Moscow encourages citizens to buy apartments The capital's authorities hope to reduce the queue for improving housing conditions that has accumulated since the mid-80s, stimulating citizens to buy apartments at their own expense. Those who decide to co-finance the construction have been receiving assistance from the Moscow budget for several years now, but yesterday city legislators, at the request of the mayor’s office, began working to reduce the waiting time for this assistance.

“Power-tagged” motorists have found new ways to stand out on the road Yesterday, at the second attempt, the Federation Council (SF) approved amendments to the law “On the status of a member of the Federation Council and a State Duma deputy,” depriving parliamentarians of the right to use special license plates (with a tricolor instead of a region number) on official and personal cars.

City deputies began to fight private taxi drivers Moscow officials, who have been hatching plans for many years to return to the mayor's office the control over the city taxi fleet that was lost in the early 90s, seem to have found allies among the capital's deputies.

Former senator Igor Izmestiev accused of murder five years ago The Prosecutor General's Office yesterday officially accused ex-senator of the Federation Council from Bashkiria Igor Izmestyev of organizing the murder. The procedure for bringing charges took place within the walls of the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center, where the former senator was transferred last week after being detained at the airport in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and arrested.