President Dmitry Medvedev marked his Belgrade visit with a gas distribution deal and a €1 billion loan. The Serbian president, Boris Tadic, thanked Medvedev by reinforcing the two countries’ shared views against the secession of Kosovo.  Serbia made the initial loan request in July.  The deputies who walked out of the Duma last week ‘might lose their salaries for each Duma session they skip‘.  Reporters Without Borders have released their Press Freedom Index for 2009, revealing that Russia’s rating is down over thirteen points from last year’s index, ranking it currently as 153rd out of 170 countries – lower than Israel, Afghanistan, and Iraq (but higher than China and Iran).