POLITICS
Russia and NATO again failed to agree on missile defense cooperation during a Monday meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Black Sea resort of Sochi. (Kommersant, Moskovskiye Novosti, Vedomosti, Izvestia)
Only doctors who were directly responsible for the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in prison will be punished, the Russian Investigative Committee said after the details of an independent probe into the case have been made public. (Kommersant, Moskovskiye Novosti, Vedomosti)
Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov, who recently became the leader of the Right Cause party, explained in an interview why he joined the politics and what goals his party is going to pursue. (Kommersant)
U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle said that the New START treaty was important but the real highlight of a "reset" in U.S.-Russian ties would come next week with the signing of agreements on liberalized visa rules and child adoptions. (Moscow Times)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation has bought 10 percent of Khabarovsk airport and announced plans to cut into a stake in Vladivostok airport. (Kommersant)
Only half of the announced IPOs by the Russian companies were concluded in the first six months of 2011. Investors continue to be cautious about the business climate in Russia. (Vedomosti)
Russian Railways company is planning to build express transit systems in eight Russian cities prior to World Soccer Cup in 2018. The project requires an investment of at least 250 billion rubles ($9 billion), but the company hopes to get most of the funding from the state budget. (Vedomosti)
Russia’s Finance Ministry has estimated the budget deficit for next year at not more than 3 percent of the GDP. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
According to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, Russia is on the verge of a “tourist fever.” A federal program on the development of tourism that starts in 2012 is expected to increase the number of foreign tourists in Russia sevenfold and increase tourism revenues to 200 million euros annually. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
DEFENSE
The Russian Defense Ministry has concluded the bulk of arms procurement contracts for 2011. Only the suppliers who asked exorbitant prices for their products were left behind for further negotiations. (Vedomosti)
A number of senior military commanders are planning to quit the ranks in disagreement with Chief of Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov over the nature and pace of military reforms in the country. (Izvestia)
SOCIETY
Moscow authorities continue to introduce traffic cameras and public transport lanes in an attempt to improve an appalling traffic situation in the capital. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
The Moscow government is considering construction of an entertainment park comparable to Disneyland. (Izvestia)
The number of officially recognized impoverished Russians increased by 2.3 million to 22.9 million, or 16 percent of the population, in the first quarter of 2011, compared with the same period last year, according to the State Statistics Service. (Moscow Times)
WORLD
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may agree to cede power in exchange for guarantees of personal freedom and security. France and some other NATO members are apparently ready to give him such guarantees to conclude the prolonged military campaign in Libya as soon as possible. (Kommersant)
Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic was removed on Monday from a hearing in a UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague after several attempts to interrupt court procedures. (Kommersant)
NATURAL DISASTERS
A new streak of hot weather brought forest fires and peat fires to the Moscow Region, threatening to repeat the emergency scenario from last year, when the smog and heat from fires made life in the Russian capital almost unbearable. (Kommersant)
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