Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pair of bills Monday, one of which will require all consumer electronic devices sold in the country to be pre-installed with Russian software, while the other will register individual journalists as foreign agents. Government officials say the law will help Russian IT firms compete with foreign companies, which dominate Russia’s mobile phone market, Reuters reported. The bill is an extension of an existing law adopted in response to the U.S. Justice Department’s 2017 decision to label the Russian state-funded network RT as a foreign agent. KT MCFARLAND: DIVISION CREATED BY IMPEACHMENT IS 'PUTIN'S DREAM'The new law applies to anyone who distributes content produced by media outlets registered as foreign agents and receives payments from abroad. Individuals registered as foreign agents will be subject to additional government scrutiny.

Source: Fox News December 02, 2019 23:15 UTC