DUMA RULES OUT PRIVATIZATION OF STRATEGIC ENTERPRISES.

The Russian Duma has adopted in the first reading a law on the privatization of state property. The law sharply reduces the right of the state to hold a stake in private companies. It also reduces the extent to which foreign investors may invest in strategic sectors of the Russian economy. And it includes a list of strategic enterprises that may not be privatized at all. (Itar-Tass, December 18)

Parliamentary Leader Wants More Money for Defense.