Russia's Putin approves merger of top courts

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin approved a merger of Russia's two top courts on Thursday, carving out a potential role for his ally Dmitry Medvedev when he ceases to be prime minister. The Kremlin said Putin had signed a law on folding Russia's Supreme Arbitration Court, which rules in business disputes, into the Supreme Court, which deals with civil lawsuits and criminal cases. It said it was intended to streamline the justice system and would take effect in 180 days. Russian media have long speculated the president could eventually make lawyer Medvedev, an ally since both worked in St. Petersburg in the 1990s, take responsibility if Russia's economic problems deepen. He could then be moved to a beefed-up Supreme Court in St Petersburg Pavel Salin, an independent political analyst, said the role could eventually be handed to Medvedev as an "honourable" departure "when the economy weakens visibly and opinion polls show the authorities are increasingly unpopular." (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Ralph Boulton)