POLITICS
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Germany and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues from Russia’s gas supplies to Germany to situation in Libya and Syria. During the visit, Medvedev also lambasted the canceling of a German prize for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as “cowardice.”
(Kommersant, Vedomosti)
Libya’s ambassador to Russia Amir al-Garib dismissed information that today’s talks in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Libyan counterpart will focus on Muammar Gaddafi’s resignation and possible political asylum for the embattled leader
(Moskovskie Novosti)
A survey by independent pollster Levada Center showed that 58% of Russians are indifferent to those who enter the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. Only 15% of respondents said they “understand” such people, while 8% said they treat party members “with irony.” Only 5% of Russians said theyrespected” party members “
(Kommersant)
ECONOMY
Unemployment fell to the lowest level in almost three years in June and retail sales grew for an 18th month, helping bolster an economic expansion in the world’s biggest energy exporter
(The Moscow Times)
OIL GAS
Russia’s largest oil company Rosneft refused to comply with anti-monopoly watchdog’s demands and cut fuel prices
(Kommersant)
Russian economic and energy ministries are in dispute over possible privatization of Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft
(Izvestia)
TNK-BP agreed to buy Petra Energia’s 45 percent stake in a project in Brazil’s Solimoes Basin in a drive to expand abroad
(The Moscow Times)
TELECOMS IT
Washington is ready to spend $42 million on developing a program to track down in the web information which affects U.S. security. The system, headlined SMISC (Social Media in Strategic Communication), will track down anti-U.S. propaganda in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other popular social networking websites
(Kommersant)
Russian cell phone operator MegaFon closed its online service to text messaging Tuesday following the leak of some 8,000 messages, just as bloggers reported a similar leak for the Russian Post’s package tracker.
(Vedomosti, Izvestia, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
BANKING FINANCE
Midsized lender Credit Bank of Moscow is considering selling a minority stake to an investor outside Russia
(The Moscow Times)
DEFENCE
Russian Armed Forces will buy 40 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters, 12 of which will be deployed at the Russian naval base in Ukraine’s Crimea
(Vedomosti)
SPORT
Russia’s Alexander Povetkin and Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev will fight for the WBA Heavyweight Title in Erfurt, Germany, on August 27
(Kommersant)
Ilya Zakharov and Evgeny Kuznetsov took silver at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, rallying from fourth on their last dive.
(Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
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