TODAY: May Day protests over inflation; Champion League football match to be held in Moscow, continues to dominate the press; Lavrov in London for Middle East Quarter; US congressman warn against anti-Russian positions; further peacekeeping troops in Abhkazia spark international criticism. A number of protests were staged across Russia to mark May Day, with Moscow recorded as having demonstrations involving up to 30,000 people, and far eastern regions seeing crowds “protest[ing] against inflation and falling government social subsidies.” In Chelyabinsk, some 14,000 people marched under the slogan, “Let salaries rise higher than prices!” US congressmen have warned against the “knee-jerk anti-Russian position” frequently adopted by the US. CIA chief Michael Hayden says Russia’s population will decrease by 32 million – roughly a quarter – by 2050. The Middle East Quartet – Russia, the US, the UN and the EU – will meet in London to discuss Palestinian aid and the Iranian nuclear question.