News Gazprom Goes Global By Ed Bentley With the opening of the first liquefied natural gas, or LNG, plant on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East, Gazprom is staking a bigger claim to world energy dominance - and signaling a shift toward conquering key Asian markets.

News For richer, for poorer The rich are, perhaps annoyingly, always with us - even when they're not quite as rich as they were before.

Comment Are labour unions moving into politics? By Sergei Balashov Russia's worn-out Dissenters opposition movement may soon give way to an emerging force that is likely to take centre stage amid growing discontent, since the public is getting too few answers from both the government and its opponents.

Comment The revolution won’t start here By Shaun Walker As the economic crisis takes its toll on most of Russia's industries, the lives of many people who live and work in small towns that support these industries are taking a turn for the worse.

Comment Capping bankers’ pay By Roland Oliphant Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has indicated that Russia may join Western governments in introducing salary caps for top bankers.

News Medvedev reshuffle a wake-up call to governors By Anna Arutunyan President Dmitry Medvedev has ousted four regional governors in one day in what some political analysts said was a move to kill two birds with one stone: ensuring political stability in potentially troublesome regions as the crisis takes its toll on jobs, and showing the public that he can act decisively.

News Unions in the firing line By Anna Arutunyan and Tim Wall All that Dmitry Kozhnev, a Tver locomotive plant worker, wanted to do was get his company to follow the law.

News Kyrgyz parliament votes to close U.S. airbase BISHKEK (RIA Novosti) - Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a presidential proposal to close a U.S. airbase used to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan since 2001.

News Politkovskaya trial delivers acquittal MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - A jury on Thursday acquitted all defendants suspected of involvement in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Business Down to earth with a bump By Andy Potts No matter what your background, no matter how much money you have, when times are hard it's important to economise.

Business Caught in an import prices trap By Ed Bentley As the world slips into recession, many governments are hoping their spending plans will boost growth and prevent deflation.

Business Rising prices, falling incomes By Elena Kirillova Customers in Moscow supermarkets tell how higher prices and the economic crisis are affecting their shopping habits.

Culture In brief - t.A.T.u. ‘were offered to buy’ Eurovision victory t.A.T.u. ‘were offered to buy' Eurovision victory, ‘Brest Fortress' going ahead despite crisis, An ‘alternative' textbook on Russian literature, William Turner exhibition ‘taken by storm'

Culture Not lost in translation By Vladimir Kozlov Catching the original English-language version of a recent film isn't so easy in Moscow these days, especially since the America Cinema closed a few years ago.

Restaurants & Bars Balkan Baba By Jennifer Chater Bulgarian is a good ethnic cuisine for people of unadventurous taste. It's a little bit foreign, but still within the average Russian's comfort zone - which would make it suitable for a dinner with your spice-fearing in-laws, for example.