OIL AND POLITICS DON’T MIX.

On June 26, the 48-year-old mayor of Nefteyugansk Vladimir Petukhov was shot dead and his bodyguard seriously injured. In recent months Petukhov, a local businessman and oil trader, had clashed with the Yukos oil company, which runs all the local oil wells and provides 90 percent of the city’s budget revenue. He was also reportedly under investigation for misappropriation of municipal funds. Residents took to the streets to protest the killing. (Moscow Times, 27 June)

NATO OFFICIAL RULES OUT “RED LINE.”