12.07 Russian Press at a Glance, Friday, July 12, 2013
POLITICS
The United States wants to widen the Magnitsky List of Russian officials banned from entering the country, following Magnitsky's posthumous conviction on Thursday.
(Moskovsky Komsomolets)
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who heads the Committee Civic Initiatives think-tank, has offered to take up the activities of banned election monitoring NGO Golos, which was the first NGO to be fined earlier this eyar under a new law regulating non-government organizations involved in "political" activity.
(Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
The spring session of Russias upper house of parliament came to an end this week, but that may not signal an end to the steady stream of wealthy senators who have stepped down as the Kremlin put forward new restrictions on officials owning assets abroad.
(Vedomosti)
Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, proposed more mergers of Russian regions and territories.
(Kommersant)
Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin will compete with at least six more candidates in September election for the post of the head of the Russian capital.
(Kommersant)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
It was meant to be a triumphant comeback that would patch up sour diplomatic relations between former Soviet republics and satisfy Russia's thirst for quality wine. But following a six-year ban from the country, Georgian wines are facing an uphill battle in the market and experts say they are unlikely to regain their former glory.
(The Moscow Times)
Montenegrin police have arrested Dmitry Potrubach, the Russian financial director of the Balkan countrys biggest enterprise, co-owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska's En+ group.
(Vedomosti, Kommersant)
Russian senator Sergei Lisovsky has prepared a draft law which would ban foreign guest-workers from participation in major national events such as the 2014 Sochi winter Olympic Games.
(Moskovsky Komsomolets)
DEFENSE
Corruption in the armed forces cost the state budget more than 4.4 billion rubles ($135 million) in the first six months of the year, showing a 450 percent increase, Chief Military Prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky told a meeting of law enforcement officials.
(The Moscow Times)
WORLD
Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to all charges against him, including murder and using a weapon of mass destruction in connection with the deadly April 15 attack that left three people dead and more than 260 injured.
(Kommersant, The Moscow Times)
US software giant Microsoft has closely cooperated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) by allowing secret services to bypass companys own encryption codes and gain access particularly to Outlook and Skype among other programs, The Guardian reported citing documents from Edward Snowden.
(Argumenty i Fakty, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
SOCIETY
According to a pollster conducted by Levada-Center, over 65 percent of Russians said they have not changed their opinion about Vladimir Putin since the president announced his divorce from his wife.
(Kommersant)
CRIME
A Moscow court found deceased whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion, in the culmination of a high-profile case that has prompted widespread international criticism of the Russian legal system.
(Vedomosti, Kommersant, Moskovskiye Novosti, The Moscow Times)
SPORTS
NHLs New Jersey Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk has abruptly announced his retirement from the hockey league and said he would return home to Russia.
(Kommersant)
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