News Medvedev’s Plan By Anna Arutunyan President Dmitri Medvedev offered two five-point plans on getting the world out of the financial crisis and forging a new security treaty to maintain world peace, taking a tone that was anything but confrontational as global crisis overshadowed the controversy over Russian actions in Georgia.

News In Brief - Medvedev in Kyrgyzstan for energy talks, CIS, Eurasec meetings Medvedev in Kyrgyzstan for energy talks, CIS, Eurasec meetings, Russia: Arms sales to Venezuela are defensive, Russian youth to greet cosmonauts with tree message

News Russia completes Georgia pullout KARALETI, Georgia (AFP) - Russian forces completed a withdrawal from buffer zones around Georgia's rebel regions Wednesday, two months after a war over South Ossetia that poisoned relations between Moscow and the West.

News Ukrainian president dissolves parliament Combined report AFP, RIA-Novosti Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko on Wednesday announced the dissolution of parliament and ordered early parliamentary elections on December 7, following the collapse last month of the country's pro-Western coalition government.

News Crime Briefs - Charges filed in $43M fraud case Charges filed in $43M fraud case, Russian police to ditch Kalashnikov rifles, Russian man kills mother with stake over suspected witchcraft

News Medvedev Offers Olmert Support, but No Promises Combined Reports The Moscow News, AP Russia made efforts to underline its friendly relations with Israel while balancing its geostrategic interests in relations with Iran as the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yehudi Olmert visited Moscow to meet with President Dmitri Medvedev on Tuesday.

News Russia will work with US, EU to stop piracy MOSCOW (AP) - Russia will work with the U.S. and European Union to fight piracy off the African coast and wants naval forces gathering in the area to coordinate their efforts, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday.

News Iceland asks for Russian loan, nationalizes bank REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - Iceland nationalized its second-largest bank Tuesday under emergency legislation and said it had negotiated a 4 billion-euro ($5.4 billion) loan from Russia to shore up the nation's finances amid a full-blown financial crisis.

News Rock the Vote! By Robert Bridge

Local Moscow under threat By Daria Chernyshova Since Moscow joined other international capitals in the rush for riches, attention to its cultural and historical heritage is on the wane.

Columnists Soviet streets By Daria Chernyshova Does anybody really need to have a street named after them? Well, that was the honor that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov bestowed upon Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Grozny

Local A boost for small biz By Sergei Dmitriyev Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov argues that small and middle businesses in the capital need support, especially when it comes to locating premises. The Moscow City Duma debated this problem at a regular Tuesday session last week. The outcome was legislation entitled, ‘The State Goal-Oriented Program for 2009-2011 on Provision of Small and Middle Businesses with Non-Residential Premises.'

Local Disney Cruises: Russian points on the horizon NEW YORK (AP) - If Zack and Cody's new show "The Suite Life on Deck" inspires your family to book a cruise, Disney Cruise Line is offering a number of new destinations to choose from in 2010, including St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tunisia.

Local In Brief - Pensioners will compete in computer skills Pensioners will compete in computer skills, anti-crisis committee established in Moscow, 30 shark species to inhabit Moscow oceanarium, antique car museum to appear in the capital

Local Iconic Taganka By Phoebe Taplin Perhaps a bit of an overlooked part of the city, Taganka has its share of nice surprises around every corner