MOSCOW, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Russia’s South Stream project to supply gas to Europe will top the agenda in talks on Wednesday between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the chancellor of Austria, home to the lead company in a rival pipeline project.
Putin’s spokesman said the Russian prime minister would also discuss the possible extension to Austria of a major oil export route, the Druzhba pipeline, when he meets with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann in Moscow.
The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin and Faymann would also discuss construction of a broad-gauge railway linking Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Austria.
Peskov said Austrian Airlines was not on the agenda for the talks between Putin and Faymann.
Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday that Austrian Airlines might lose its right to operate in Russia after the company was acquired by Lufthansa and lost its status as Austria’s national operator.

VIENNA-Galina Toktalieva street photography showcase

RFE/RL – As the swine-flu virus continues to spread through former Soviet Union, the measures taken by some governments range from bizarre and befuddled to possibly political.
Moldova
In Moldova, which has 269 confirmed cases and four reported swine-flu deaths, health officials on November 9 closed schools and universities for a week. The timing of the closure prompted speculation that the country’s university students would capitalize on their sudden free time by turning out to protest the parliament’s failure today to elect pro-Western candidate Marian Lupu as president. (more…)