POLITICS
Both parties involved in the Syrian conflict have committed war crimes, a UN commission said in a new report.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin is one of the few politicians able to appease the warring factions within the ruling elite, and could even become President Vladimir Putin's successor, according to a report drafted by the Minchenko Consulting Group. Although there is consensus within Putin's inner circle that he should run for a fourth term in 2018, the Kremlin's power brokers are considering alternative scenarios that would see Putin hand power to a trusted successor.
(The Moscow Times)
An easing of visa requirements for Europeans is unlikely, even for next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi, as neither Russian and EU officials seem willing to change their stance. A visa facilitation agreement remains elusive, as Moscow insists on a visa-waiver for government officials, EU delegation spokesman Soren Liborius said.
(The Moscow Times)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
A loaf of high-quality bread must have a minimum price of 50 rubles ($1.7), Russian Grain Union chief Arkady Zlochevsky said. The current minimum price for a loaf is about 20 rubles ($0.7).
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Russia's top crude producer Rosneft agreed in principle to boost oil deliveries to China during a visit to Asian consumer countries by chief executive Igor Sechin, but no details on volumes or delivery routes were disclosed.
(The Moscow Times)
Half of all apple juice produced in Russia is made from imported apples because of poor storage conditions for domestically grown apples.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
SOCIETY
Fewer sentences are passed for corruption, said Supreme Court chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev, but it does not mean that the fight against corruption is fading out.
(Vedomosti)
The Prosecutor General’s Office said the number of violations committed by traffic police officers in 2012 grew 20 percent year on year. Overall, 258 criminal cases and 6,000 administrative cases were opened against traffic policemen.
(Kommersant)
With striking unanimity, senior officials and lawmakers condemned the latest death of an adopted Russian child in the United States, saying the incident vindicates the government's controversial decision to ban US adoptions.
(The Moscow Times, Kommersant)
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