Putin attempts to remedy tax problems

Reports from Russia say that President Putin wants parliament, the Duma to work into its planned summer recess amid signs that new tax laws are being planned.

The President's representative in Parliament Aleksandr Kotenkov was quoted as saying that parliament would be asked to sit for an extra two weeks.

Earlier, the newly-confirmed Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, said the government's top priority was to finalise work on new tax laws -- and that parliament would have to meet for this in June.

It's been estimated that fifty per-cent of Russians do not pay their full tax.

President Putin also re-appointed two of his key ministers, the foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, and the Defence Minister, Igor Sergeyev.

Both keep their jobs in what correspondents say is a clear signal of continuity in Russian military and diplomatic policies.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service