A brief look at what is in the Russian papers today
POLITICS
Russia refused to provide a bailout loan to Belarus on Wednesday, telling it to privatize state assets and seek help from the International Monetary Fund, which in turn urged it to speed through reforms to overcome a currency crisis
(Moscow Times)
President Dmitry Medvedev announced the venue and format of his first large-scale news conference due on May 18
(Kommersant)
U.S. leader Barack Obama has made public an immigration reform program that would give U.S. citizenship to millions of current illegal immigrants. Analysts say it is a move to win over voters ahead of forthcoming presidential elections
(Kommersant)
ECONOMY BUSINESS
French engineering conglomerate Alstom has done a spectacular job making inroads in Russia over the past 12 months. It gained approval for deals with nine major companies including RusHydro and Rosatom, chiefly seeking to develop technology and manufacture domestically rather than selling from abroad
(Moscow Times)
The government commission on budget planning is to consider the Finance Ministry’s key document on tax policy for 2012-2014. Under the document, energy giant Gazprom would pay 30 percent more tax
(Kommersant)
The Moscow authorities have agreed to buy the city’s Luzhniki stadium for 10 million euros
(Vedomosti)
SOCIETY
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin struggled with the modern features of Lada’s new budget sedan during a visit to carmaker Avtovaz’s Togliatti headquarters on Wednesday
(Moscow Times, Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Whistleblowing blogger Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday he would not cop out of a criminal case against him by seeking parliamentary immunity
(Moscow Times)
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange won the Sydney Peace Foundation’s gold medal
(Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
IT
Russia, known as a global stronghold of spam, will finally crack down on unsolicited e-mails, as the State Duma reviews this week a bill introducing fines and punishments for spammers
(Moscow Times, Kommersant, Vedomosti)
The United States has announced plans to create a hi-tech emergencies warning system (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Hyundai Solaris has become the most popular foreign car brand in Russia four months after it began sales in the country
(Vedomosti)
For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at http://en.rian.ru.