Full honours for Tsar

THE RUSSIAN government insisted yesterday that the country's last Tsar, Nicholas II, will be buried with pomp and circumstance despite funding woes and the reluctance of the Russian Orthodox church.

"The fact that the funeral is taking place is far more important than the form it takes," said an aide to Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov.

Plans for the state funeral in St Petersburg on 17 July have drawn criticism from various quarters in recent weeks. The Russian Orthodox church hierarchy has decided to boycott the event.