TODAY: Surkov given new religious affairs position; protesters seek to rekindle spirit of opposition movement in Moscow and elsewhere; Madonna should be punished for gay rights gesture, says deputy; Pussy Riot nominated for art prize. Economic growth slows; newspaper offices raided

Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, widely considered the architect of Putin’s power vertical, has been reappointed as chief of religious affairs issues in Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet.  On the weekend, dozens of protesters gathered at the statue of Kazakh poet Abay Qunanbayuli, the home of the former “Occupy Abay” protest camp, to celebrate his birthday.  One member of the crowd who voiced support for Pussy Riot was arrested.  The feminist punks, who now have another supporter in the form of singer Bjork, have been nominated for the prestigious Kandinsky Prize.  St. Petersburg deputy Vladimir Milonov has urged that pop singer Madonna be punished for breaking the anti ‘gay propaganda’ law at her concert in the city.  Twenty-five activists from Moscow plan to keep the spirit of protest alive in the provinces with a 3,000 km ‘White Rally,’ a drive to discuss politics with locals activists.