POLITICS

* Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to nominate his Economic Adviser Elvira Nabiullina as a candidate to head Russia's Central Bank. Nabiullina, who served as economic development minister from 2007 to 2012, is expected to continue strengthening the role of the central bank as the regulator of the financial system and the major institution of state macroeconomic policy. (Kommersant, Vedomosti, Izvestia)

* A report by a Russian political think tank claims that the results of 2011 State Duma election were falsified, and the ruling United Russia party came second - losing to the Communist party. (Kommersant)

* Chechnya and Ingushetia have clashed over a disputed region on the border of the two North Caucasus republics. Ingush authorities complained to Moscow, where officials vowed to resolve the issue in line with federal laws. (Kommersant)

* Russia and the European Union (EU) have agreed to continue dialog on a visa-free regime, with service passport holders likely to be allowed to travel without visas soon, but a new Russian law on personal data protection might be an obstacle to the adoption of a possible deal. (Kommersant, Vedomosti)

* Russia and the UK will start on Wednesday a new “strategic dialogue” in a “2+2” format involving Russian foreign and defense ministers and their British counterparts. Political analysts believe it to be another sign of a “mini-thaw” in bilateral relations. (Kommersant)

* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised Russia’s stance on the Mideast conflict on the eve of his visit to Moscow in an exclusive interview. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta)

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

* Russia's most popular Internet search engine, Yandex, has offered 7.4 percent of its stock in a secondary public offering (SPO) at a price of $22.75 per common share. The SPO will be followed by a $300-mln buy-back. (Kommersant, Vedomosti)

* The Russian government has revived plans for the privatization of the Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport. The sale of 80 percent of its shares could be held as early as by the end of 2013. (Kommersant).

* Russian oil companies LUKoil and Zarubezhneft have qualified for a tender for the development of Iraq's Nasiriya oil deposit. The project involves building a refinery with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day. (Kommersant, Vedomosti)

* The Russian tire market in 2012 grew by 9.5 percent year-on-year to 65 million pieces, or by 16 percent to 268 billion rubles ($8.7 bln). (Vedomosti)

* Russians spent $120-160 million in 2012 on applications for mobile gadgets, according to estimates by analysts. About 80 percent were spent on games. (Vedomosti)

CRIME

* Russia's former defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov has testified regarding cases where soldiers were used to build a road leading to the privately-owned Zhitnoye holiday home in the Astrakhan region. The ex-minister claims that his main concern was to ensure good living conditions for his subordinates who spent holiday time there. (Kommersant)

* The Russian government has approved a draft law that envisions tougher punishment for people who committed crimes while drunk. Under the proposed legislation, the courts will consider inebriation an aggravating factor in crime. (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Izvestia)

SOCIETY

* The Russian Finance Ministry has offered to sponsor the introduction of the Financial Literacy course in primary and secondary schools. The Ministry of Education says this course should be an extracurricular subject. (Kommersant)

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