The Central Bank will gain the right to handle personal information of executives of foreign banks slated to work at their representative offices, according to draft legal amendments that have been published, Interfax reported. The amendments submitted to the State Duma propose to tweak legislation regulating banking activity and foreign investments.

Domodedovo Airport is becoming more and more congested, with authorities thinking of a low-cost alternative. Maxim Stulov Government plans to create an alternative to the three overloaded airports near Moscow are beginning to materialize as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for a thorough investigation of the potential of Yermolino airport in the Kaluga region.

Russia's Public Television network, which started broadcasting in late May, is now running out of money, the channel's chief, Anatoly Lysenko, said. "Our budget is about to run out," he said Tuesday. The channel received more than 1.5 billion rubles ($45 million) in state subsidies last year and is due to get 3 billion rubles in 2014 and 2015. Its management said earlier this year that the channel had enough money to last only until July.

Boris Kagarlitsky The authorities made a serious tactical error when a Kirov court handed down a guilty verdict against opposition leader Alexei Navalny last Thursday. But even more disastrous than the mistake itself is the fact that Russian officials never admit when they are wrong. This forms the basis of the whole irrational culture of subordination that makes it impossible to challenge even the most idiotic decision because each one is considered to be irreversible a priori.

Division chief Mark von Pentz Toeing the official line on the state's efforts to localize manufacturing has helped John Deere's agricultural equipment business improve logistics and market share. But the main prize remains elusive: changing Russian policymakers' minds about what the U.S. company sees as unfair import rules.

Co-owner of Rossiya Bank Yury Kovalchuk and his son Boris will help create the first high-end cabaret in Russia, according to construction contractors that are renovating the chosen venue in St. Petersburg. The cabaret will be part of a bigger entertainment complex located in St. Petersburg's Tavrichesky Garden. The 12,000 square meter complex is the site of a former cinema and concert hall.

A Russian priest kissing the Cross of St. Andrew, a sacred relic, at Christ the Savior Cathedral on Wednesday. Alexander Zemlianichenko A liturgy at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Wednesday will open a series of commemorative events to mark the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus celebrated jointly this year in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Deputy Mayor Andrei Sharonov will leave his position after the city elections in September, Vedomosti reported Wednesday based on information from unnamed sources in federal and municipal government offices. The outgoing deputy mayor has already received offers to become the head of Skolkovo business school and the first deputy minister of economic development, though has not publicly accepted any of the proposals.

Yury Shevchuk facing a crowd of protesters and police at a 2010 rally. Igor Tabakov Yury Shevchuk, singer, guitarist and songwriter, is not your typical Russian rock star. He is independent, socially conscious and outspoken. In August, the St. Petersburg stadium rocker is to be taken to court on defamation charges over a canceled concert in Bryansk. Instead of exchanging niceties with the powers that be when they deign to mix with rock musicians, he confronts them.

GENEVA, Switzerland — Japan has filed a trade complaint against Russia over a fee it levies on car imports, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said Wednesday, following a similar move by the European Union. Russia says the fee offsets the cost of recycling cars, but its critics say it is effectively an illegal tax on imports since it does not apply to cars made in Russia, nor Belarus and Kazakhstan, which have a customs union with Russia.

The Russian government, reacting to the news that the extradition petition against Russian citizen Dmitry Ustinov was granted in Lithuania on Monday, has expressed concern over the United States' practice of sending requests for the extradition of Russian citizens directly to third-party countries.

Gay rights banner in Moscow 2008. Igor Tabakov After four Dutch citizens were detained in Murmansk last weekend for "homosexual propaganda" amid repeated calls by activists for a boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games, concerns are mounting over the impact Russia's recently passed "gay propaganda" law may have on this winter's games in Sochi — for tourists, athletes and for Russia's reputation abroad. The strongest call for a boycott in recent days came from prominent U.S.

Russia's third-largest food retailer Dixy Group said Wednesday that its same-store sales growth slowed in the second quarter as competition increased. Dixy's like-for-like sales — an indicator of performance excluding expansion — grew by 3.5 percent in the second quarter after a 5 percent rise in the preceding period, as it saw an outflow of shoppers with the number of bills down almost 2 percent after a rise of 0.4 percent in the first quarter.

Pollutants in the Moscow River, including sulfur, oil, heavy metals and aluminum, pose risks for people’s health. Vladimir Filonov The quantity of industrial pollutants in the Moscow River significantly exceeds safety standards, according to a study by Greenpeace Russia. These pollutants, which include sulfur, oil, heavy metals and aluminum, are deemed a risk not only to the local ecosystem but also to people's health according to the study, which was released this week.

If you think this is a post about standing in a line, then, with all due respect, you have never been to Russia. It is true that sometimes it is possible to stand in a line in Russia. However, the word "queue" (a word of ancient English origins) more satisfyingly describes the situation. Queue speaks of sequence and waiting your turn and not just successful geometry. And it is true that sometimes you will stand to wait your turn in a sequence. However, this is not always true.