Sinners will be fired

A Russian tycoon has ordered his employees to embrace the Russian Orthodox Church or lose their jobs.

Vasily Boiko-The Great, who controls a major agricultural holding, has written to his 6500 employees, ordering those "living in sin" to get married in church within two months or be fired. The deadline, October 14, is a Russian Orthodox festival.

He has also banned employees or their wives from getting abortions, saying he does not want to work with "killers".

Boiko-The Great added the suffix to his surname by deed poll. Government officials say the tycoon risks breaking the labour laws.