December 10, 2009 By Citizen M

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Dec 10, 2009

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TODAY: Perm administration resigns as death toll rises to 128; Medvedev warns journalists about how to tell the truth; Russia blocking European Court of Human Rights reforms; Medvedev to be given authority over deploying troops?; START treaty almost ready; conservatives, communists, rebranding, Putin’s waning popularity.
Perm’s entire regional administration – including its mayor – has resigned in the wake of criticism from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin over the nightclub fire that has now killed 128 people, with 103 still in hospital. ‘This is a logical step to ease tensions inside the region and in relations with the federal authorities,‘ said one analyst.  President Dmitry Medvedev had a cryptic message for journalists during his speech at the fourth European and Asian media forum yesterday: ‘A journalist’s main responsibility is to speak the truth. But how you do it depends on you‘.  Of the 120,000 cases waiting to be heard at the European Court of Human Rights, Russia is involved in 28%, which may explain why it is the only country to continue blocking a package of reforms that would streamline the court’s procedures.