In Khabarovsk, on the territory of the Alliance oil refinery, an explosion occurred at a gas station, Gazeta.ru reports with reference to Interfax. The explosion occurred at 8.50 local time, immediately started a fire, which was eliminated only by 9.10 am. According to preliminary data, the explosion was caused by a malfunction of the refueling pump. A wave of the tanker was thrown back by 5 meters. He wasn't hurt by luck.

In an old, albeit new Russian actor's joke, the director explained to the performer: "You are a billionaire. You live in a castle on Rublyovka, on weekdays you communicate with the president and members of the government, and on weekends, taking a break from state affairs, you bathe whores in champagne." But then August came, the accountant ran in with a twisted face and, showing the director some piece of paper, ran headlong away.

The first organizational meeting of the new composition of the State Duma is scheduled for December 26, ITAR-TASS reports. The deputies will have to develop a so-called "package agreement", that is, to distribute key posts in the Duma, said Lyubov Sliska, first vice speaker of the lower house of the 3rd convocation.

Most Russian stocks fell in price after reports of a terrorist attack near the National Hotel and the cancellation of the Yukos-Sibneft merger, Reuters reports. At 12.30 Moscow time on the MICEX, the fall in shares in price amounted to 0.18% (Sberbank) to 3.97% (Yukos). On the RTS, the decline ranged from 0.14% (LUKOIL) to 4.5% (Yukos).

Explosion near the Moscow Hotel 'National'. From the site www.vesti.ru On Tuesday at 10.53, a powerful explosion thundered in the center of Moscow 10 meters from the National Hotel, located on Tverskaya Street, house #1. In the Moscow Central Internal Affairs Directorate, Granam.ru reported 5 dead (three men and two women). But in the evening, a message came that six who died: three men and three women. The names of four were established.

The Moscow City Court on Tuesday left Alexei Pichugin, an employee of the Yukos company, in custody, accused by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation of organizing a double murder and other crimes. According to a correspondent of RIA Novosti, the court of second instance thus upheld the decision of the Basmanny Court of Moscow of November 12. Then the district court extended Pichugin's detention until February 19, 2004.

Law enforcement officials in Moscow put on the wanted list a woman who may be involved in a terrorist attack near the hotel "National" in the center of Moskovsky, which thundered on Tuesday. According to the TV channel "Russia", a woman is wanted, about 40 years old, very short - about 150 cm. Presumably, she is a native of the republics of the Caucasus region. She wears a long dark coat and a dark hat. Anyone who has seen a similar woman is asked to contact the police.

The prosecutor's office of the Kamchatka region filed a petition with the city court to remove the mayor of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuri Golenishchev, from his post for the duration of the investigation, RIA Novosti reports. Last Monday, Golenishchev appeared at the prosecutor's office. He was formally charged with negligence (part 1 of article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), but he refused to testify.

In the Kalininsky district of the Tver region, a minor was arrested on suspicion of the brutal murder of a 34-year-old woman, Interfax reports. During interrogation, the teenager admitted that he wanted to get the cell phone of the murdered woman. According to the prosecutor of the Kalininsky district Alexei Yakunin, the murder was committed in August. The corpse of a woman was found in the forest, whose head was pierced through with the metal axis of an umbrella.

One of the main objectives of the tax reform is to ensure equal conditions for taxation of all economic entities and predictability for the future. This was stated by Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, opening a meeting of the Council for Entrepreneurship under the Government of the Russian Federation, AKM reports. The head of government noted that in the issue of paying taxes and VAT refunds, the condition of equality is not yet met.

An American helicopter crashed in Iraq. According to the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, the Black Hawk helicopter crashed near the city of Fallujah, located east of Baghdad. According to eyewitnesses quoted by the TV channel, they saw a rocket that shot down a helicopter. According to some reports, there were 14 people on board. CENTCOM said that no one was injured in the shelling, reports AP.

Georgian Ambassador to Russia Zurab Abashidze assured that Tbilisi would soon officially explain to Moscow the circumstances of the illegal stay in Georgia on the night of December 2-3 of businessman Boris Berezovsky.

The election headquarters of Salambek Maigov, one of the candidates for State Duma deputies, believes that the elections in the Chechen Republic did not take place, Ekho Moskvy reports. According to officials from Maigov's administration, voter turnout was extremely low. According to the candidate's campaign headquarters, a maximum of 30-35% of voters took part in the voting, and not more than 70, as the authorities claim.

The Academic Council of the Russian State University for the Humanities has approved applicants for the post of rector. According to Irakli Bolkvadze, director of the press center of the Russian State Humanitarian University, there are no representatives of the Yukos company among them, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has temporarily entrusted Andrei Fursenko with the duties of Minister of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reports. Fursenko is the first deputy minister of industry, science and technology. The DPI noted that Kasyanov signed the order on the temporary assignment of the duties of the minister to him on December 6.