POLITICS
Russia will continue to implement its foreign policy using economic diplomacy and soft power, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Russian Security Council members in the Kremlin on Friday.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Speaking at the final plenary session of an economic forum in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said discussions about giving regional authorities additional powers were “senseless” as the regions are unable to cope with responsibilities they already have.
(Kommersant)
Another deadly blast in Quetta, Pakistan, which claimed lives of more than 80 Shiites, brought the country to the verge of a full-fledged war between its Shia and Sunni residents.
(Kommersant)
Israel’s ex-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman went on trial on Sunday. The minister said he was sure to prove his innocence and return to the ministerial post. If not, he will have to quit politics.
(Kommersant)
ECONOMY
A two-day meeting of G20 financial ministers and central bank chiefs was held in Moscow last week as Russia assumed the group’s rotating presidency. The delegations were welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)
Russia’s industrial output in January dropped 0.8 percent year-on-year. This is the country’s first decline since the 2008 financial crisis.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
VEHICLES & ENGINEERING
Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ paid 335 million rubles (over $11 million) in yearly bonuses to its top managers in 2012, twice as much as in 2011.
(Vedomosti)
POWER GENERATION
Police have uncovered the embezzlement of 1 billion rubles ($33.2 million) of state funds from the Russian hydropower holding company RusHydro. The company said it would conduct its own audit, with results due on Monday.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
High electricity prices and problems with joining the national power grid have prompted industrial electricity consumers to think about building their own power generation facilities. However, Russia lacks clear regulations on the issue.
(Kommersant)
REAL ESTATE
World’s first DreamWorks Animation theme park may open in Russia, after DreamWorks had signed a deal with a Russian developer.
(Kommersant)
TELECOMS & IT
The Russian State Duma is preparing a bill to make Internet and hosting providers responsible for comments that users leave on Internet pages. They might also be obliged to reveal a user’s identity if necessary.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
CONSUMER
A low-cost airline, offering tickets that are 30-50 percent cheaper than other Russian air carriers, may start operations by the end of this year.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
DEFENSE
Amid fierce public criticism of civilian casualties during NATO airstrikes, Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed an order banning NATO from carrying out airstrikes on residential areas.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
SOCIETY
Repair work is underway in Chelyabinsk after a meteorite strike that shattered windows and damaged buildings across the city. About one fifth of all broken windows have so far been repaired.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)
The Russian labor ministry has started discussions on pension reform.
(Kommersant, Vedomosti, Izvestia)
Russian lawmakers are reviewing a bill to impose fines on Russians who do not live where they are registered.
(Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Russia might introduce compulsory smoking tests for schoolchildren over 10.
(Izvestia)
SPORT
As the public speculates about the costs of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, another large-scale project, preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, are about to begin.
(Vedomosti)
Russia won only two medals, silver and bronze, at the world championships in the Czech Republic. Both were won by Anton Shipulin.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at www.en.rian.ru
