Russia Threatens Foreign Media Ownership With New Rules
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Russian lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a bill that would restrict foreign ownership of media, increasing pressure on independent publications in an industry where state control has grown under Vladimir Putin.
The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, yesterday backed a first reading of the law, which would cut the limit for foreign ownership to 20 percent, by 434 votes to 1. Forbes Russia and the Vedomosti newspaper are among publications that would have to change ownership or close by 2017.