POLITICS
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is ready to conduct an overall modernization again. The modernization will be completed by 2018, and Russians will have high living standards, according to the guidelines of the government’s activity.
(Vedomosti)
Moscow pundits gave a warm welcome to John Kerry, as U.S. senators were expected to confirm their veteran colleague as secretary of state. But they warned that U.S.-Russian relations were set for a potentially bumpy ride during President Barack Obama's second term, contrasting with the "reset" in relations that marked the first.
(The Moscow Times)
Regional Development Minister Igor Slyunyayev unveiled plans to reform his ministry, which might become a locomotive for long-promised government plans to decentralize federal power.
(The Moscow Times)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Amid a dispute between Russia and Kazakhstan over the number of rocket launches from the Baikonur space center Russia leases from Kazakhstan, the Central Asian country wants to suspend oil product imports from Russia, which total some 1.3 million metric tons annually. Astana hopes for China’s support.
(Kommersant)
Russia’s Federal Tax Service summed up its activity in 2012: nearly 11 trillion rubles ($366 billion) was collected, which is 12.7 percent more than in 2011.
(Kommersant)
SOCIETY
Highways in Russia will have a warranty period. Contractors will have to repair poorly built roads for free.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
US NGOs National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republic Institute (IRI) not only closed their offices in Russia but also took Russians who worked for them out of the country. There has been no official comment from the US yet.
(Kommersant)
Moscow and 18 other regions are in the throes of a flu epidemic, and young people should wear masks to prevent infection, Russia’s top health official said. Over 80,000 cases of flu have been recorded in Moscow in the past week, more than half of them in children, chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko told reporters.
(The Moscow Times)
A third of Russia’s population lives in houses requiring a complete overhaul. The problem of dilapidated housing will be resolved in 30 years at best.
(Vedomosti)
Investigators questioned Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh and his office was searched in connection with alleged fraud that took place in 2010 during the privatization of the local Urzhumsky distillery and was linked to prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Belykh said he had done nothing wrong.
(Kommersant)
DEFENSE
The formation of the Russian Defense Ministry's new structure is nearly complete and it may soon be made public on the ministry’s website.
(Kommersant)
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