Russia
Fugitive Snowden slips out of Moscow airport for 'secure' base
MOSCOW - Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden slipped quietly out of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday after Russia granted him temporary asylum, ending more than a month in limbo in the transit area. | Video
Mechel sells ferroalloy assets to Yildirim for $425 million
MOSCOW - Russian coal miner Mechel is selling its ferroalloy assets to Turkey's Yildirim Group for $425 million and will use the proceeds to shrink its debt of more than $9 billion as well as invest in core projects, it said.
Russia's Uralkali in weaker financial position, Moody's says
MOSCOW - Russia's Uralkali , which has pulled out of a venture with its Belarus partner and forecast a sharp fall in potash prices, could see its liquidity come under pressure and will need to raise extra debt, credit rating agency Moody's said.
Russia says new Iran sanctions will not end nuclear dispute
MOSCOW - Russia said on Thursday a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to tighten sanctions against Iran would not help resolve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that will cut Iran's oil exports to nearly zero, in an attempt to reduce the flow of funds to its nuclear program and send a strong message to Tehran before President-elect Hassan Rouhani is sworn in.
Vodka boycott in U.S. spreads on concerns over gay rights in Russia
- Gay rights activists in New York City dumped vodka onto the street on Wednesday to protest new laws in Russia targeting homosexuals, as a growing number of gay bar owners across the United States vowed to stop pouring Russian vodka.
Uralkali could discuss joint Swiss trading firm with Belarus: CEO
MOSCOW - Russia's Uralkali could discuss joining with Belarus in a Swiss-based trading company to export potash, but will not return to the Minsk-based venture which broke apart on Tuesday, the Russian firm's CEO said on Wednesday.
Exclusive: Russian billionaire seeks U.S. government financing for luxury jets
NEW YORK/ATLANTA - Billionaire Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko, a long-time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, plans to seek U.S. government-backed funding to buy luxury aircraft, Reuters has learned.
Russia's Putin to meet new Iranian president in September
MOSCOW - Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet Iran's newly elected president for the first time in Kyrgyzstan in September, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Moscow said on Wednesday.
Belaruskali says was not consulted on Uralkali pullout
MINSK - Belarussian potash producer Belaruskali said it was not consulted by Uralkali before the Russian company quit their joint venture, as it promised a new sales strategy to address the expected impact of its partner's exit.
Potash sector rocked as Russia's Uralkali quits cartel
MOSCOW - Russia's Uralkali quit one of the world's two big potash cartels on Tuesday, heralding a price war for the key crop nutrient and pummeling the shares of companies that produce it.
Tsvangirai denounces Zimbabwe vote as 'huge farce'
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed Zimbabwe's election as a farce on Thursday after his rival President Robert Mugabe's party claimed a landslide victory that would secure another five years in power for Africa's oldest head of state. | Video
Ethiopia and Eritrea: An elusive peace on the cards?
Ethiopia and Eritrea are still at each others’ throats. The two neighbours fought hammer and tongs in sun-baked trenches during a two-year war over a decade ago, before a peace deal ended their World War I-style conflict in 2000. Furious veRed Sea, UNrbal battles, however, have continued to this day.


