Insurance versus deposit: new alternative to traditional security deposit paid to property owners

Many tenants are a bit puzzled when they stumble into the must-payable ‘three amounts’ while renting an apartment. These three amounts are traditional security deposit covering possible damage to an apartment rental, commission to real estate agency along with advanced payment for one-month rent. Insurers believe than new product will fully protect owners’ property and…

Russia Warns U.S. Against Meddling in Venezuela Crisis

Russia said on Tuesday it was ready to facilitate the start of dialogue between Venezuela’s government and opposition but warned the United States against intervening in Caracas’ internal affairs. Russia has sided with President Nicolas Maduro in his stand-off with opposition leader Juan Guaido. Maduro retains control of state institutions including the military, but most Western countries,…

Moody’s upgrades Severstal to Baa2 with stable outlook

February 13, 2019 PAO Severstal (“Severstal”; “the Company”), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, announces that Moody’s has upgraded its rating on Severstal to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed its outlook from positive to stable. Moody’s also raised Russia’s country ceilings for foreign currency debt to Baa2/P-2 from Baa3/P-3…

ROSATOM launched the program to train managers of NPP construction projects

ROSATOM has launched the sector-wide Advance Training Program for managers of nuclear facility construction projects in the Russian Federation and abroad. It will allow building up new competences, implement best world practices of construction project management on sites and train necessary candidates pool for implementation of the world’s largest portfolio of NPP construction projects. The…

Russia Suspends Mission to the Sun

Russian scientists have again delayed the launch of a research spacecraft to the sun over technical issues, researchers say. Russia had been scheduled to send the spacecraft as part of the “Interheliozond” project sometime after 2015, though this was later postponed to 2022 and then again to a final date of 2026. Read More Russia…

Plane Ladder Collapses in Siberia, Injuring Passengers

A group of passengers plummeted from a plane ladder when it collapsed as they boarded a flight from Siberia to Moscow, officials said on Tuesday. Black-and-white footage of the incident showed passengers boarding a Ural Airlines flight when the ladder’s platform suddenly buckled, dropping the passengers to the ground. At least five passengers were injured…

Two Estonians Convicted of Spying for Russia

A court in Estonia has convicted a former military member and his father of espionage for Russia. Ex-defense force member Deniss Metsavas, 38, and his father Pyotr Volin, 65, were suspected of treason and placed in custody by a court in Tallinn in September. Metsavas was suspected of passing state secrets and classified information to…

Urengoy Waltz dancesport competition held in Novy Urengoy

News from projects and regions February 11, 2019, 18:00 On February 10, Novy Urengoy’s Gazodobytchik Culture and Sports Center hosted the 20th annual open dancesport competition Urengoy Waltz. The tournament combined an open competition for the Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy Cup with the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area dancesport contest and championship. This festival of dance has for many years been…

Record Fishbone Built at East-Messoyakha field

A unique for the industry multilateral well with eight branch holes by the fishbone* technology was built at East-Messoyakha field. The length of the productive hole is 5.1 km, the total drilling rate is 9.1 km. The oil-saturated layer in the drilling area did not exceed 12 m. Fishbones are the trademark of Messoyakhaneftegaz. The…

FSB Officer Beaten in Moscow, Reports Say

A Federal Security Service (FSB) officer on duty was reportedly assaulted in central Moscow over the weekend after an attack on his service vehicle. FSB lieutenant general Oleg Budagotsky was inside his squad car on Sunday when unknown assailants threw a bottle at the window, the RBC news website reported Monday. Budagotsky was then beaten…

Mourinho Rejoins Kremlin-Run RT for Champions League

Ex-Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho will return to the Kremlin-run RT news network to cover the UEFA Champions League, the network has said. The Portuguese manager was reportedly paid at least 1 million British pounds ($1.3 million) for five days’ work during the 2018 FIFA World Cup that Russia hosted in the summer. RT has…

‘The Theater’ in 2019

A conversation with Vladimir Urin, general director of the Bolshoi Theater. Damir Yusupov / Bolshoi Theater In Russia, the Bolshoi Theater is “the theater” — the most prestigious venue for opera and ballet in the country. The Moscow Times talked to Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi’s general director, about the theater’s plans for 2019.  Which blockbuster…

Russian Farmer Eaten Alive by Pigs

A farmer in central Russia has reportedly been eaten alive by her pigs after suffering a seizure earlier this month. The 56-year-old lost consciousness inside the pig pen where she met a tragic end on Feb. 1, local media cited investigators in Russia’s republic of Udmurtia as saying last week. “The hungry animals chewed through…

Russian Town Chases Out Rowdy Polar Bear Invaders

Authorities in Russia’s remote Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya have taken measures to chase away a band of polar bears that had established a reign of terror over locals in recent days. Photos and videos on social media showed polar bears entering apartment blocks and other living quarters and rummaging through garbage in the settlement of 3,000.…

The Magical Light of Arkhip Kuindzhi

Come and be dazzled “Birch Grove” 1879 Arkhip Kuindzhi Courtesy of Tretyakov Gallery On January 27, Arkhip Kuindzhi’s exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery—a retrospective in honor of the artist’s 175th birthday—became a news sensation after a 31-year-old man stole the painting “Ai-Petri. Crimea” during the museum’s working hours. The heist, which made worldwide headlines, also…

Russia’s Investigative Committee Seeks Donations for Archangel Statue, Reports Say

The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee is reportedly seeking donations for the construction of a bronze Archangel Michael statue at the entrance of his agency’s new headquarters in Moscow as religious symbols gain an increasingly prominent place in Russian state institutions. The Russian Orthodox Church has become a powerful political force since the anointment of Patriarch Kirill as its…

Russia Says Ready for Talks With Netherlands on MH17

Russia is ready to engage in talks with the Netherlands about the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, Interfax news agency cited Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Friday. Read More MH17: In Search of Justice (Op-ed) The Dutch government said earlier this week it was “increasingly confident” that Russian officials would…

Reebok Admits Cunnilingus Is No Joke in Russia

Reebok has pulled a racy ad in Russia after online users and the apparel company’s management derided it as being done in bad taste. Styled after the global #BeMoreHuman campaign that features celebrities like Gal Gadot and Ariana Grande, Reebok launched a Russian version on Thursday with a hashtag that roughly translates as #OutOfLine. Russia’s…

Paralympic Committee Lifts Russia Ban, With Conditions

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Friday it would lift the ban on Russia’s Paralympic Committee by March 15, under certain conditions. Russia has been barred from international Paralympic competitions since August 2016 over allegations of state-sponsored doping similar to the ones that led to the suspension of its athletics federation and anti-doping agency. The IPC…

Russia Pledges Response to Norwegian Military Activity

Russia on Thursday accused Norway of pushing ahead with a military build-up which it said increased the risks of military action and required some kind of Russian response. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow had watched as NATO member Norway had become more and more active in helping the Western military alliance build up its presence in the Arctic…

Bus Falls Off Cliff in Russia, Killing 6 Miners

A bus carrying 22 miners plunged off a cliff in Russia on Friday, killing six workers of a company that owns the country’s largest coal mine, authorities have said. Videos from the scene of the incident in the Kemerovo region showed an upside-down orange Kamaz truck in a gray pit. “The Kamaz fell off an…

Russia Welcomes Trump Offer of New Nuclear Pact, Awaits Details

Russia welcomed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to renegotiate a landmark nuclear missile pact after he quit the agreement, while cautioning that it’s received no specific proposals yet. “We saw President Trump’s statement about the possibility of a new treaty, which should include other countries,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters…

Two More Russian Cities Abolish Mayoral Elections

Igor Ivanko / Moskva News Agency The residents of two more Siberian cities have now lost the right to elect their mayor in the latest restriction of direct elections in the country. Regional lawmakers voted in April 2018 to abolish direct mayoral elections in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg, leading its popular mayor Yevgeny Roizman…

Russian Race Walker Kirdyapkina Gets Doping Ban

Russian race walker Anisya Kirdyapkina has been suspended for doping and is set to be stripped of two World Championship medals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday. “All results of Ms Kirdyapkina since 25 February 2011 were disqualified through to 11 October 2013, including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points…

Russia Would Be Open to U.S. Proposals for New Nuclear Pact, Minister Says

Russia would be prepared to consider new proposals from the United States to replace a suspended Cold War-era nuclear pact with a broader treaty that includes more countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday. Russia suspended the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the weekend after Washington announced it would withdraw in six months unless Russia ends…

Google Began Censoring Search Results in Russia, Reports Say

Google has started to remove certain entries from its search results in Russia in compliance with long-standing demands from the authorities, the Vedomosti business daily reported Wednesday. Russia fined Google $7,500 in November 2018 for failing to take down certain search results. New regulations that went into effect in November 2017 require search engines to delete results to…

Russia Approves 43M Dollar Loan to Cuba’s Military

Russia has approved a 38 million euro ($43.27 million) loan for Cuba’s defense sector, a senior Russian defense official was quoted as saying on Wednesday. The deal was first announced in November after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Moscow. It has now been finalized by Russia, Dmitry Shugayev, head of…

Russia Will Exit INF Nuclear Pact in 6 Months

Russia will exit the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in six months as part of a symmetrical response to the United States’ pullout, Interfax cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Wednesday. Read More A Forced Decision: Why the U.S. Withdrew From the INF Treaty (Op-ed) President Vladimir Putin said at the weekend that Russia had suspended…

Russia Massively Contributes to Decline in Democratic Norms, Freedom House Says

Freedom House has named Russia among a string of “heavyweight” countries that undermine democratic norms abroad, contributing to a 13th consecutive “decline in global freedom.” Russia has featured regularly in the U.S.-funded monitoring group’s annual “Freedom in the World” report documenting attacks on civil and democratic freedoms around the world. Read More How Russia’s Place…

Gazprom continuing to adopt advanced digital technologies

Release February 6, 2019, 09:30 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of advanced digital technologies within the Gazprom Group. It was highlighted that Gazprom considered digital technologies to be one of key aspects of further improving the Company’s corporate governance and strengthening its market positions, as well as a vital tool for achieving its strategic goals. Systematic work in this area…