PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Jan 19
MOSCOW, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
VEDOMOSTI
www.vedomosti.ru
- Russian lawmakers could ban the use of portraits of popular politicians who do not take part in an election race and restrict their participation in pre-election debates. The move will distance opposition figures from the election campaign, the daily says.
- The head of the finance ministry's tax department, Ilya Trunin, will most likely take over the job of Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Shatalov, the father of Russia's present-day taxation system, who resigned.
- Several creditors are filing bankruptcy suits against Su-1 developer, which runs the construction of a new runaway at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, one of the key infrastructure projects in Russia which will host the soccer World Cup in 2018.
KOMMERSANT
www.kommersant.ru
- Hotel prices in Crimea could jump by 30 percent this summer as a bigger influx of tourists is expected from the mainland after the most popular resorts in Egypt and Turkey have been lost for Russians.
- Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev will replace an independent director in the board of Gazprom, Valery Musin, the daily writes, adding the move could strengthen state control over the gas export monopoly's investment plans at a time of an economic crisis.
- Russian companies will start struggling for survival when oil price falls below $20 per barrel, according to analysts.
- Iranian oil has sunk Russia's national currency, the daily reports, referring to the rouble's plunge on news of Iran's plans to return to the market.
ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA
www.rg.ru
- Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev is leaving for Iran on Tuesday to discuss ways of expanding bilateral cooperation. Russia is also considering opening up Asian markets for its farmers and exporters, he says in an interview with the daily.
- Russia's customs oficers could be authorised to open parcels coming from abroad to search for banned products, the daily says.
- Russian economist Yevgeny Yasin forecasts a 20 percent fall in the country's GDP, adding that Russia will soon realise that it has to live through a fierce crisis which has not yet shown its full strength. (Reporting By Tatiana Ustinova)
