News Georgia Polls Show Ruling Party Ahead TBILISI Georgia (AP) - Partial returns Thursday and an exit poll showed President Mikheil Saakashvili's ruling party heading for a strong majority in Georgia's parliamentary election, drawing a challenge from his opponents.

News Four Dead in Yekaterinburg Blast Four people were killed when an explosion rocked an apartment building in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Thursday, a regional police spokeswoman said.

News In Brief - Medvedev Departs for Kazakhstan, China on Maiden Foreign Visit Medvedev Departs for Kazakhstan, China on Maiden Foreign Visit, Jacques Chirac Receives Russia's Top State Prize, Lugovoi Joins Moscow English Football Invasion

News Scientist’s Death Remains a Mystery By Kirill Bessonov A deputy director of a Russian research institute died of multi-organ failure after opening a letter containing a white powder. The sender of the letter said it was a harmless quartz sand, and the death remains a mystery at this moment.

News Russia ‘Had Laser Cannons Before U.S.’ MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Russia started developing tactical laser weapons before the United States and has several prototypes of high-precision combat chemical lasers in its arsenal, a defense industry source said on Tuesday.

Local UK Police Help Out Russians By Tom Washington British and Russian police forces combined their efforts to maintain security at Wednesday's Champions League Match between Manchester United and Chelsea.

News Crime Briefs - Forensic Expert on Trial for Stealing Eyes Forensic Expert on Trial for Stealing Eyes, Ticket Touts Arrested Before Final in Moscow, Russia Investigates Huge Crab Poaching Ring, Russia Plans Prison Census Next Year

Local Arbat to Trade Kitsch for Books By Nathalie Cooper For many years, the Old Arbat has been a tourist trap for expensive souvenirs, but this image may well change come summer as plans are under way to turn the famous pedestrian street into a kind of a "book street."

Local Luzhkov Wants Road Funding RIA Novosti Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov spoke to the press at the Second International Transport Forum, which opened Tuesday in Sochi, Russia. According to the Ministry of Finance plan for the future development of Moscow roads, the financing for this development will be mostly private. However Luzhkov doubts that it is possible.

Local In Brief - Official Warns Moscow Will Run Out Gravesites Later This Year Official Warns Moscow Will Run Out Gravesites Later This Year, Minimum Wage And Pension Hikes Set for Moscow by 2010, Institutes of Higher Education Fined for Sanitation Violations, Expert Expects Warmer Second-Half of Summer

Local Train Trip To Moscow’s Manors By Katya Vinogradova The new city tour season has truly begun, with last week's grand opening of the new "Garland of Russian Manors" program. The opening was officiated by the Moscow Tourism Committee and took place at Rizhskaya metro station, where the metro meets the Minor Circular Railroad of Moscow.

Local What Did Footie Fans Think of Moscow? By Tom Washington This week thousands of British football fan - up to 45,000 according to one estimate - descended upon Moscow. For many, it was their first time here and, were it not for the football, would never have seriously considered a trip to Russia. So what did they think of Moscow?

Local Fireworks Showdown By Daria Chernyshova This Friday, Moscow will host the 6th National Fireworks Festival. The enchanting sight will begin at 9 p.m. at Tushino Field in the North-West of Moscow.

Local Mermaid’s Ancient Song By Nathalie Cooper Despite its rich musical history, when it comes to performing the rest of the world's early musical heritage, Russia lags behind. This is why the upcoming May 23 concert of arias and duets by early English and Italian composers, including Purcell, Handel and Monteverdi at the Tchaikovsky Cultural Center will be a relatively unusual event for the Russian crowds.

Columnists Organized Fun By Daria Chernyshova On May 18 in Moscow’s Alexander Garden, 4,500 school children became pioneers. The ceremony marked the 86th anniversary of the Young Pioneers’ organization