POLITICS
Members of the expanded presidential human rights council are set to put forward a proposal to privatize state TV channels. According to council member and journalist Stanislav Kucher, state companies should not be allowed to participate in the tender.
(Kommersant, Izvestia)
After seven days of airstrikes, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza may end in a ceasefire agreement, mediated by Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of a summit meeting of Asian leaders. It was their first meeting since Barack Obama’s reelection. The sides failed to form a unified stance on key bilateral and international agenda issues – the US missile shield and the crisis in Syria.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
A pro-democracy foundation led by the former head of internal policy for the presidential administration, Konstantin Kostin, will publish its report about the Russian opposition on the first anniversary of mass protests sparked by alleged election fraud during the State Duma elections.
According to the report’s initial findings, “the new protest wave is over in Russia” and social groups that rallied on Bolotnaya Square no longer feel united.
(Kommersant)
A controversial new law obliging NGOs financed from abroad to register as “foreign agents” comes into force on Wednesday. Human rights activists, classed as “foreign agents” under the new law said they expected numerous inspections by various Russian watchdogs.
(Moskovskie Novosti, Vedomosti)
ECONOMY
Russia’s macroeconomic statistics released by Rosstat showed an unexpected surge in investment activity.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
Russia’s Federal Tax Service said 9.2 trillion rubles were collected in taxes in the first nine months of 2012, up 13 percent year-on-year.
(Kommersant)
Moody’s Investors Service downgraded France to Aa1 from its highest rating of Aaa and maintained a negative projection. President Francois Hollande vowed to trim budget deficit to 3 percent of GDP and make labor market more flexible by 2015, but experts doubt that those measures would be properly implemented.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
OIL & GAS
Russia's energy ministry said it would consider allowing Novatek, the country's largest independent gas producer, become an independent liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
POWER GENERATION
Rosatom is set to speed up a project involving new-generation nuclear reactors: the first liquid metal fast reactor (LMFR) could be built in Russia’s Tomsk Region by 2020.
(Kommersant)
TELECOMS & IT
A second TV tower could be built in Moscow to provide territory newly incorporated into the city, and the Butovo district, with imrpoved reception. So far, Moscow’s only TV tower is the 540-meter tall Ostankino Tower, currently the tallest freestanding structure in Europe and the sixth tallest in the world.
(Izvestia)
SOCIETY
About 11-12 millions of Russians live in extreme poverty.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Starting from December 1, labor migrants will have to sit Russian language tests in order to receive a work permit. Experts estimate that one third of possible applicants are likely to fail.
(Moskovskie Novosti)
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