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What the Papers Say, Sept. 27, 2012

Igor Tabakov

Kommersant

1. Pyotr Kuznetsov and Alexei Dospekhov article headlined "Torpedo Attack" says that fans have disrupted the Torpedo-Dinamo football match in Moscow by throwing firecrackers and smoke-puff charges to the pitch. The law on fans may be soon toughened, experts warn; pp 1, 16 (762 words).

2. Roman Rozhkov and Natalya Korchenkova article headlined "Roskomnadzor Tears Out Internet Pages" says that the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service will deal with the registry of the so-called "black websites"; pp 1, 14 (500 words).

3. Pyotr Netreba article headlined "Expert Mark-Up" says that Minister for Relations with the Open Government Mikhail Abyzov has asked to allocate 1 billion rubles ($32 million) to finance the work of the open government in 2013; p 1 (722 words).

4. Grigory Tumanov et al. report headlined "Law to Defend Feelings" says that under a new bill, any criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church or other religions may lead to a prison term; pp 1, 4 (823 words).

5. Sergei Petunin report headlined "Meetings With Voters Qualified as Rallies" says that the Saratov authorities have demanded that representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation should get permits for meetings with voters under the law on rallies; p 2 (974 words).

6. Irina Nagornykh and Maxim Ivanov article headlined "Nobody Likes Council for Human Rights Any More" says that the struggle over forming the presidential council for human rights discredits the very idea of such a council; p 3 (606 words).

7. Maxim Ivanov et al. report headlined "State Duma Does Not Get Clean Enough" says that polls have shown that only 11 percent of respondents have started respecting the parliament more for stripping Gennady Gudkov of his seat in the State Duma; p 3 (540 words).

8. Sofya Samokhina and Sergei Goryashko article headlined "Duma Commissions Ask Deputies to Explain" says that today eight United Russia members accused of involvement in business activities will report to a State Duma commission. The Federation Council is going to check its senators' involvement in business as well; p 3 (624 words).

9. Unattributed article in the column "Direct Speech" publishes comments of politicians and analysts on the new bill on toughening punishment for insulting believers' feelings; p 4 (400 words).

10. Igor Lesovskikh article headlined "Riot in Russia Is Crazy Case" looks at the trial of three members of the organization Narodnoye Opolchenye Minina i Pozharskogo in Yekaterinburg, who were reportedly plotting an armed rebellion. According to witnesses, the local branch of the organization was headed by Alexander Yermakov, who turned out to be a mentally sick person; p 6 (632 words).

11. Alexei Sokovnin article headlined "Igor Sutyagin's Remand in Custody Prior to Conviction Was Illegal" says that the Russian Supreme Court's presidium has found that the detention of scientist Igor Sutyagin, later convicted on espionage charges, throughout the preliminary investigation and court trial, was illegal; p 6 (378 words).

12. Olga Allyonova interview with the new Georgian prisons minister headlined "'System Does Not Eliminate Errors, But Conceals Them,'" where he speaks about a scandal over a video of prisoners being tortured in a Tbilisi prison, how it will affect the outcome of the parliamentary elections and what the authorities intend to do to improve the situation; p 7 (635 words).

13. Olga Allyonova article headlined "Meeting of Crime Bosses in Reply to Torture of Prisoners" says that the Georgian authorities have made public video materials handed over by French law enforcers, which show one of the opposition activists, the former minister for settling conflicts, meeting Georgian crime bosses living in France; p 7 (566 words).

14. Maxim Yusin article headlined "Qatar's Emir Gathers Army of Overthrowing" says that the Emir of Qatar has called for an Arab-led intervention in Syria while addressing the UN General Assembly. Experts doubt the idea can be implemented without the U.S.A.'s and Turkey's assistance; p 7 (523 words).

15. Yelena Chernenko article headlined "No Common Words Found for Syria" looks at the diverse opinions on the way to settle the Syrian conflict voiced at the meeting of the Security Council on the Middle East; p 7 (585 words).

16. Anna Balashova report "Summa Telekom Becomes Regular Visitor in Court" looks at the row involving the company Summa Telekom over LTE frequencies; p 14 (500 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Master of Pussy Riot Looked for Abroad" says that the pro-Kremlin Nashi movement has announced an award of 50,000 rubles ($1,600) for catching two activists of the Pussy Riot band who are hiding from investigators. Members of the Russian branch of the Knights Templar are also ready to announce an award for a person behind the notorious "punk prayer," allegedly living in the U.S.A. Experts link the fuss to the appeal on the Pussy Riot sentence and say that the authorities have used their trial to split society and discredit the opposition; pp 1, 3 (683 words).

2. Alexandra Samarina and Ivan Rodin article headlined "Emergency Stop Device for White House" says that the Kremlin is displeased with the excessive independence of the government, especially with its recent bill on the obligatory election of mayors. The discontent resulted in a public reprimand for Regional Development Minister Oleg Govorun and his writing a resignation letter. Both the Kremlin and the White House, however, denied reports about his resignation; pp 1, 3 (827 words).

3. Sergei Kulikov article headlined "Dvorkovich to Follow in Chubais' Steps" says that the government is drafting a new energy reform aiming to attract investment in the sector. Experts do not think that the situation may change drastically; pp 1, 4 (722 words).

4. Tatyana Ivzhenko article headlined "'Innocence of Muslims' Reaches Crimea" says that the Crimean Tatars are going to stage a protest against the film "Innocence of Muslims" in Simferopol today. Experts are concerned as the film insulting for Muslims is only a pretext for the protest; pp 1, 6 (916 words).

5. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "East and West Argue About Freedom of Speech" says that speaking at the UN General Assembly, the Egyptian president has emphasized that freedom of speech may threaten peace and stability, referring to the scandalous film "Innocence of Muslims;" pp 1, 7 (446 words).

6. Yury Roks article headlined "Saakashvili Hits Opposition" says that the Georgian Interior Ministry has laid the blame for aggravation of the pre-election situation on the opposition coalition Georgian Dream; pp 1, 6 (935 words).

7. Editorial headlined "New Iron Curtain?" criticizes the amendments to the Criminal Code expanding the notions of high treason and state secrets. Besides the most obvious consequences of the bill, the obscure wording may be used by law enforcers to settle accounts, as well as in political and commercial competition; p 2 (665 words).

8. Oleg Vladykin article headlined "Missile Men Get Confused in Their Potential" looks at the conflicting statements by Russian top military officials about the state of the country's missile defense capabilities; p 2 (480 words).

9. Editorial headlined "'Innocence of Muslims' and Russia's Federal Nature" says that on Oct. 1, the Tverskoi court will decide whether the film "Innocence of Muslims" is extremist and if it considers it is, law enforcers will be entitled to block YouTube if it refuses to remove the film; p 2 (491 words).

10. Article by Vladimir Burmatov, a State Duma deputy from the United Russia faction, headlined "About Spoons of State Department and Local Aftertaste" says that the closure of USAID's representative office in Russia was absolutely justifiable; p 3 (580 words).

11. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Municipal Filter Malfunctions" says that at the end of the regional pre-election campaign, even United Russia members started speaking about amending the law on regional elections, especially the part about the municipal filter; p 3 (803 words).

12. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "Utilities Sector in Deep Debt Ahead of Heating Season" says that the housing and utilities sector has huge debts due to frauds of utilities companies. The authorities, however, blame consumers for the debts; p 4 (907 words).

13. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Russia Revives and Slows Down Simultaneously" says that on the one hand, the Economic Development Ministry has announced a revival in August compared to July, and on the other, it has admitted that the industrial sector and investment have been slowing down for three months. Meanwhile, independent economists state that the country has been experiencing recession for nine months now; p 4 (554 words).

14. Viktoria Panfilova article headlined "New Case of Bakiyev Brothers" says that the Kyrgyz authorities have accused former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his brother of murdering former head of the presidential administration Medet Sadyrkulov and are pressing for their extradition from Belarus; p 6 (784 words).

15. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "UAVs Terrify Villages in Pakistan" says that a U.S. drone has eliminated five militants in Pakistan. Experts, however, say that drone strikes are inefficient and kill lots of civilians; p 7 (552 words).

16. Yury Panyev article headlined "UN Seeks Recipes for Middle East" looks at the UN Security Council's session on peace and security in the Middle East, which was primarily dedicated to the situation in Syria; p 7 (762 words).

Vedomosti

1. Tatyana Voronova at el. report headlined "Safe Million" says that the Russian Central Bank and the Finance Ministry are going to raise the limit of insured deposits from 700,000 rubles to 1 million rubles; p 1 (703 words).

2. Anastasia Kornya article headlined "Everyone to Be Obliged to Respond" says that the Justice Ministry has drafted a bill to oblige state corporations and nonbudget funds to reply to inquiries of citizens and public organizations; p 1 (331 words).

3. Yelena Vinogradova et al. report headlined "Kremlin's Word Is Not Law" says that the presidential administration has not approved amendments to the bill on advertising that the Moscow city authorities needed; p 1 (401 words).

4. Editorial headlined "Letters From Past" says that the poor and slow performance of Russian Post reflects the poor quality of state management; pp 1, 4 (600 words).

5. Alexei Nikolsky article headlined "Su From Baranovichi" says that the jet fighters that Russia has promised to give to Belarus, are former Indian aircraft Su-30 owned by the Irkut corporation; p 2 (442 words).

6. Polina Khimshiashvili and Lilia Biryukova article headlined "Strasbourg Harmful for Naryshkin" says that deputies have recommended that the chairman of the State Duma, Sergei Naryshkin, should refrain from going to the PACE session as he will definitely have to deal with a very tough PACE resolution; p 2 (690 words).

7. Kirill Kharatyan article headlined "Company of Week: Consortium AAP" looks at the relations within the consortium and says that its proposal to buy BP's share in TNK-BP is either a bluff or part of a long-range plan; p 4 (364 words).

8. Editorial headlined "Prelude to Cleaning Up Mess" says that the chairwoman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, has warned that those members of the council who combine legislative duties with business will be deprived of powers and wonders whether it is a signal that means that the senate will get rid of rich senators who dare to be disloyal sometimes; p 4 (275 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Mikhail Chkanikov interview headlined "Issue of Price: Price of Issue" with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who speaks about the problems in the Russian agricultural sector; pp 1, 5 (1,600 words).

2. Yelena Kukol report "Imprisonment to Be Reduced for Businessmen" looks at amendments to the Russian Criminal Code; pp 1, 5 (600 words).

3. Anna Fedyakina report looks at the actors who agreed to take part in the film "Innocence of Muslims"; p 8 (500 words).

4. Yevgeny Shestakov article headlined "Escape From Shared Apartment" says that the people in the EU are definitely unwilling to maintain the status quo and looks at protests sweeping through several European cities; p 8 (500 words).

5. Vladislav Vorobyev article headlined "Brahimi to Visit Us" says that UN and Arab League special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is expected to come to Moscow soon; p 8 (500 words).

Izvestia

1. Irina Kezik article headlined "Taxes on Sea Deposits to Be Increased" says that the Natural Resources Ministry insists on raising taxes for developing offshore deposits; pp 1, 3 (557 words).

2. Irina Kezik article headlined "Private Companies May Be Allowed to Conduct Prospecting on 59% of Russian Shelf" says that the Natural Resources Ministry has drafted proposals to ease the access of private companies to the Russian offshore hydrocarbons deposits; pp 1, 4 (624 words).

3. Maria Kunle article headlined "All Unregistered Land to Be Nationalized" says that the Economic Development Ministry has suggested that the land plots, for which property rights have not been registered properly, should become state or municipal property; pp 1, 4 (554 words).

4. German Petelin and Roman Vetrov article headlined "Special Services Look for Person Raising Funds for Assassinating President" says that the Russian special services are trying to trace the person who posted on the Internet a call to remit him money for organizing the assassination of the Russian president; p 2 (524 words).

5. Svetlana Subbotina article headlined "Activities of Lawyer of Pussy Riot and Navalny to Be Checked" says that United Russia deputy Vladimir Burmatov has asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check if Violetta Volkova, Pussy Riot's and Alexei Navalny's lawyer, was involved in corporate raids; p 3 (477 words).

6. Mikhail Vignansky interview with the former Georgian foreign minister, who is currently a member of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition, headlined "'Georgia Must Not Be Apple of Discord'" where he speaks about the future of Tbilisi's foreign policy; p 5 (407 words).

7. German Petelin and Vladimir Barinov article headlined "Russian 'Henchmen' to Gadhafi Ask Putin for Help" says that the relatives of two Russian citizens convicted in Libya for assisting Gadhafi, have asked President Vladimir Putin to intervene, as Russian diplomats have not been taking any steps to help them; p 5 (733 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Alexander Minkin report "Crusade" looks at the film "Innocence of Muslims"; pp 1, 4 (600 words).

2. Alexander Melman report "'Freedom' From Listeners'" looks at Radio Liberty; pp 1, 3 (500 words).

3. Marina Ozerova report "Reading That Strikes Dumb" looks at the State Duma bill toughening punishments for insulting believers' feelings; pp 1, 4 (600 words).

RBK Daily

1. Yulia Yakovleva article titled "Apparatus Mishap" says that the Duma does not know what to do with the aides to A Just Russia's Gennady Gudkov, who was recently stripped of his deputy seat; p 1 (300 words).

2. Anastasia Novikova article headlined "Skotch Points Mitrokhin to Calendar" looks ahead at today's State Duma review of more allegations of the illegal commercial interests of certain deputies; p 2 (450 words).

3. Alexander Litoi article titled "CEC Against Opposition" says Russia's official electoral body has criticized the opposition's elections committee for the way it is organizing the vote for the Coordination Council; p 2 (400 words).

4. Ivan Petrov article titled "Investigating Investigators" looks at plans to define a new type of criminal offence to punish investigators for illegally opening cases; p 2 (400 words).

5. Anastasia Fomicheva article titled "Press and Communications Ministry Will Not Shut Everyone Down" looks at the rules that the Press and Communications Ministry has drafted that will be used to blacklist websites; p 9 (350 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda (weekly)

1. Svetlana Kuzina article "Will We Get Enough Sleep at Last?" mulls the possible move to permanent winter time following an initiative of a Russian lawmaker; p 2 (350 words).

2. Yevgeny Chernykh article titled "Will Prophet Muhammad Film Become 'Black Mark' for Obama'?" analyzes the possible implications of the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" film for the U.S. presidential race; p 6 (1,200 words).

Komsomolskaya Pravda

1. Yevgeny Suchkov article titled "Romney Wanted to Make Money on Gazprom" takes stock of Republican candidate Mitt Romney's investments in Russian companies; p 4 (150 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Sergei Putilov article titled "Rich Man — Poor Man" analyzes Russia's forgiving of debts to foreign countries in the context of its own growing foreign debt; pp 1, 3 (400 words)

2. Vera Moslakova article titled "Keepers of Faith" looks at the bill on protecting the feelings of religious believers that was introduced into the State Duma yesterday; p 2 (550 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta weekly

1. Sergei Ptichkin interview with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin; p 4 (1,100 words).

Krasnaya Zvezda

1. Viktor Khudoleyev article headlined "Strategic Missile Forces: Rearmament Continues" quotes official RVSN spokesman Col Vadim Koval as saying that the share of modern missile systems in the Russian strategic missile forces currently equals only 25 percent; p 1 (200 words).

2. Olga Vorobyeva article headlined "Wings Grow Strong While Training" reports on the ongoing command and staff exercise in the Murmansk region; p 2 (1000 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Alina Garbuznyak article "'Nashi' Are Over" investigates the shutting down of the pro-Kremlin youth movement; pp 8-9 (700 words).

Sept. 27, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC? 

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