PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Feb 14

PRESS DIGEST - Russia - Feb 14

MOSCOW Feb 14 (Reuters) - The following are some of the leading stories in Russia's newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- Russia's state bank VTB (VTBR.MM) (VTBRq.L) is thought to be pricing its secondary public share offer at $6.25 per global depositary receipt (GDR), though officially it will be announced on Monday, the daily reports.

- Russia's state utility Inter RAO is planning to invest up to $500 million in Middle Eastern economies, the daily says.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- VTB's support for the government during the global financial crisis has given the budget more than 45 billion roubles ($1.54 billion), the daily says in connection with the sale of a 10 percent stake in the bank.

- The former CEO of Uralkali and miner Norilsk Nickel (GMKN.MM), Denis Morozov, could be appointed by the government to represent Russia at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the daily says.

ROSSISKAYA GAZETA

www.rg.ru

- Russia could allow individuals to pan gold dust and possibly sell what they find, the daily reports, adding that the new bill will be passed by May or June.

IZVESTIA

- Russia is introducing drug testing in secondary schools from next year as part of a nationwide federal strategy to crack down on drug use in the world's top heroin consumer.

- Several thousand residents in the Krasnodar and Volgograd regions in Russia's south had an electricity blackout over the weekend after strong winds hit the region.

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

www.ng.ru

- Russians are eagerly awaiting tax duties on foreign cars to fall to 25 percent from the current 30 percent from April, after Russia joints the World Trade Organisation.

- Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) is forecasting a price rise on natural gas as well as an increase in export to its European consumers.

Russian Press at a Glance, Monday, February 14, 2011

A "democratic" Egypt is the key to peace in the Middle East, President Dmitry Medvedev said. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ceded power to the military last week, toppled by a revolt after 30 years in charge of the Arab world's most populous state.

(The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)

Tensions between Moscow and Tokyo over the disputed Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan, continue to escalate

(Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

The first authorized Day of Wrath rally was held in Moscow on Saturday. The event received permission from Moscow authorities after organizers agreed to an alternative venue. Some participants, however, were detained while trying to march to the presidential administration

(The Moscow Times, Kommersant, Nezavisimaya Gazeta)

ECONOMY

Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, proposed to nationalize poorly managed companies, starting with Raspadskaya, Russia’s largest coalmine ,hit by a major blast last year, and Domodedovo, the country’s largest airport where a suicide bomber blew himself up last month

(Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta)

The finance ministry plans to spend $113 million to educate Russians about economics in an attempt to protect their savings and encourage investment

(Vedomosti)

VEHICLES & ENGINEERING

Russia’s accession to the WTO may bring down duties on new imported cars. The customs duties may return to pre-crisis level starting from 2012 and drop to 15% by 2019

(Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Izvestia)

POWER GENERATION

RusHydro and France's Alstom signed a deal Friday to build a 500 million euro ($677 million) turbine plant in the republic of Bashkortostan. The two companies will finalize the joint venture before the end of February, the companies' chief executives said

(The Moscow Times)

TELECOMS & IT

Nokia and Microsoft will develop new software for smartphones in an attempt to boost sales

(Vedomosti, Izvestia)

For the first time since VimpelCom lost its status of Russia’s second largest mobile operator, the company announced a major dismissal. The responsibility was placed on Dmitry Pleskonos, who lost his post of executive vice president in charge of mass market development

(Vedomosti)

Russia's most popular social network, VKontakte, had to restrict registration procedures in an attempt to curb spamming

(Vedomosti)

BANKING & FINANCE

Russia’s central bank may bar from banking business those found guilty of premeditated bankruptcy

(Kommersant, Vedomosti)

The 10% stake in Russia's second largest bank VTB was sold by the government at market price. Vedomosti and Kommersant say citing sources the stake was sold at $3.268 billion, though the official announcement is expected later on Monday

 (Vedomosti, Kommersant, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

DEFENCE

Russia will cut funding of its federal target program to hire contract soldiers and sergeants by one third

(Kommersant)

SOCIETY

The latest surprise visit to a transport facility by President Dmitry Medvedev saw him popping up in Vnukovo Airport on Friday to discover that local police are understaffed, but passengers can not slip in without going through metal detectors.

(The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta)

Russian ministries and departments were instructed to deal with misuse of flashing lights, which “provoke negative reaction from the population” amid several high-profile accidents involving cars with sirens

(Kommersant)

Russia should not adopt the defeatist stance on multiculturalism voiced recently by top European leaders, even despite a surge in ethnic tensions, President Dmitry Medvedev said

(The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

Luke Harding, a British journalist expelled from Russia earlier this month, was allowed to return to the country on Sunday, Gazeta.ru reported, citing the head of the Foreign Press Association of Moscow, Adib Al Sayed. Vedomosti named Harding ‘person of the week.’

(The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Kommersant)