Fears as president's ally buys business paper

Senior journalists at Kommersant, the Russian newspaper acquired this week by billionaire Alisher Usmanov,, fear he may interfere with editorial policy. The daily business paper, which sells 123,000 copies, is widely respected for its independent analysis and has often been critical of the Kremlin. But Usmanov, who paid a reputed £160m for the privilege of owning Kommersant, is close to President Putin. The deputy editor, Alexander Shadrin, has already resigned. (Via Moscow Times)