AP Digital News: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Inaugurated 07 May

Dmitry Medvedev officially took over as Russia's president on Wednesday at a grand Kremlin ceremony that launched an era of joint rule with his mentor -- and now prime minister -- Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev, 42, who will be the youngest Russian leader since Tsar Nicholas II when he is sworn in on May 7, has asked former President Putin to be his prime minister. Putin, 55, was prevented by term limits from running for re-election. The Election Commission said voter turnout neared 70 percent.

News from Reuters

At least two opposition campaigners were arrested during a rare display of public dissent in Moscow on Tuesday, a day ahead of President Dmitry Medvedev's inauguration.

The new head of state took the oath of office in a solemn emotional ceremony at the Kremlin's glittering St Andrew's Hall in Moscow. The pomp and ceremony of the event was designed to evoke Russia's past as an imperial power and bury memories of its drab Soviet past.

The exit polls results are in line with expectations. Medvedev was the candidate chosen by outgoing President Vladimir Putin to succeed him after eight years in office.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov delivered a petition with more than 5,000 signatures to Russia's Central Elections Commission on Saturday declaring the presidential election a "farce". Riot police stood guard as Kasparov and prominent liberal leader Nikita Belykh delivered the petition titled "I will not take part in this farce." Kasparov, a fierce Kremlin critic, said Sunday's polls were rigged to ensure victory for President Vladimir Putin's protegé Dmitry Medvedev.

Dozens of people have been arrested at an oppostion protest against the landslide presidential election victory of Dmitry Medvedev. More than 100 police, some in full riot gear, arrested dozens of protesters taking part in the unauthorised demonstration following Sunday's poll won by President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy is inaugurated into office as the 35th President of the United States, the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic ever elected to the office. Scenes show highlights of the ceremonials in the Capital as Sam Rayburn, the Speaker of the House, administers the oath to fellow Texan Lyndon B. Johnson, the new Vice President, and Chief Justice Earl Warren swears in John F Kennedy. Despite a paralyzing blizzard, hundreds of thousands are on hand to hear the new President deliver his brief but stirring inaugural message. That night, President and Mrs. Kennedy are seen arriving at one of five gala inaugural balls they will attend, marking the beginning of a new era for the nation under the leadership of the first President born in the twentieth century.