What the Papers Say, July 5, 2012

Kommersant

1. Alexei Dospekhov and Yury Ugrinov article headlined "Coach Being Thrown Into National Football Team" says that well-known Italian specialist Fabio Capello is considered the most likely candidate for the manager of the Russian football team; pp 1, 12 (912 words).

2. Viktor Khamrayev article headlined "Deputies Spend Immunity Stock" says that the United Russia faction in the State Duma has decided to deprive a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction Vladimir Bessonov of deputy immunity as this is the only way for him to prove his innocence. The opposition says that United Russia is creating a dangerous precedent, after which any deputy may be deprived of immunity for political misconduct; pp 1-2 (709 words).

3. Dmitry Butrin and Kirill Melnikov article headlined "Non-Executive Secretary" says that the Russian government has limited the powers of the Rosneft oil company head, Igor Sechin, at the post of executive secretary of the president's commission for the fuel and energy sector; pp 1, 3 (921 words).

4. Alexei Shapovalov article headlined "Capitals Are Weak to Flow" says that the flight of foreign capital from Russia in the second quarter of 2012 has decreased to $9.5 billion from $33.9 billion in the first quarter of the year and features experts' comments on the issue; pp 1, 8 (621 words).

5. Anna Pushkarskaya article headlined "Constitutional Court Sends Signatures to Archive" says that the Constitutional Court has found legal a requirement to collect 2 million signatures by self-nominees and representatives from non-parliamentary political parties to get registered at the 4 March presidential election, thus disagreeing that the requirement was "steep and impracticable"; p 2 (689 words).

6. Article by the newspaper's political section headlined "New Parties Not Set Up for Elections" says that few newly established political parties will stand in the autumn regional elections. Moreover, some party leaders have admitted that their parties were set up for personal spinning only; p 2 (761 words).

7. Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Dmitriy Rogozin Leads Deputies Away Beyond Horizon" says that the State Duma has backed the setting up of the Advanced Research Fund, an analogue of the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); p 3 (660 words).

8. Sofya Samokhina and Maria-Luiza Tirmaste article headlined "Mail Dismissal Prepared for Nikita Belykh" says that the State Duma is looking for options to dismiss Kirov region Governor Nikita Belykh for paying blogger Alexei Navalny from the regional budget; p 3 (700 words).

9. Oleg Rubnikovich article headlined "Yukos Case Goes On in Absentia" says that two criminal cases opened against Leonid Nevzlin, one of the former main shareholders of the Yukos oil company, over stealing shares of a number of large enterprises and businessman Vladislav Kartashov, the director of shell companies used by Yukos to evade taxes, over tax evasion, embezzlement and money laundering have been sent to court; p 4 (656 words).

10. Grigory Tumanov article headlined "Environmentalists Prepare Construction Materials for Investigators" says that a new scandal has been brewing over the felling of the Tsagovsky forest in the Moscow region; p 5 (526 words).

11. Valery Kalnysh article headlined "Ukraine Turns Out to Be Sharp-Tongued" says that a political crisis has erupted in Ukraine over the adoption of a bill giving the Russian language an official status in several regions of the country; p 6 (593 words).

12. Kirill Belyaninov article headlined "Pakistan Opens Cheap Road for U.S.A." says that Pakistan has agreed to resume cargo transit to NATO forces in Afghanistan through its territory after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers killed mistakenly by the coalition forces in an air strike last year. The U.S.A. has also unblocked its $1.2 billion military aid to Pakistan; p 6 (561 words).

13. Maria Yefimova interview with NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Defense Investment Patrick Auroy, headlined "'NATO Sees Russia as Partner, Not Threat,'" who speaks about Russia-NATO cooperation; p 6 (509 words).

14. Alexander Reutov article headlined "Palestine Follows in Tracks of Polonium" says that the Palestinian authorities have decided to exhume former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to check a theory that he was poisoned by polonium. Experts say the scandal will deal a serious blow to current Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah movement led by him; p 6 (488 words).

15. Anna Balashova interview with Kjell-Morten Johnsen, executive vice president and european operations head at the Norwegian company Telenor, headlined "'Corporate Management of VimpelCom Stopped Completely,'" who speaks about a new conflict between shareholders of Russia's mobile phone company VimpelCom; p 10 (2,480 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Olga Shulga article headlined "Confession Is Queen of Evidence" says that the State Duma will consider a bill introducing new performance rules for NGOs in the first reading on July 6. Human rights activists are perplexed about the bill; pp 1, 3 (699 words).

2. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "Change of Guard in Dniester Region" says that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will hold a meeting in Monaco on July 6, at which a resolution on Moldova, which calls on Russia to complete the withdrawal of its troops from the Dniester region among other things, is to be approved; pp 1, 6 (862 words).

3. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Music From Kremlin, Words From Interior Ministry" says that the State Duma has discussed in the first reading an anti-extremist bill drafted by the Interior Ministry, which introduces fines for public demonstration of symbols of extremist organizations. White ribbons that the opposition uses during protests may be banned under the new law, so the authorities continue toughening their policy against the opposition; pp 1, 3 (563 words).

4. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "Ukrainian Parliament Gets Stuck Due to Language" says that a new bill giving the Russian language an official status in several regions has triggered a political crisis in Ukraine. The Ukrainian ruling party has accused Russia of provoking the crisis to drive the Ukrainian president into corner; pp 1, 6 (1,318 words).

5. Tatyana Dvoinova article headlined "'Star' Privatization Begins in Maritime Territory" says that the Maritime Territory administration plans to hand over to private owners the two five-star hotels that are being built for the forthcoming APEC summit in Vladivostok this autumn; pp 1, 4 (793 words).

6. Editorial headlined "Sanctions Are Double-Edged Sword" says that Tehran has acknowledged that the EU's complete ban on Iranian oil supplies, which came into effect on July 1, has become the toughest sanction that has ever been introduced against the country and said that the EU member states have also suffered from the move; p 2 (544 words).

7. Viktor Myasnikov article headlined "Russia Threatens to Boycott Farnborough 2014" says that about a third of Russian delegates to the Farnborough International Airshow, to be held on July 9-15, cannot get U.K. visas. Russia sees the issue as a form of pressure on it as regards its stance on arms sales to Syria and threatens to boycott the next airshow in Farnborough in 2014; p 2 (478 words).

8. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Policeman Knocks Early in Morning" says that Russia's leading opposition activists continue to suffer persecution for participating in the May 6 riots in Moscow. Meanwhile, a scandal over a video posted on the Internet, which shows a policeman setting his foot on the face of a detainee, has recently erupted; p 3 (777 words).

9. Mikhail Delyagin article headlined "Who Opens Future for Russia?" contemplates prospects for Russia's political and economic development; p 3 (705 words).

10. Leonid Polyakov article headlined "Paths of Russian Democracy" sums up the results of the 2011-12 political years in Russia; p 5 (1,619 words).

11. Andrei Nikanorov article headlined "Adequate Answer to Serious Threat" looks at the first meeting of the Russian armed forces' expert council dedicated to aerospace defense; p 5 (759 words).

12. Darya Tsilyurik article headlined "Degree of Violence Exceeds Limit in Iraq" says that eight cities in Iraq have been attacked by terrorists. The Iraqi security services have been suspected of aiding terrorists for bribes; p 7 (455 words).

13. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "Arafat's Remains to Be Disturbed for Sake of Truth" says that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed to check a theory that he may have been poisoned by polonium; p 7 (503 words).

14. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "U.S. Excuse Costs $1.2 billion" says that Islamabad and Washington have agreed to resume cargo supplies through Pakistan to coalition forces in Afghanistan after the U.S.A. expressed regret for the death of Pakistani soldiers and promised about $1.2 billion to Islamabad; p 7 (555 words).

Vedomosti

1. Oxana Gavshina and Yelena Mazneva article headlined "Price of Conflict" says that the state-run company Rosneftegaz, the main shareholder of the oil company Rosneft and a large shareholder of the gas giant Gazprom, has transferred its deposits from Alfa Bank to Gazprombank; p 1 (690 words).

2. Maxim Tovkaylo and Filipp Sterkin article headlined "Onion Inflation" says that consumer prices have skyrocketed in Russia not only due to a rise in housing utilities tariffs and excise duties on petrol, tobacco and alcohol, but also due to increasing prices on fruits and vegetables; pp 1, 3 (820 words).

3. Ksenia Boletskaya article "Visiting Pubs" says that the smallest number of people watched the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship on TV in Russia over the past 10 years; p 1 (468 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Secret Police of Law" says that the prosecution of Pussy Riot punk group activists and opposition activists is seen as a political order aimed at defending the current authorities; pp 1, 4 (531 words).

5. Lyudmila Sergeyeva and Maxim Glikin article headlined "Protest Useful" says that according to a public opinion poll conducted by the Levada Center, 41 percent of respondents believe that protests will continue in Russia, 32 percent of Russians expect a slump in protest activity and 17 percent expect more protests; p 2 (415 words).

6. Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Additional Earnings for Security Officers" says that the Federal Security Service (FSB) has published an order regulating a mechanism of combining FSB officers' daily work with paid scientific and creative activity; p 2 (366 words).

7. Editorial headlined "Order About Two Chairs" comments on a new order regulating a mechanism of combining Federal Security Service officers' daily work with other paid occupation; p 4 (268 words).

8. Yekaterina Sobol and Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "No-Visa Regime" says that the 2012 Farnborough airshow may become the most politically charged ever; p 7 (500 words)

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Pavel Dulman article headlined "Reaching Kiev Through Language" says that the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament has resigned after the adoption of a bill giving the Russian language official status caused a political scandal; pp 1, 7 (686 words).

2. Vitaly Petrov article headlined "Shake for Governors" says that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has visited Kamchatka; p 3 (738 words).

3. Yury Gavrilov article headlined "Basic Interests" says that the new terms of deployment of the Russian military base in Tajikistan have caused serious problems in Russia-Tajikistan military cooperation; p 3 (311 words).

4. Viktor Feshchenko article headlined "Poison for Yasser" says that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was reportedly poisoned by polonium and features an expert's comment on the mastermind of the murder; p 8 (660 words).

5. Viktor Mamin interview with Bahraini Minister of State for Information Affairs Samira Ibrahim Rajab, headlined "Where There Are No Taxes," who speaks about Russia's policy in the Gulf countries and Russia-Bahrain relations; p 8 (600 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta (weekly)

1. Yelena Kukol interview with the secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Grigory Rapota, headlined "Potato With Gas," speaking about Russia-Belarus relations; p 6 (1,347 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Mikhail Rostovskiy article headlined "Toward New 1938" ironically comments on a bill introducing new performance rules for NGOs and compares it to the Foreign Agents Registration Act in place in the U.S.A.; pp 1-2 (500 words).

2. Darya Tyukova and Marina Ozerova article headlined "'Andrei Lugovoi: If Arafat is poisoned by polonium, it's origin is unlikely to be defined'" features a comment by State Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi on a theory that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned by polonium; p 2 (300 words).

3. Igor Karmazin interview with Ukrainian boxer and leader of the UDAR political party Vitaly Klitschko, headlined "'Ukrainian Parliament Turns Into Clownish Body,'" who shares his impression about clashes between law enforcers and opponents of a bill giving the Russian language official status in several regions; p 3 (150 words).

4. Matvei Ganapolsky article headlined "Taken Out of States" shares his impression about life in the U.S.A. and says that despite problems he faced there, there are things that could be used in Russia; p 3 (600 words).

5. Renat Abdullin article headlined "Assad's Opponents Fight in Cairo" says that a two-day meeting of the Syrian opposition has ended in Cairo; p 3 (300 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Svetlana Basharova article headlined "Law of Retroaction" says that the number of framed criminal cases on charges of attacks on policemen opened against victims of police lawlessness is on the rise in Russia; p 1 (1,681 words).

2. Yulia Savina article headlined "From Senator to DJ" says that political experts forecast that the Federation Council will get new people in the near future; p 2 (646 words).

3. Vera Moslakova article headlined "'Bots Not to Pass'" says that businessman and Novaya Gazeta newspaper owner Alexander Lebedev has been nominated to the presidential human rights council. The leadership of the council is cautious about the hasty nomination of candidates; p 2 (506 words).

4. Margarita Alekhina article headlined "To Finish Reading by Monday" provides the latest developments in the Pussy Riot punk group activists' case; p 5 (404 words).

July 5, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC