Moscow  - Russia set out its development goals until 2012 this year, but the four-year budget plan hardly matched reality - something which even the Finance Ministry had to admit.

Economists have halved the country's growth forecast as the real cost of the credit freeze and a dive in the price of Russia's main export commodities set in, but Moscow appears to be rolling ahead with an expansive foreign policy and ambitious domestic infrastructure and social spending.

While governments all over the world scrambled to legislate bail- outs for flagship sectors in distress, Moscow's initial reaction was to cast the country as immune to the crisis.

Moscow - Russian opposition politicians and Kremlin critics Garry Kasparov and Boris Nemtsov founded a new political party named Solidarity in Moscow Saturday.

Representatives of various social groups would work together in the new democratic movement, Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio reported.

The traditionally splintered Russian opposition has been trying to unite against what it sees as an increasingly authoritarian Kremlin.

The party, which plans to present its manifesto in the spring, does not have any official status.

More than 300 opposition politicians from 45 regions took part in the meeting to form the party, Russian media reported.

Moscow - At least 12 people have died in an explosion at an ore mine in northern Russia, Interfax news agency reported Friday, citing the Russian Civil Defence.

The Russian government has asked its citizens to reconsider their trips to the tourism hot spot Goa.

Nearly 45,000 Russian tourists visit Goa each season.

The Russian foreign ministry has specifically advised its citizens wishing to travel to Goa to “reconsider” their decision.

“We have not told them not to come to Goa, we have asked our citizens to reconsider their decision of coming to Goa in view of the security situation,” advocate Vikram Varma told to a news agency on behalf of the Russian consulate.

Moscow - An internet site launched Thursday about the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author

Moscow - A hospitalization forced former Soviet leader Mikhail Go