TODAY: European Court delivers mixed verdict on Yukos case; does not see selective justice; plot thickens around Prokhorov’s exit from Right Cause; Valentina Matviyenko named speaker of council.  Russia to back Palestinian bid for UN recognition; plane crash in December down to pilot error; Burnt By the Sun 2 to go to Oscars despite poor reviews and ticket sales; Putin nominated for peace prize.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia did violate the rights of oil giant Yukos, but rejected the notion that the case was politically motivated.  The court concluded that the manner in which the company was investigated was ‘unfair’ but did not see that the defunct oil major was singled out.  The court has deferred any ruling on $96 billion in damages.  For Yukos, ‘a victory, if a partial one‘ says analyst Masha Lipman, quoted by Bloomberg.  On the other hand,  ‘[t]he Russian government appears to have got off lightly’ argues the Economist.  The FT concurs: ‘In the event, the European Court of Human Rights ruling was a lot better news for the Russian government than for the Yukos side’.  A BBC video report on the matter can be seen here.