Putin continues his assault on the press

Via Steve Clemons, Vladimir Putin continues to rebuild the Soviet State:

Putin sparks fear of web crackdown

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has decreed the creation of a new super-agency to regulate the country's media and the internet, sparking fears among journalists that a clampdown on the media could extend to the web, which until now has remained free.

Mr Putin this week signed off on a decree to merge two existing state agencies regulating the media into one super-agency that will issue licences to broadcasters and oversee the content of newspapers and websites.

This story follows the recent assassinations of Putin critics, including several journalists.