Twenty five again DECEMBER 24, 2010 SVETLANA SOLODOVNIK The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is preparing to submit to the government a draft federal law “On Education in the Russian Federation.” The document is now posted on the ministry’s website so that everyone can take part in its discussion. Proposals for the text of the bill are accepted by e-mail fzobrazovanie@mail.ru .

Human rights activist Alexey Manannikov, a former member of the Federation Council from the Novosibirsk region, was, according to the decision of the Central District Court, sent to a psychiatric hospital for a month to undergo a medical and psychiatric examination.

Hope is still smoldering on the Belarusian Internet sites. People are clearly trying to rely on the fact that “Europe has not recognized,” “OSCE criticizes”, and “Russia has not congratulated”. Well, if the absence of a certain formal stamp of conformity of the Belarusian presidential elections to democratic standards helps someone to maintain faith in the possibility of changes in the country is already good. However, hope and willingness to further struggle do not cancel reality. First.

On December 24, President Dmitry Medvedev had a live conversation with the heads of the three main Russian television channels. Here everything was, on the whole, more benign than between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the people—they didn’t ask frankly unpleasant questions, and they didn’t talk about unexpected, hidden problems. As for unpleasant questions, a disclaimer should be made here: Medvedev, like Putin, was asked a question about Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

I have seen few more pitiful spectacles than the Russian president commenting on the results of the Belarusian elections. Ultimately, he said, hesitatingly, this is an internal matter of our neighbors, a sovereign state... Hello, welcome. They didn’t ask you about intervention, Mr. President, but about assessment! How do you assess everything that happened, in all its brilliant totality?

The content of the amendments of the Russian Orthodox Church corresponds to both the spirit and letter of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, and in recent years similar ideas have been expressed by various church figures publicly and in the media. The question is how our legislators will react to these amendments, what will be the position of experts, society as a whole and, ultimately, in what political circumstances the education law will be adopted.

Retired GRU Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, who became famous and, to some, even a hero after he was accused of organizing the assassination attempt on Anatoly Chubais, did not long enjoy freedom from legal proceedings. Before the acquittal in the attempted murder case had time to take effect, the very next day, December 23, he was arrested in connection with a new case, much more ambitious. This time, Kvachkov is accused of preparing for an armed rebellion and involvement in terrorist activities.

Journalists of Novaya Gazeta will hold a costumed picket at the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow on December 27 from 14.00 to 15.30 in defense of their Belarusian colleagues thrown behind bars. They call on everyone who cares about the fate of the detainees to come and support them.

On December 7 of this year, a strange religious organization was established at first glance in Moscow - the Russian Association of Islamic Consent (All -Russian Mufti. RAS). It included the mufti of the Perm region Muhammedgali Khuzin, the head of the spiritual department of the Muslims of the Stavropol Territory Muhammad Rakhimov, representatives of the clergy of Mordovia and for some reason, the Ryazan region. However, the Ryazan Muslims disavow their participation in the new organization.