Local Sleepless in the City By Rebeccah Billing Vice is nice in Moscow, and the city has become infamous for the indulgences and excesses it extends to its wealthier inhabitants. Even if you are not living in a penthouse with a gold-plated microwave and a black-tinted Escalade, if you're not sleeping on the streets, chances are you've walked them in search of one of the all-night bars, the all-day strip clubs, or the all-over casinos, of which Moscow boasts in greater variety than the rest of Europe taken together.

Local Mobile Lab Established In Moscow’s South-East By Sergei Dmitriyev A veterinary station in the South-East Municipal District of Moscow has received a fully equipped mobile veterinary laboratory. The facility will be specially charged with examining food for compliance with safety requirements.

Local Take a Walk on the Wild Side By Rebeccah Billing Stretch your legs, relax your nerves and unclog your lungs this weekend with a walk through the fresh pine forest and fen land of Moscow's newly opened eco-walk.

Local Rebuilt Metro Exit Reopens, More Planned By Sergei Dmitriyev The western entrance hall of Arbatskaya metro station, Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya metro-line, was opened in Moscow on September 3, after it was closed for reconstruction on May 18, 2006, RIA Novosti reported.

Local Military Orchestras Will Deafen Moscow By Sergei Dmitriyev An international festival of military orchestras, the Krem­lyovskaya Zorya, will be held in Red Square from September 13 to 16. Admission to the Square will be limited from September 5 to 21 in connection with the event, and the Lenin Mausoleum will be closed from September 10 to 17.

Local Winter All Year Round By Conor Humphries MOSCOW - In a city famed for its bitter winters, summer snow has become the latest luxury fad for a select few wealthy Moscow residents.

Local Make Summer Last By Tom Washington What's the best way to enjoy the Indian Summer and stretch out these days of relaxation? Easy. Go to the beach. For those urbanites among you who can't bear to leave the comforts of the city, or for those who simply can't face crowded trains or roads, a solution is at hand.

Local First Bell in Russia By Robert Bridge September 1 - Russia's official back-to-school day - landed a bit unkindly this year on a Saturday. And it rained. There you have it folks, this column is finished. There is nothing else to report: The first day of school in Russia fell on a Saturday and it rained. Why not? Hemingway once wrote, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn" and called it his finest short story ever. Certainly we can tackle a measly column in 14 simple words! [Mr. Bridge, please report to the director's office at once, Mr. Bridge, please...]

Local A World of Books By Tom Washington Moscow's International Book Fair has been an important instrument in the Russian language's development since 1977, and the 20th fair commenced on Wednesday at the VVC (All Russia Exhibition Center) at Prospect Mira. Russian is a major language of culture and after a post communist slump its star is rising again. The fair lasts until Monday and showcases new publications of many kinds from Russia and over 50 other countries.

Local Will Rooftop Roads Cure Moscow’s Traffic Jams? By Nikita Aronov Traffic congestion and a shortage of real estate are among the most pressing problems of the Russian capital. Thus, a project that promises to kill two birds with one stone seems attractive: the German engineering company Strassenhaus Ltd. (which loosely means "rooftop roads") proposes to link road and housing construction. In other words, roads for light vehicles would be built atop commercial and residential buildings.

Local Navy Museum Adds Two Exhibits By Sergei Dmitriyev The museum-memorial complex of the Russian Navy Museum has reached the second stage of its realization. "A Russian winged amphibious landing aircraft ‘Orlyonok' and a ‘Skat' patrol boat were delivered from Kaspiysk to the Russian Navy Museum," Alexander Iskra, the general director of the Moscow public institution "Podvodnaya Lodka - Muzey," told The Moscow News.

Local Parking Receipts Now Available By Sergei Dmitriyev New parking rules came into force on September 1. Now criminals, who try to organize illegal parking business by asking Moscow drivers to pay for parking up to several hundred rubles in the city center will have to limit their demands by 100 to 150 rubles near railroad stations.

Local Monumental Law By Yuri Arpishkin Recently, the media had a field day with a sensational news story from Poland, where customs officers detained a German national driving a vintage1954 Moskvich sedan across the border. The German was charged with violating a Polish law on the protection of monuments, which prohibited the export of motor vehicles over 25 years old. The perpetrator faced a five year prison sentence if convicted. Polish justice, fortunately, showed clemency and let him off with a stern warning.

National Space Tour Mystery By Kirill Bessonov The head of the Russian space agency said last Friday that the first Russian space tourist is very likely to fly in 2009, but declined to give reporters the name of the candidate.

National National Kids’ TV Network Launches By Kirill Bessonov A TV channel targeting viewers aged 4 to 16 was launched in Russia on August 31. The new channel is named ‘Bibigon' after a tiny character, similar to Tom Thumb from a Russian children's book. The word, however, definitely does not reflect the ambitions of the producers.