The Moscow City Duma adopted in the first reading a bill on the return of direct elections of the mayor of the Russian capital. According to the bill, which makes amendments to the constituency and the charter of Moscow, the head of the city will be elected five years in a row for five years. Candidates for mayors can nominate political parties, self -nomination is not allowed. In addition, the candidate will need to enlist 10 percent of local governments and heads of municipalities.

Benedict XVI appears to believers The Pope Benedict XVI said that he trusts his environment and expressed regret in connection with the press reaction to the scandal associated with the leakage of the secret documents of the Vatican . Speaking today before pilgrims on St. Peter Square, the head of the Roman Catholic Church noted that the media create the image of the Holy See, which "does not correspond to reality." Dad Benedict said that it was “saddening him”.

Viktor Rezunkov: Today in the St. Petersburg Studio Radio Freedom - activist of the Open Coast movement Ilya Pinigin, coordinator of the initiative groups “Protect the Siversal Forest!” And "Protect the specific park!" Modest Sokolov and the head of the Open Green Wave group Mikhail Novitsky. In recent months, in a variety of places in St.

The militants of the Colombian Levoradical Group Farc on Wednesday liberated the French journalist Romeo Langloi, whom they abducted a month ago. It is reported that it was transferred to the group of international intermediaries in the south of the country. Langloe informed reporters that he was feeling good.

Julian Essange In the UK today, the issue of extraditation to Sweden of the founder of the Wikileaks website Julian Essange may finally be resolved. The UK Supreme Court will announce a decision in his case. If he confirms the verdicts of lower courts, the decision will be final - Essange will no longer be able to appeal it in the UK and, as expected, will be extradited to Sweden, where he is accused of sexual crimes. Essange himself insists that he is persecuted for political reasons.

Charles Taylor in court Former Liberia President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison - on charges of involvement in military crimes during the Civil War in Sierra Leone . The verdict was issued by the UN International Tribunal in The Hague. In April, the 64-year-old Taylor was found guilty of 11 points involving responsibility for murder, rape, recruitment for military service of children. Prosecutors demanded 80 years of imprisonment for Taylor.

Vladimir Platonov Vladimir Kara-Murza: the Moscow City Duma adopted in the first reading the bill "On Amendments to the Electoral Code of the City of Moscow", which returns direct elections of the mayor to the capital. According to the bill, a candidate for the capital's mayor is nominated by political parties or their regional branches, self -nominates will not be able to run for mayor.

Irina Lagunina: In today's round table, the moderator of several assemblies, an activist of the occupation of Okopayabai Pavel Ovchinnikov, a member of the Organizing Committee of the Civil Forum, the representative of the New Left Movement Alexander Abramovich, the artist and member of the Russian socialist movement, Arseny Zhilyaev, participate.

Oleg Dorman The legislators of Moscow and St. Petersburg adopted in the first reading laws on the election of the heads of the executive power of these cities. Both Moscow and Peter in the administrative sense are not just cities, but subjects of the Federation. The bill on the choice of governors has been prepared by analogy with the law that applies to the elections of deputies of the Legislative Assembly.

In the city of Odintsovo today, the court authorized the arrest of businessman Alexei Pronin, who was suspected of organizing the murder of the head of the “March 8” furniture holding, Mikhail Kravchenko. The Kommersant newspaper reports with reference to sources in law enforcement agencies, which, according to the investigation, was a conflict of the crime due to land and real estate in the Ryazan region. Mikhail Kravchenko was shot dead on May 20 in the suburbs, not far from Peredelkin.

The magistrate of the court section of the Moscow District of Cheboksary appointed the most possible punishment to the activist of the Chuvash branch of the unregistered party "Other Russia" Dmitry Karuev. He was awarded fifteen days of arrest for petty hooliganism during a single picket at the Government of the Chuvash Republic. Here's what Radio Liberty Dmitry Number, Leader of another Russia in Chuvashia, Ivan Klementyev, told the Radio Vynnev.

The Moscow Basmanny Court today arrested until July 6, another suspect in the case of riots on the opposition “Million Marsh” on May 6. This is the unemployed Andrei Barabanov. Earlier today, at the request of the investigation, activist Maxim Luzyanin was detained. Baranov and Luzyanin were detained on May 28. They are suspected of involvement in unrest and the use of violence against police officers on Bolotnaya Square on May 6.

Participants of the "Million Million" in Moscow, May 6, 2012 The State Duma Committee on Constitutional Law on May 30 discussed amendments to the bill on rallies. The maximum penalty for violations at such events for citizens can amount to 300 thousand rubles, at the suggestion of the committee. Deputies from Fair Russia made their amendments for discussion, but most of them rejected. In addition to amendments, representatives of Fair Russia introduced an alternative bill on rallies.