News Beloved Poet Turns 95 By Kirill Bessonov Sergei Mikhalkov, a popular children's poet and also the author of the lyrics of the Soviet and modern Russian anthems (they use the same music) turned 95 on Thursday. The poet's anniversary was celebrated by many colleagues and celebrities, and a jubilee concert was held on Thursday at the Bolshoi Theater. President Vladimir Putin sent personal congratulations to Mikhalkov, noting his great contribution to the development of Russian culture.

News Color-Coded Terror Threat System to Guard Russia By Kirill Bessonov Russia is to introduce a "color-coded" system of terrorist threat levels, the Federal Security Service director told a National Counter-Terrorism Committee (NCC) session on Wednesday. The system will be similar to the one introduced in the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

News In Brief - Rice, Gates to Hold Missile Shield Talks in Russia Rice, Gates to Hold Missile Shield Talks in Russia, Russia Calls for UN Steps to Curb Afghan Drugs, Russian Developer Kidnapped in Cyrpus, Russian Stars Protest Against Baby Seal Hunt

News Thais Deny Bail for Russian Arms Dealer BANGKOK (AFP) - A Thai court on Tuesday denied bail to arms dealer Viktor Bout, worried the man known as the "Merchant of Death" for allegedly trafficking weapons around the world would skip the country.

News Siberian Insect Smuggler Reveals ‘Truth' Behind Madagascar Arrest KRASNOYARSK (RIA Novosti) - A Siberian man recently freed from jail in Madagascar after being convicted of trying to smuggle rare insects and reptiles off the island said on Wednesday he had in fact been arrested over a photo shoot.

News Russia to Extradite Israeli Mercenary to Colombia By Michael Stott, Reuters MOSCOW - Russia will extradite a former Israeli army officer to Colom­bia where he has been convicted of training paramilitaries, a Moscow city court spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

News Crime Briefs - Woman with Grenades Empties Urals Building Woman with Grenades Empties Urals Building, Jilted Man Killed Holding Ex-Girlfriend Hostage, Robbers Steal Old Lady's Chihuahua in Siberia, Fake ‘Olympic' Vodka Seized in Krasnodar

Local ‘Lungs of Moscow' National Park Suffers from Illegal Cutting By Nathalie Cooper When it comes to the greener areas of Moscow, few people have probably heard of Losiny Ostrov, located partly within the limits of the city. Yet the park, which is known as the Lungs of Moscow, is the biggest forest area in the city and provides welcome relief from the pollution. However, its "especially protected status" was threatened last week as employees from a construction company cut down a large swath of trees in the park. According to Igor Solovyov, the deputy chief forest ranger of the park,574 healthy trees were felled.

Local Spring's Rising Tide By Zhanna Budenkova Spring has come to Moscow. As always, this season is a busy time for municipal services and maintenance crews are on alert and special measures are being taken to clear the city of flood water.

Local Recycling Plants To Appear In The Russian Capital By Sergei Dmitriyev The Moscow authorities have decided to build garbage recycling and incineration plants in the capital, as landfills in the Moscow Region are almost completely full. Another alternative considered was to transport Moscow's garbage further from the city, but it would cause a significant rise in the cost of garbage disposal.

Columnists Russia's Essence By Daria Chernyshova I doubt there is anybody who has never heard the names Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. But for the Russian people, they are more than just names: they represent the very essence of our culture. Russians adore their native writers and poets and pay a lot of attention to learning their works at school and reading them in their leisure time.

Local Back in the Saddle By Tom Washington The pound of hooves, sweating beasts and humans, and the rush of adrenaline. The excitement of horse racing has enthralled many the world over, and venues like Epsom, Kentucky and Deauville attract interest and cash from everywhere. Few think of the Moscow Hippodrome as a major center of sporting excellence and high-stakes gambling, yet it has long been the capital of horse racing in this part of the world and for a long time was one of the few places where both hearts and wallets could take a flutter.

Local Revamping Khrushchev's Legacy By Nikita Aronov and Anton Razmakhnin Moscow is knocking down its Communist era Krushchevky, the bland 5-storey apartment blocks named after Nikita Krushchev. However, some are asking whether remodeling the dilapidated buildings might be better than demolishing them.

Local Spring Shopping By Phoebe Taplin Most seasons in Moscow have some sweetness in them, whether it's shining icicles or spring flowers, gold leaves falling or gold domes in the snow... But there comes a time - usually around this time of year, although 2008 has had more than its fair share already - when the snow turns to black sludge and what Pushkin called "the tedious thaw, stink, mud" of early spring sets in. With this in mind, the next three weeks of walks will explore some of the colourful under-cover delights of mud-spattered Moscow in March: the markets, the museums and the metro. Kicking off this week with a spot of retail therapy, we wander through the hills of herbs and smoked cheeses in the Dorogomilovsky Market before sidling over - by way of contrast - to the ever-gleaming Evropeisky Mall.

Columnists Wall Street Crusader Meets His Match By Robert Bridge Eliot Spitzer spent most of his adult life enjoying the oxygen-depleted heights of the moral high ground overlooking Manhattan, attacking sleazy corporate CEOs for corruption and money-laundering like a reincarnated Robin Hood. In 2002, as attorney general, Spitzer dragged to court about a dozen super-powerful brokerages and investment banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns, for inflating their stock prices. He won the epic case and the firms were forced to dig through their pockets to pay the $1.4 billion slap on the wrist. Of course this was mere chump's change for these powerhouses, but the victory proved that at least one man on Wall Street actually possessed a set of stainless steel balls in this decaying, rusting age of venality and Viagra.