Russia to annul controversial oil licenses

Russia's new natural resources minister says he will annul dozens of oil licenses that his predecessor issued in his last days in office.
"I have warned everyone that unjustified decisions will not be implemented and that the people who issued them will not work with me in the future," Minister Yury Trutnyev was quoted as saying.

Trutnyev, who was appointed minister earlier, said that his predecessor, Vitaly Artyukhov, had issued 45 oil exploration licenses during his last three days in office. He said the registering of these licenses has been suspended.
Unnamed sources were saying that Artyukhov had issued 62 exploration licenses, hours before Trutnyev officially assumed duties as minister. At least one of the licenses was issued to a close associate of the former minister.

Trutnyev was governor of the Perm region before his ministerial appointment.
President Vladimir Putin has made fighting corruption a centrepiece of his presidency.