Journalist severely beaten in Moscow

MOSCOW. November 6. KAZINFORM A Kommersant daily's political correspondent was attacked and severely beaten by unknown people near his house early on Saturday, the Echo Moskvy radio station reported, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

Oleg Kashin has been admitted to hospital where he remains in the intensive care unit, Echo Moskvy said, quoting journalists' colleagues.

The Gazeta.ru website quoted a witness as saying Kashin was attacked by two people who were waiting for him with a bunch of flowers near his house.

Neither money, nor other valuable things have been reported stolen from the journalist.

Kommersant is a leading Russian business newspaper owned by tycoon Alisher Usmanov, a co-owner of Russia's third-largest mobile telephone operator MegaFon and major Russian internet investor Digital Sky Technologies Ltd. (DST), Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru