Russian Press at a Glance, Tuesday, December 7, 2010

POLITICS

Breakthrough on the Polish front - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pays two-day historic visit to Poland. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Vremya Novostei)

Georgian officials protest the deployment of Russian multiple-launch rocket systems in South Ossetia as a threat to Georgia’s national security. (Kommersant)

After a groundbreaking summit in Poland, President Dmitry Medvedev heads to Brussels on Tuesday for much harder talks with European Union leaders. (Moscow Times)

BUSINESS

Simplified work permit issuance procedures for highly skilled professionals, introduced in Russia this year, are a good sign for foreign investors. About 2,500 foreign specialists used the simplified procedures to enter Russia in the past five months. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unveils a draft development plan for Russia’s Far East at a meeting with local United Russia party officials. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Kommersant, Vremya Novostei)

Russia has one of the most efficient taxation systems in the world, according to BKR International, but bureaucracy and corruption prevent many potential foreign investors from doing business in the country. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

Moscow government plans to start selling its local assets with companies in which it does not have a controlling stake. (Vedomosti) 

Cinema box office in Russia and other CIS countries grew 43 percent year-on-year to a record $1.05 billion in 2010 mainly because of the popular foreign-made 3D cartoons and movies. (Kommersant)


STOCKS

Russian markets on Monday traded TNK-BP shares for the first time in history. The first trading day revealed that the company capitalization is higher than expected - about $43 billion. (Vedomosti)

BANKING

Banks operating in Russia, including Sberbank and HSBC, are finding themselves in a rush to patent names for their products and services to protect their marketing campaigns during the holidays and beyond from lawsuits by rivals. (Moscow Times)

SPORTS

Russian football club Rubin faces Barcelona on Tuesday in a tough Group D play-off qualifying game in Champions League (Kommersant)

SOCIETY

Russia’s new Investigation Committee, which is being formed under orders of President Dmitry Medvedev, will not receive all promised powers. For instance, the investigators will not have the right to enter private property without proper authorization as part of an ongoing probe. (Vedomosti)

WikiLeaks whistleblower website continues to spawn mirror sites around the world despite strong efforts by the United States to stop its activities. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

TECHNOLOGY

Russia lost three Glonass satellites in a botched launch on Sunday. President Dmitry Medvedev ordered swift investigation into the incident - the future of Russia’s global positioning satellite network is at stake. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Kommersant, Vremya Novostei)

For more details on all the news in Russia today, visit our website at http://en.rian.ru.