Russian Press at a Glance, Thursday, February 2, 2012

POLITICS

Russia’s Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said he is ready to allow election observers affiliated with Grigory Yavlinsky's opposition Yabloko party to monitor the March 4 presidential elections
(Kommersant)

Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said a second round runoff vote for the Kremlin threatens to destabilize the country but there is “nothing wrong with it.”
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky charged that members of the Central Election Commission were promised financial rewards to ensure that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wins the presidential election in the first round of voting on March 4.
(Kommersant)

Viktor Khristenko has resigned as head of Russia’s Trade and Industry Ministry following his recent appointment to head the newly established Eurasian Economic Commission
(Kommersant)

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Facebook announces plans for IPO to raise $5 billion
(Vedomosti)

Russia has criminalized payment of bribes abroad, a problem that anti-corruption analysts said had given Russian business an unfair global competitive advantage.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

Kseniya Yudayeva, the director of the Russian Center for Macroeconomic Research, says inflation in Russia might equal 5.4 percent this year.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

The Russian manufacturing sector started 2012 on a weak note but is nonetheless taking on more workers, according to the latest HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index data, Markit Economics business survey provider said.
(Nezavisimaya Gazeta)

In a possible sign of increased business activity amid the "reset" in U.S.-Russian ties, a U.S. government agency that assists U.S. companies enter and expand in Russia has seen an increase in demand over the past year.
(The Moscow Times)

DEFENSE

A first Gremyashchy class corvette was laid down at Russia’s Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg.
(Kommersant)

The first Mistral class amphibious assault ship will be put in service with the Russian Navy in 36 months.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to dispose of three million tons of ammunition that has reached its expiration date by the end of 2013.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

WORLD

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s legal battle against his extradition to Sweden is entering its final stage, with Britain’s Supreme Court set to consider his deportation appeal in a two-day hearing.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

CRIME

Investigators have opened a large-scale criminal fraud case against the management of one of Russia's largest tour operators, which left more than 3,500 clients stranded in Russia and abroad when it went bankrupt over the weekend.
(The Moscow Times)

SOCIETY

On Wednesday the new uniform and identity badges for Russian police officers were unveiled in Moscow. Russia's police will be issued with the new uniforms in stages, with 70 percent receiving them between 2012 and 2014.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

A banner with the words "Putin, leave" and an X’ed out image of the prime minister's face was draped over a billboard atop a building adjacent to the Kremlin.
(The Moscow Times)

SPORTS

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the sale of striker Roman Pavlyuchenko to Lokomotiv Moscow for a reported 7.5 million pounds.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Kommersant)

For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at http://en.rian.ru