Farmers are already worrying about next year’s crop due to dry weather conditions, says the FT.  President Dmitry Medvedev’s comments that the grain export ban could be lifted this year contradict earlier statements by Vladimir Putin that the ban could extend into 2011.  Valery Shantsev, the governor of Nizhny Novgorod, is using the city’s various crises including high unemployment, wildfire losses, and a poor business record, to try and draw the attention of investors: ‘Wise investors know very well that it is during the crisis when one should conquer new markets and space.‘ At least the Sapsan is to start stopping there twice a day, which could improve the city’s business prospects.  Medvedev suggested that home fire insurance should be obligatory, saying that the state should not have to cover fire damages.  Oleg Deripaska’s Transstroi has very publicly fired its chief executive, Ivan Kuznetsov, for embezzlement – part of a new trend that helps companies keep their reputations safe, says the Moscow Times.