After setbacks, Russia boosts space spending

MOSCOW, Jan 1: The country that oversaw the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite hopes to regain some of its former glory with a big boost in space spending announced by Russia on Thursday after a series of failures. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a plan to spend 2.1 trillion roubles ($68.71 billion) on developing Russia’s space industry from 2013 to 2020, state-run RIA news agency reported. (agencies)