MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's top court ruled on Wednesday "to exonerate" the country's last tsar and his family, executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918, as victims of political repression.
MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the presence of major global car manufacturers would help develop the domestic auto industry. Speaking on live television and radio, Putin said: "Many foreign companies, such as BMW and some Asian manufacturers, have already arrived on the Russian market and we are holding negotiations with Volkswagen and Mercedes." Russia, however, he said, had to create the appropriate conditions for these companies to enter the domestic market. "The government has recently taken a number of steps that have prompted a varied response," Putin said. "These steps must be balanced...in order to avoid a negative impact on consumers." In spring 2005, the government adopted a decision to assemble foreign cars in Russia and, consequently, lowered import tariffs on foreign car parts.
MOSCOW, November 26 (RIA Novosti) - Standard & Poor's revised downwards the long-term credit rating for Russia's largest diamond producer Alrosa to BB- from BB over higher financial leverage and deteriorated liquidity, the international rating agency said on Wednesday.