The situation with the Russian communications satellite Yamal-402, which prematurely separated from the Briz-M booster, is not critical; the device can bring itself to its target orbit using its own engines, a source in the rocket and space industry told Interfax-AVN on Sunday. "The situation is unpleasant, but not catastrophic. It is possible to bring the satellite to the designated orbit using its own engines," the agency's source said.

It is too early to talk about a possible delay in the launch of the next Proton, scheduled for December, due to an emergency situation during the launch of the Yamal-402 satellite, Roscosmos spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has submitted an updated version of the pension reform strategy to the government, the head of the Ministry of Labor Maxim Topilin told RIA Novosti on Sunday. "We have prepared and submitted (to the government) a draft order with a strategy (for the development of the Russian pension system until 2030) and an action plan for implementing its provisions. Following the public discussion, we have made a number of amendments to the strategy.

The Ministry of Economic Development has confirmed the forecast for the growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012, Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov told the Prime agency on Sunday. The Ministry of Economic Development is currently adjusting its forecast for macroeconomic indicators for the results of 2012. In particular, on Friday the department announced a reduction in the forecast for inflation in the current year to 6.5% from the previously predicted 7%.

GDP growth may exceed the forecast and amount to 3.6% in 2012, said Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov on Sunday at a meeting of members of the government and the presidential administration with Vladimir Putin's trusted persons. "This year we are reaching somewhere around 3.5-3.6%. Next year, according to fairly optimistic estimates, we will approach 4%," Belousov said. Currently, the official forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development for GDP growth in 2012 is 3.5%.

The length of service in the Russian army will not be increased, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sunday during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin's election confidants. "Creating a professional army is the main task. The term will not be extended," Shoigu said. Earlier, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Vladimir Komoyedov, proposed increasing the length of conscription service, which is currently one year, to one and a half years.

Romania is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday, during which voters will choose a new composition for both houses of parliament - the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. A total of 439 seats will be distributed following the elections - 137 senatorial and 332 parliamentary seats.

The All-Russian People's Front will remain a non-party structure - a public movement; its founding conference will be held in May-June 2013, said First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration Vyacheslav Volodin on Sunday at a meeting with the president's trusted persons. "The All-Russian Popular Front is preparing for its founding conference; May and June are being preliminarily discussed as possible months for holding the founding congress," Volodin said.

The Ministry of Culture plans to reform the work of the Cinema Fund due to the fact that the tasks assigned to it were not solved, the head of the Ministry of Culture Vladimir Medinsky said on Sunday at a meeting with Vladimir Putin’s confidants. “We are not satisfied with the work of the Cinema Fund; it has not solved its problems. Its work will be changed and reformed,” Medinsky said.

Russia is ready to consider the issue of restoring regular air traffic with Georgia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday at a meeting of government members with trusted persons of President Vladimir Putin. "Few people know, but we have had charter flights restored for a couple of years now. The number of charter flights was recently increased, and we are ready, in principle, to consider restoring regular flights," Lavrov said.

The US Strategic Command published data on its website about the orbits of the Yamal-402 satellite and the Briza-M booster block, during the launch of which an abnormal situation occurred. According to the US Strategic Command, there are currently three objects in orbit that were launched into space on Saturday. They have been designated 12070A, 12070B, and 12070C. Presumably, these are the Yamal-402 satellite, the Briz-M booster, and the booster's jettisonable fuel tank.

Privatization of the state monopoly Russian Railways is the only way to attract investment into the railway infrastructure, said Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov at a meeting with trusted persons of President Vladimir Putin on Sunday. "Today, it is impossible to attract investment in the development of transport infrastructure, railways, in any other way than by attracting investors," Belousov said.

The situation in the North Caucasus does not yet allow the Ministry of Internal Affairs to abandon checkpoints on highways in a number of southern regions, said Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev on Sunday at a meeting with trusted persons of President Vladimir Putin. "We are looking at the possibility of reducing checkpoints, but circumstances do not allow us to abandon them yet," the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

British artists the Chapman brothers have apologised for their exhibition "The End of Fun" at the Hermitage in St Petersburg after the prosecutor's office began investigating the exhibition for extremism following complaints from citizens, the BBC Russian Service reports. "We apologise that some visitors to the Hermitage's End of Fun exhibition were very upset. It is extremely sad to receive allegations of extreme views - particularly from religious groups.

The media should not be dictated what and how to cover, says presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov. "Let's not dictate to the media what to show. Let's say what can't be shown by law, we'll ban it, and let them show everything that we don't ban," Peskov said at a meeting with the president's trusted people on Sunday.