About 25 Orthodox believers burning a poster of "The Da Vinci Code" during a protest Thursday evening on Pushkin Square and near a movie theater showing the film. The protesters also sang and read from the Book of Revelations.
Russia Eager to Set Council's Agenda
By Anatoly Medetsky
Staff Writer
Russia for the first time will assume the chairmanship of the Council of Europe on Friday amid criticism from the Strasbourg human rights watchdog.
Putin's Demography Plan Called Half-Baked
By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer
Other than offering to throw cash at mothers, President Vladimir Putin gave few clues in his state-of-the-nation address about how he expects to pull the country out of its demographic crisis.
Relations With U.S. Lowest in 20 Years
By Catherine Belton
Staff Writer
U.S.-Russia relations appear to have sunk to their lowest level since Mikhail Gorbachev was Soviet leader.
Hollywood Considers Beslan Film
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
A major Hollywood studio has secured the rights to film a movie about the Beslan school attack based on a magazine article by The New York Times reporter C.J. Chivers.
Judge Describes Beslan Nightmare
By Yuras Karmanau
The Associated Press
The judge presiding over the trial of the sole surviving suspected attacker in the Beslan tragedy on Thursday read witness testimony on the horrific conditions inside the school, describing the increasingly cruel behavior of the hostage-takers as the three-day crisis wore on.
Smugglers Tied to African Embassies
By Valeria Korchagina
Staff Writer
Authorities have broken up a smuggling ring, in which African embassies were used to slip electronic goods into Russia under the cover of diplomatic mail, the Federal Customs Service said Thursday.
4 Held in $500,000 ATM Scam
By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer
Police have detained four local men suspected of using fake ATM cards to steal some $500,000 from private accounts in Western countries, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
New Missile System Tested
The Associated Press
The military has recently successfully tested a new missile system that can penetrate all anti-missile defenses and is close to deploying it, the chief of the General Staff said Thursday.
Thousands of Tatars March
The Associated Press
housands of Crimean Tatars marched in the capital of Crimea on Thursday to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of their deportation from the Black Sea peninsula under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, a forced exile that lasted almost half a century.
NATO Wages PR Offensive in 9 Cities
By Mike Eckel
The Associated Press
NATO officials brought a nationwide public relations campaign to sway Russian attitudes toward the alliance to Moscow on Thursday, meeting with top Russian officials and opening a photography exhibition at a ceremony that was disrupted by protesters.
Gay Parade Fuels Internal Debate
By Mike Eckel
The Associated Press
Supporters say the march would showcase the gay community; opponents fear a backlash.
EU Freezes Lukashenko's Holdings
The Associated Press
The European Union said Thursday it was freezing the assets and funds held in EU countries by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and 35 other top officials to protest the continuing crackdown against opposition groups and the president's re-election two months ago.
World
Violent Attacks Surge in Afghanistan
By Noor Khan
The Associated Press
Some of the fiercest violence since the Taliban's ouster erupted Thursday across Afghanistan, with coalition forces engaging in multiple firefights, two suicide car bombs and a massive rebel assault on a small village. Up to 105 people were killed.
