October 14, 2010 By Citizen M

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Oct 14, 2010

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TODAY: British Foreign Secretary seeks to mend ties in Moscow; Prosecutor General acknowledges that corruption is not lessening; Fedotov to try to solve Strategy 31 conflict; Germany’s recovery throws Russia into relief; IOC satisfied with Sochi preparations; no sex before marriage, salad worms.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague is in Russia, seeking to strengthen ties and indicating that the UK government ‘wanted a business and trade driven partnership with the Kremlin‘ despite ‘serious differences‘ including the question of Andrei Lugovoi.  Hague also met with Lev Ponomaryov to discuss ‘horrendous, Orwellian spying after activists‘.  Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Russia will cooperate with London on the Lugovoi case ‘on the basis of our laws‘.  The FT points out that the UK has made no move to lift its current travel sanctions for Russian officials, and the BBC has video footage of Hague speaking at the Kremlin.  Prosecutor General Yury Chaika says that an average Russian bribe is worth 30% more this year than last, criticizing the failure of officials in dealing effectively with corruption; Transparency International’s Yelena Pamfilova says at least it’s not just the public who are complaining.  Mikhail Fedotov, the Kremlin’s new human rights advisor and ‘former bureaucrat of the first order,‘ has promised to focus his attention on the authorities’ conflict with the Strategy 31 campaign.