Izvestia
www.izvestia.ru
- Fines will drastically increase. The Russian government is considering serious innovations that will affect all Russian drivers. An interview with head of the State Council working party on traffic safety, Governor of the Stavropol Territory Alexander Chernogorov on solutions to the problem of road safety.
- Astana hosts Wednesday the inauguration of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Kazakh Ambassador in Russia, Krymbek Kusherbayev, speaks on the prospects for Russian-Kazakh relations during Nazarbayev's third term in office.
- The issue of self-identity is undoubtedly a problem in terms of Russia's continuing existence as a state. The country can attain neither political stability nor prosperity without an answer to this perplexing question. Commentary by political expert and Dr. Sergei Markedonov.
Kommersant
www.kommersant.ru
- The newspaper reports that the co-owner of Russia's Solikamsk Magnesium Plant, the open joint stock company Silvinit, has bought a controlling interest in AS Silmet, an Estonian rare metals plant, from Silmet Grupp. Silvinit will thus be able to integrate its two Russian assets with the Estonian plant.
- Russian Railways has postponed publicizing the results of an auction for a 29.495% stake in Elgaugol, a mine development company, from January 17 until March 1. Moreover, the auction may be cancelled altogether because Russian Railways is expecting direct proposals on the purchase of the stake from the Mechel Group, a leading Russian mining and metals company, and Russia's leading diamond producer Alrosa. Thus, foreign contenders, mainly Japan's Sumitomo, could lose the opportunity to obtain a share in Elgaugol. Nevertheless, Sumitomo has not abandoned its hopes to participate in the project, at least as a supplier of coal to Japan.
- The left and right are forming single opposition. The General Council of United Russia, commonly referred to as "the party of power", approved yesterday the nomination of head of Moscow's commerce and industry chamber Leonid Govorov for the State Duma, parliament's lower house, from the 196th Medvedkovo District in Moscow. He may face strong competition from Yelena Lukyanova, a lawyer known to be supported by the Union of Right Forces, and liberal Yabloko, the Communist Party and the ultra-nationalist Rodina (Motherland). If the parties unite, it will be the first time that such a wide opposition coalition has been represented in a federal election.
- The Russian government's commission for religious organizations has drawn up a bill to grant religious higher education institutions state accreditation, which representatives of different faiths think may become a tool to influence religious educational institutions and primarily control Muslim education.
Rossiiskaya Gazeta
www.rg.ru
- Rarely can a year start with such a turbulent beginning as the small natural gas war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. Commentary by political scientist Leonid Radzikhovsky
- An interview with the prominent Russian scientist Professor Sergei Kapitsa, whose report on the future of civilization was at the spotlight of the Zagreb congress of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Emergency alert - An interview with Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu
- Russia's chief doctor Gennady Onishchenko comments on the bird flu outbreak in Turkey.
