Luke Harding
No image available
/ 9 May 2008

Russia’s car woes

Owning a car in Russia can present more problems than it solves. First there is the import duty, which pushes the cost of a top-range marque up a hefty 50% to more than R4million. Then there are the ubiquitous traffic jams in Moscow, where cars move at a sedate average of 19kph — slightly faster than in London, though, which clocks in at 18kph.

No image available
/ 7 April 2008

Bush fails to sell missile-defence plans

United States President George Bush’s attempts to patch up the US’s battered relationship with Russia failed on Sunday when Vladimir Putin said he continued to oppose the US’s European missile defence plans. Bush and Putin held talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. It was their last encounter before Putin steps down as president.