The Moscow City Duma has overwhelmingly approved Sergei Sobyanin as the new mayor of the Russian capital. At an extraordinary session today, a total of 32 members of the Moscow city parliament voted for Sobyanin's appointment, while only two voted against it. Almost simultaneously, President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree releasing Sobyanin from the post of Deputy Prime Minister. Sobyanin is widely seen as being close to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.