Upholds Guilty Verdict in Pillow Assault Robbery Case, Soldier Beaten 13 Months Ago Dies in Hospital

News Indian Reactor Deal Inked Russia and India initialed an agreement Tuesday to construct another four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern India, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexan­der Zhukov said. During his three-day official visit to India launched on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov has held talks with the country's leadership designed to boost bilateral trade and investment.

News Bailiffs Impound Debt Dodger's Car By Anna Arutunyan Court bailiffs have busted a debtor and impounded his Nissan - a first after a series of tough new laws made it possible to confiscate property of those who have an outstanding debt. The culprit, who owed some $13,500 to a former employee, was stopped by traffic police near the city of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia.

Local Animals Win Rights By Theodore Merz Moscow State Agricultural Academy announ­ced Wednesday that it will stop experimenting on animals for educational purposes. Students will instead use videos and computer software provided by InterNICHE - the Internatio­nal Network for Humane Education - to develop their understanding of the animal body.

Local Ukraina Work Halted Over Safety Fears By Nathalie Cooper The Ukraina Hotel, one of the awe-inspiring Seven Sisters started under Stalin's rule, is currently undergoing a thorough examination by specialists after one of its turrets collapsed and fell to the ground in November.

News In Brief - Schools To Be Equipped For Disabled Children Schools To Be Equipped For Disabled Children, School Dental Surgery Facilities to Get Modern Equipment, "Flying Tank" In Memory Of Afghan War Victims, Official Proposes Lilac As the Symbol Of Moscow

Local Balancing Sambo and Schoolwork By Kirill Bessonov, Photos by Sergei Pyatakov Specialized sports schools are a Russian phenomena that have few parallels abroad. While sports schools were widespread in Soviet times they suffered a decline in the 1990s, but some of them are now reviving and even developing. One of them is Sambo-70 - a large sports and educational center located in the Southwest of Moscow and which provides training to about 4,800 children.

Local Stolovayas Today By Sergei Dmitriyev The traditional stolovaya, which was an everyday feature of Soviet life for decades, seemed to have vanished in the years following the collapse of communism. However, with a little bit of digging, not to mention a hankering for cheaper food in the exorbitant Russian capital, stolovayas can still be found. Although many have undergone significant changes, many are still in keeping with the spirit of Soviet times.

Columnists Give Us a Break By Daria Chernyshova Russia has long been respected in global affairs, where it has long played an important role in influencing international politics. For many years its opinion was taken seriously, as it was a powerful empire with a wide sphere of influence. Yet the West, it seems, is always ready to chalk it up as a land of insignificant people. And once its power weakened, the reputation of the Russian people seems to have suffered even worse.

Local Killer Honey Combined Reports, RIA Novosti and Moscow News More than 400 bee keepers from different areas of Russia have brought their bee products to the Russian Honey fair which opened on Tuesday at the Manezh.

Local Riverside Romance By Phoebe Taplin For the weekend after Valentine's Day, this walk from Gorky Park to Sparrow Hills contains several romantic ingredients: ice skating, snowy woods, a deserted monastery, great views and a chairlift ride from a log-cabin café. If long, icy walks are not your idea of a good time, but you like the sound of the last bit, you can simply start from Vorobyovy Gory Metro Station (No. 5 in the text).