Controversial new treason law in Russia

A few days after promising to review treason law, Russian president Vladimir Putin (photo, from dailymail.co.uk) has signed it. The law which expands the definition of treason went into effect on Wednesday.

According to critics this new law may be used to stifle dissent.

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Thousands gather for anti-Putin rally in Moscow

The first major protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin in three months took place on Saturday in Moscow. (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk)

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters have marched through the capital to say that December’s parliamentary elections were fraudulent and dispute Mr Putin’s re-election in March.

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Hundreds arrested after anti-Putin rally

Late on Monday several thousand people took to the streets in central Moscow to protest against alleged fraud in Sunday’s parliamentary elections (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk).

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Ukraine’s ex PM sentenced to seven years in jail over gas deal

Ukrainian former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko (photo, from france24.com), has been sentenced to seven years in jail on Tuesday by a Kiev court for “exceeding her powers” in 2009 in sealing a gas deal with Russia.

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Putin ready to return as president in 2012

For the presidential election next year, the current Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has proposed his prime minister, Vladimir Putin, which brought a heavy round of applause. On Saturday in front of the ruling United Russia party’s annual congress, the two men (photo, from lemonde.fr) ended speculations by backing one another to switch roles.

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Man suspected of killing Politkovskaya arrested

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk) was killed in 2006 and Rustam Makhmudov, the man suspected of shooting her, has been arrested in Chechnya.

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Russian president wants ministers to leave boardrooms

The practice of Russian ministers acting as regulators and company directors, has been singled out by president Dmitry Medvedev (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk).

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$4.9bn loss in 2010 for BP

After a profit of $13.9bn in 2009, last year BP has reported a loss of $4.9bn, the company’s first annual loss since 1992.

According to the company the replacement cost loss reflected a sum of $40.9bn set aside for charges relating to the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Hundreds of activists jailed in Belarus after election

At least 600 opposition activists have been jailed by authorities in Belarus after a police crackdown on protesters, who were against Alexander Lukashenko’s fourth victory in the presidential election. (map, from aljazeera.net)

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Afghanistan : Nato agrees on exit strategy

Starting next year, Nato will begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan, and in 2014 responsibility for security will be handed over to Afghan forces, the alliance has said after a two-day summit in Lisbon.

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