Nikiforov named as new Russian communications minister

Russian president Vladimir Putin has named former Tatarstan information and communications minister Nikolai Nikiforov as minister of communications and mass media in prime minister Dimitry Medvedev’s new government.

Nikiforov, who has been credited with helping make Tatarstan one of the best-provisioned parts of the Russian Federation for communications infrastructure, replaces Igor Shchegolev.