Viktor Dostov News Today

Russian lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation banning the use of foreign email accounts when registering on websites, drawing criticism from the country’s IT industry.  If signed into law, online users in Russia will be required to create accounts on websites using a Russian telephone number, the government e-portal Gosuslugi, biometric data or email addresses ending in the .ru domain.

Russia's international ambitions for its homegrown alternative to Visa and Mastercard have been dashed as even some of its closest allies have dropped its Mir payment system following a threat by the U.S. to sanction anyone who helps or supports its use.