THE REAL REASON RUSSIA NEEDS A MONEY LAUNDERING LAW.

TheRussian government is again seeking passage of a law to punishthose who launder illegally acquired funds, Trud reportedJune 24. The measure, proposed in 1990 but quickly dropped, hasmany opponents, but it is absolutely necessary if Russia is toavoid total criminalization, the paper said. "Unlike themajority of foreign countries–where crime primarily lives offdrug dealing, gambling and prostitution–in Russia, 90 percentof all the ‘dirty cash’ comes from criminal machinations in thefields of commerce, credit, and finance," Trud concluded.

Moscow Wants Regions to Shoulder Greater Welfare Burden.