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What the Papers Say, Aug. 30, 2012

Igor Tabakov

Kommersant

1. Vadim Visloguzov and Yegor Popov article headlined "Recycling Gets Stuck in Government" says the Russian government has not yet approved the rate of the new car-recycling customs duty to be introduced as of Sept. 1; pp 1-2 (709 words).

2. Olga Mordyushenko article headlined "Shelf Does Not Justify Means" says that gas giant Gazprom has indefinitely suspended development of the Shtokman gas deposit in the Barents Sea; pp 1, 9 (982 words).

3. Sergei Sobolev and Tamila Dzhodzhua article headlined "Turkish Stream Stops" says that Turkey, Spain and Bulgaria are the top three foreign countries where Russians prefer to spend their summer holidays; pp 1, 9 (697 words).

4. Alexander Panchenko and Yelizaveta Kuznetsova article headlined "Russian Railways Go to France" says that the company Russian Railways is considering purchasing a 75-percent stake in the company GEFCO, the logistics operator for car company PSA Peugeot Citroen; pp 1, 7 (869 words).

5. Natalya Bashlykova et al. article headlined "'Dead Souls' Instead of Deputies' Signatures" says that opposition parties are displeased with the so-called municipal filters, which is why the results of the ongoing gubernatorial election campaigns will be studied and the law on regional elections may be amended. Experts say the law may be amended because municipal filters have not proved their value; p 2 (774 words).

6. Grigory Tumanov and Pavel Korobov article headlined "Human Rights Activists Separate Hooliganism From Blasphemy" says the Presidential Human Rights Council has questioned the verdict in the trial of the Pussy Riot punk group. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is still refusing to comment on the issue; p 3 (575 words).

7. Natalya Gorodetskaya et al. article headlined "Presidential Council Not Enough for Everyone" says that the people whose candidacies for the Presidential Human Rights Council have been rejected have filed complaints challenging this decision and accused the council of red tape; p 3 (562 words).

8. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Term Set for Gennady Gudkov" says that on Sept. 6, the State Duma will make a decision on whether to strip A Just Russia member Gennady Gudkov of his Duma seat for combining parliamentary work with business activities; p 3 (655 words).

9. Brief unattributed report says that the Barnaul city elections commission has certified the list of candidates from RPR-Parnas (Republican Party of Russia — People's Freedom Party) for the election to the city duma set for Oct. 14; p 3 (100 words).

10. Yulia Rybina and Nikolai Sergeyev article headlined "Actress Prepared for Role of Female Terrorist" looks at the latest developments in the probe into a suicide bombing in Dagestan that killed a prominent local religious scholar; p 5 (1,060 words).

11. Sergei Mashkin and Konstantin Voronov article headlined "Domestic Motive Found in Security Forces' Shooting" says that the military investigations directorate of the Investigative Committee considers a domestic motive and not extremism to be the most probable cause of the shooting of servicemen by a border guard in Dagestan; p 5 (614 words).

12. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "Russian Sailors Fall Victim to Robbery" says that pirates have seized a Greek tanker with 23 Russian sailors on board in the Gulf of Guinea. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not sounded the alarm because the goal of the seizure is robbery, not hostage taking; p 6 (537 words).

13. Sergei Strokan article headlined "Barack Obama to Stand in Election With Exposed Plot" says that U.S. special services have prevented a coup and an attempted murder of U.S. President Barack Obama. A number of experts believe that the story has been fabricated, however, to show the effective work of the U.S. special services and to boost Obama's rating ahead of the presidential election in November; p 6 (478 words).

14. Maxim Yusin article headlined "Place for Kurds Found in Syria" says that the civil war in Syria is posing a threat to Turkey, because Kurdish separatists have control over a number of Syrian towns near the Turkish border; p 6 (445 words).

15. Georgy Dvali brief report says that militants from Dagestan have taken Georgian citizens hostage; p 5 (150 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Milrad Fatullayev article headlined "Anti-Terrorist Self-Defense" says that Dagestan head Magomedsalam Magomedov has suggested establishing "self-defense squads" composed of young people who are ready to work together with policemen to ensure law and order and punish terrorists in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed a prominent local religious scholar; pp 1-2 (841 words).

2. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Gazprom Being Prepared for Revolution" says the Economic Development Ministry has warned gas giant Gazprom that it may face sale problems in Europe because the U.S. is expected to increase shale gas export soon; pp 1, 4 (990 words).

3. Yury Roks article headlined "Georgian Special-Purpose Units Come to Russian Border" says that Georgia's interior and defense ministries have launched a joint special operation to eliminate a group of armed people in a village not far from the Russian-Georgian border. Russia has also redeployed its troops; pp 1, 6 (1,130 words).

4. Olga Shulga article headlined "Last Governor Maneuver" says that collection of signatures in support of gubernatorial hopefuls has ended in Bryansk, Novgorod and Ryazan regions. Few candidates managed to overcome the so-called municipal filters, and the signature-gathering campaign did not go without scandals; pp 1, 3 (601 words).

5. Alexandra Samarina article headlined "Nostalgia for Councils" says that a council for cooperation with mass media outlets will be established in the State Duma. Meanwhile, the system of ministerial public councils will be reformed by handing over the right to determine the makeup of the council from ministers to Internet activists and the Public Chamber; pp 1, 3 (858 words).

6. Tatyana Dvoinova article headlined "Vladivostok lion's Tongue Shortened" says the Vladivostok city duma has approved sketches of new symbols for the city that contradict not only heraldry practices, but also logic; pp 1, 5 (667 words).

7. Nikolai Surkov article headlined " Assad Gets Ready for Long War" describes the state of affairs in Syria and says that Syrian President Bashar Assad's statement that more time is needed to win, made in an interview with a local TV channel, was seen as a declaration that the civil war in the country will be protracted; p 2 (484 words).

8. Editorial headlined "Fight Against Crisis on Paper" criticizes the Russian authorities for being slack in taking measures against the looming economic crisis; p 2 (540 words).

9. Leonid Polyakov article headlined "Trial and Case" contemplates whether the verdict in the trial of the Pussy Riot punk band has split Russian society; p 3 (653 words).

10. Viktor Litovkin article headlined "Sly Figures" casts doubt on recent reports about the global arms trade in 2011 in which the U.S. is ranked first followed by Russia; p 3 (965 words).

11. Yury Paniyev article headlined "Russia Among U.S. Foes Again" says that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has been approved as the official Republican presidential nominee at the party convention. The party program, which pays much attention to U.S.-Russian relations and criticizes the Russian authorities, has also been approved at the party convention; p 7 (715 words).

12. Darya Tsiryulik report "G7 Experiences Oil Hunger" says that the West has called on OPEC to increase oil production due to Hurricane Isaac; p 7 (600 words).

Vedomosti

1. Yelena Mazneva and Maxim Glikin article headlined "Shtokman Freezes" says that gas monopoly Gazprom has postponed development of the Shtokman gas deposit in the Barents Sea for an indefinite time due to financial problems; p 1 (603 words).

2. Anastasia Kornya and Natalya Kostenko article headlined "Prokhorov's Victory" says that businessman and former presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov has won a lawsuit to recognize the activities of a district elections commission in Moscow as illegal; pp 1-2 (673 words).

3. Maxim Tovkailo and Natalya Kostenko article headlined "Electric Energy Supplies to Rise in Price According to Norms" says that the government will consider introducing social norms for the use of housing and utilities services at a meeting Thursday; p 1 (449 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Shadow of Borodino" praises the authorities for paying great attention to Russian history, but warns them against using history for political purposes; pp 1, 4 (505 words).

5. Igor Tsukanov interview with Igor Torgov, general director of the company Skartel, and Yegor Ivanov, CEO of Yota Networks, headlined "'Innovation Does Not Have to Be Technical'", in which they speak about the launch of the first 4G communications network in several Russian cities; p 6 (3,433 words).

6. Anna Razintseva article headlined "To Cancel the Reset" says that U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's election program envisages a tougher policy toward Russia; p 2 (333 words).

7. Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Permitted for Majority" says that opposition State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov may be deprived of his seat in parliament for combining deputy work with business activities, whereas the fact that many United Russia deputies have stakes in various companies has not given rise to complaints; p 2 (493 words).

8. Ksenia Boletskaya and Anastasia Golitsyna article headlined "Children Instead of News" looks at losses that media outlets will bear after the law protecting children from harmful information comes into effect on Sept. 1; p 7 (659 words).

9. Editorial "Well, Children, Wait!" looks at the law to protect children from harmful information and says that it will be difficult to implement; p 4 (250 words).

10. Margarita Papchenkova report "Romney to Devalue Russia" says that a victory by Mitt Romney in the U.S. presidential election will result in a fall in the Russian stock market; p 9 (600 words).

Izvestia

1. Alexander Yunashev report "Kremlin Sets Up Mobile Groups to Solve Ethnic Conflicts" looks at a new Kremlin initiative aiming to resolve ethnic conflicts; pp 1-2 (700 words).

2. German Petelin report "Special Services to Bring Russia's Female Muslim Believers Under Special Control" says that following the assassination of a spiritual leader in Dagestan, Sheikh Said Atsayev, special services may bring all female Russians who have adopted Islam "under control"; pp 1-2 (600 words).

3. Yelizaveta Mayetnaya interview with opposition activist Taisia Osipova headlined "8 Years is Tantamount to Death Sentence for Me." Osipova has been convicted to eight years in prison for selling drug; pp 1, 3 (900 words).

4. Orkhan Dzhemal report "Challenge Is Issued" comments on the murder of Sheikh Said Atsayev in Dagestan; p 4 (750 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Anna Zakatnova article headlined "Race for Seat" says that the registration of gubernatorial candidates is coming to an end in the regions; p 2 (713 words).

2. Tamara Shkel article headlined "Duma Needs Council" says that State Duma deputies together with experts have discussed the tasks of the new political season; p 3 (556 words).

3. Vladimir Fedosenko article headlined "To Court Separately" says that the case of former Moscow police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, charged with involvement in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has been separated from that of other defendants; p 4 (414 words).

4. Alexander Yemelyanenkov article headlined "Music by Nazarbayev, Words by Matviyenko" says that Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko is on a visit to Kazakhstan. Russia and Kazakhstan share the same views regarding global nuclear disarmament; p 6 (363 words).

5. Anna Fedyakina article headlined "FEAR Scares U.S." says that a group of U.S. marines who planned a series of terrorist attacks in the U.S., a coup and the U.S. president's murder has been unmasked; p 8 (432 words).

6. Viktor Feshchenko article headlined "Damascus Put Under Chemistry" says that according to Western media reports, French, U.S. and British special forces have entered Syria searching for chemical arms depots; p 8 (442 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta (weekly)

1. Igor Krylov article headlined "From 'War' to 'Pussy Riot'" describes Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's becoming a Pussy Riot punk band member and focuses on the group's punk prayer in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and on the aftermath of the trial; pp 4-5 (2,000 words).

2. Mikhail Barshchevsky interview with Irina Yarovaya, the chairman of the State Duma anti-corruption and security committee, headlined "Not to Lose Reputation," in which she speaks about women in politics, an initiative to legalize small arms, the fight against corruption and drug addiction in Russia; p 8 (900 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Tatyana Zamakhina article headlined "Recycling as Legal Way to Take Away Money" says that a new customs duty for recycling will be introduced in Russia as of Sept. 1 as yet another attempt to improve the situation in the Russian car industry; pp 1-2 (507 words).

2. Yan Smirnitsky article headlined "Fatherland Deserves Them" says that about 40 prominent Russian actors, scientists, servicemen and cosmonauts have been given state awards; p 2 (1,038 words).

3. Alexander Konkov article headlined "Right to Faith" comments on the recent scandals involving the Russian Orthodox Church and contemplates the reasons behind them and possible consequences for believers and Russian society as a whole; p 2 (889 words).

4. Marina Ozerova article headlined "Gudkov Learns Why They Want to Deprive Him of Seat" says that opposition State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov, who has been accused of combining deputy work with business activity, has ridiculed the arguments on the basis of which the Duma wants to deprive him of his seat in the lower house of parliament; p 2 (593 words).

5. Alina Fadeyeva article headlined "'Pin Hopes on Shoigu, But Help Yourself'" says that opposition leader Alexei Navalny has helped environmentalist Yevgenia Chirikova, standing in the mayoral election in the Moscow region town of Khimki, to collect signatures of support; p 3 (505 words).

6. Matvei Ganapolsky article headlined "Putin's Property" comments on a recent report about luxuries used by President Vladimir Putin prepared by opposition activists Boris Nemtsov and Leonid Martynyuk and says that the report produces a dual impression; p 3 (923 words).

7. Andrei Yashlavsky article headlined "American Demons" says that a conspiracy of military men who planned to stage a coup and kill President Barack Obama has been exposed in the U.S.; p 3 (674 words).

8. Irina Kuksenkova article headlined "Terrorists Take Care of Ears" says that the female suicide bomber who killed a prominent religious scholar in Dagestan has been identified. It is a Russian woman who adopted Islam; p 4 (480 words).

9. Igor Reshetnikov article headlined "Attempt on Tandem" says that opponents of the ruling duo of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev have launched a campaign to split them. Published materials discrediting Medvedev in order to seek his dismissal are on the rise in the Russian printed media. Oligarchs displeased with Medvedev and his government are behind the publications, sources say; p 4 (914 words).

RBC Daily

1. Vitaly Petlevoi article headlined "Internet Discount" says that mobile phone company VimpelCom sold Russian search engine Aport to Golden Telecom for $25 million in 2000. Now, the asset costs 170 times less; p 1 (370 words).

2. Svetlana Makunina article headlined "Expulsion from Duma" says that State Duma regulations have to be amended in order to deprive Just Russia member Gennady Gudkov of a seat in parliament for combining deputy work with business activity; p 2 (400 words).

3. Vadim Sergiyenko article headlined "Goodbye, United Russia!" says that the Russian leadership does not appreciate United Russia members and is not going to reckon with their interests because United Russia is not a political party, but part of officialdom; p 5 (350 words).

4. Alexander Litoi article headlined "Crowdsourcing in United Russia Way" says that United Russia members are not much concerned about the party being labeled the "party of crooks and thieves" as it has been dubbed by opposition activist Alexei Navalny: a campaign to sue Navalny to defend the party's honor and dignity has failed; p 2 (400 words).

5. Sergei Kovalchenko article headlined "Show Business by Phone" says that St. Petersburg opposition activists plan to organize a charity concert in support of the Pussy Riot punk band on Sept. 9; p 2 (600 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Vera Moslakova article headlined "Protracted Accession" features experts' comments on Russia's accession to the WTO and the aftermath of the move; pp 1-2 (1,358 words).

2. Yulia Savina article headlined "Business Center in Okhotnyy Ryad [seat of the State Duma]" says that criminal proceedings may be instituted against opposition State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov over his attempt to combine deputy work with business activity. Meanwhile, no checks are planned to be carried out in relation to United Russia deputies suspected of the same offense; p 2 (573 words).

3. Svetlana Basharova article headlined "Foreboding of Civil War" says that Chechen warlord Doku Umarov has been accused of masterminding a suicide bombing that killed a prominent religious scholar in Dagestan; p 5 (653 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Alexandra Beluza article headlined "Who Is Behind New Political Parties" comments on the election campaign ahead of the regional elections on Oct. 14. A new registration procedure makes it possible for people of various backgrounds, including retired people and housewives, to register a political party, the article says; p 2 (560 words).

Tvoi Den

1. Irina Desyatinchenko article headlined "Satan's Dance" investigates the recent terrorist attack in Dagestan; pp 4-5 (400 words).

Aug. 30, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC

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