TODAY: Putin trust rating plummets; children encouraged to pray for their leaders; human rights activists urge France to address rights abuses during Putin Paris trip; Solidarity coalition leader assaulted.  Russia and China at SCO meeting – cooperation or competition?  Lavrov says Iran missile deal unaffected by sanctions; Kremlin plans major overseas arms purchases; don’t call Duma deputies ‘slackers’; hunt for ‘Russian Rambos’ steps up a notch

Apparently Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ‘trust‘ rating with the Russian public has fallen to the lowest level since 2006, according to the Public Opinion Fund.  Putin may have rebuffed suggestions that a cult of personality can exist in Russia; this article offers compelling evidence to the contrary.  Will the tandem remain in place?  The Power Vertical has an in-depth analysis of the responses to Putin’s oblique comments about the 2012 elections.  Putin’s liberal facade is lambasted by a Moscow Times op-ed: ‘he instantly threw off his liberal mask and revealed his true disdain toward political opponents, democracy and pluralism’.  Human rights activists are urging France to address the issue of rights abuses during Putin’s working visit to Paris, but the New York Times suggests that energy, aviation deals and the Mistral warships will dominate the agenda.