TODAY: Rights advocates harassed in attempts to attend NYC conference; Russia to limit foreign ownership of media; military production thriving. Ceasefire in Ukraine holding; Russia concerned about U.S. airstrikes in Syria without Assad approval; Japan extends sanctions; Rotenburg’s Italian properties seized.

Five rights advocates have reportedly been prevented from leaving Russia to attend a UN-organized World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in New York by the authorities through a variety of ruses – including having pages torn from their passports in Sheremetyevo Airport.  Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said he does not plan to establish a new political party but hopes his Open Russia organisation will stimulate fundamental change.  A plan is afoot among lawmakers to curb Western ownership of Russian media to 20% as opposed to the current level of 50%, a move which would affect leading titles such as Vedomosti.  Russia is planning to increase its Black Sea fleet with more than 80 new warships by 2020; small wonder that production of military equipment is apparently largely responsible for the increase in the country’s industrial production rate.