POLITICS
Participants at Tuesday’s Russia-NATO Council meeting failed to find common ground on the majority of problem issues, such as the missile shield in Europe, NATO expansion and the conflict in Syria. The meeting focused mainly on cooperation in Afghanistan.
(Kommersant)
US President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against using chemical weapons against protestors. The statement came after intelligence reports revealed that nerve agents are being produced in Syria. Despite reassurances to the contrary from Damascus, the United States believes that Bashar al-Assad may use weapons of mass destruction as a last resort.
(Kommersant)
UN recalled 25 of its 100 employees working in Syria. They will leave the country by the end of this week.
(Izvestia)
Forensic tests on the remains of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will take from five to six months, a Swiss scientist said. However, even if traces of polonium-210 are found in his body it wouldn’t automatically mean that he was poisoned.
(Izvestia)
ECONOMY
The US is close to plunging over the metaphorical “fiscal cliff.” If the White House and the Congress fail to agree on the 2013 budget, the US economy will plunge into severe recession.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
METALS & MINING
Oleg Deripaska and Vladimir Potanin, the main Norisk Nickel shareholders announced they are close to settling their dispute. Roman Abramovich will act as a guarantor of their agreement.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
OIL & GAS
India and China, two major Asian superpowers and the region’s main geopolitical opponents, are on the verge of a new conflict as Beijing laid claim to oil and gas deposits in the South China Sea, controlled by Vietnam and developed by Indian state Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC). To defend its economic interests, Delhi threatened to send its military ships to the disputed region, while China announced it would inspect all ships in the area.
(Kommersant)
Russian gas giant Gazprom, which acquires a 50-percent stake in Wintershall Noordzee next year, may benefit from Wintershall’s discovery of an oil deposit in the North Sea.
(Vedomosti)
REAL ESTATE
With real estate prices in Russia growing 10.7 percent this year, the country became one of the top five countries in terms of real estate price growth.
(Kommersant)
TELECOMS & IT
Apple launched the Russian version of its iTunes Store. The service was also launched in India, Turkey, South Africa and over 50 other countries.
(Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)
TRANSPORT
The Moscow authorities are set to request an additional $6 billion from the federal budget to fulfill the 2020 subway construction program.
(Izvestia)
SOCIETY
The number of retirement age people still working is nearly 40 percent in Russia, with low pensions being the major incentive.
(Vedomosti)
Moscow has seen snowfall equal to that expected in an average month in the past week. The Moscow administration admitted problems with clearing streets and roads, but described its response as “satisfactory.” This snowfall, however, has resulted in major traffic jams in the Russian capital.
(Kommersant, Izvestia)
Moscow has launched the Moscow Pass card, allowing tourists to visit major tourist attractions for a fixed price.
(Vedomosti)
For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at www.en.rian.ru
