POLITICS
A controversial amendment that would ban US citizens from adopting Russian children passed in a second reading in the State Duma on Wednesday.
(Vedomosti, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, The Moscow Times)
Police searched the apartments of two opposition activists in the city of Voronezh on Wednesday morning over their possible connection to a high profile criminal case into an alleged coup plot.
(Kommersant)
President Vladimir Putin will meet with European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday for a pre-Christmas summit, but the mood is unlikely to be festive.
(The Moscow Times)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Russia’s largest lender, Sberbank, has bought 75 percent minus one share in Yandex.Dengi, an online payment system belonging to the country’s leading Internet search engine, Yandex, for about $60 million.
(Vedomosti, Kommersant)
The Russian government may privatize telecoms giant Rostelecom in 2015, after the company completes its reorganization.
(Vedomosti)
Russia could become the European leader in terms of cars sales by 2014, according to Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
SPACE
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian, an American, and a Canadian blasted off Wednesday for the International Space Station, where the astronauts are to spend half a year in orbit.
(The Moscow Times)
DEFENSE
Uzbekistan has officially suspended its membership of a Russian-led collective security organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
(Vedomosti)
Russia’s Sevmash shipyard will float out a third Borey class strategic nuclear submarine, the Vladimir Monomakh, on December 30.
(Kommersant)
WORLD
The Syrian abductors of two Russian citizens and an Italian national demanded a ransom of over $700,000 for their release.
(Kommersant)
Park Geun-hye has become South Korea’s first woman president, the National Electoral Commission said.
(Kommersant)
SOCIETY
When it comes to cars, pleasing President Vladimir Putin is harder than it looks.
(The Moscow Times)
Some 35,000 policemen will be maintaining security and public order in Moscow during the week-long New Year holidays.
(Kommersant)
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