The top lot of the Kyiv auction was the still life "Apples on the Window" antiques auction The Kiev auction house "Antique Center" held an auction of paintings by Ukrainian and Russian artists of the 19th-20th centuries (see Kommersant of April 8). The auction turned out to be extremely successful: 80% of the collection was sold, despite the fact that, compared to last year, many artists' prices on average doubled.

Russia and Iran will become new sponsors of the Palestinian Authority power struggle The financial crisis that gripped the Palestinian Authority after the victory of the extremist group Hamas in the elections resulted in street protests. Dissatisfied with delayed salaries, police officers, supported by Fatah activists, seized a number of administrative buildings in Khan Yunis on Saturday and demanded the resignation of the recently elected government.

97 12 min. ... FRIEDMAN WITH "FIVE" At the beginning of the year, Pyaterochka executives informed the SF (see SF No. 05/2006) that they were planning major acquisitions that would make the network the largest operator in Russia. The other day, Pyaterochka actually announced a sensational deal - a merger with Perekrestok. Text: Elena Provotorova The announcement of negotiations with Perekrestok, posted on the London Stock Exchange just over a week ago, caused a lot of noise.

Ukrainian cyclists won bronze Ukrainian cyclists won bronze Yesterday the World Track Cycling Championships ended in Bordeaux, France. At this prestigious tournament, where 264 athletes from 37 countries competed in fifteen types of programs, representatives of Ukraine managed to rise to the podium the only time - in the men's team pursuit. A quartet of Ukrainian riders led by Vladimir Dudey entered the top three, pushing the strong Dutch team to fourth place.

During the restoration of the Faceted Chamber in the Novgorod Kremlin, perhaps the oldest fresco depicting Hagia Sophia - the Wisdom of God - was found, RIA Novosti reported on April 17. The image of Sophia - the Wisdom of God - is tentatively dated by experts to the 15th century. According to experts, it will be possible to more accurately date the fresco after it is fully revealed.

and brought myself closer to gold Ukrainian Championship Over the weekend, seven matches of the 26th round of the Ukrainian Football Championship took place. The last and, perhaps, the most interesting game of the tour will take place tonight in Kyiv, where Dynamo will host Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk. And Shakhtar Donetsk beat Illichivets in Mariupol (2:1) and was able to catch up with the Kiev team in terms of points for at least a day. Victory in this match was not easy for Shakhtar.

915 4 min. ... The Kremlin begins casting parties for the 2007 parliamentary campaign. Special correspondent of the Kommersant Publishing House Mikhail Fishman believes that almost the central intrigue will be the determination of the fourth participant in the Duma race. United Russia is doing well: it can no longer be replaced or dismembered. Recent events confirm this. After all, what is, for example, the introduction of youth quotas on party lists? Career elevator.

April 18th Execution of the offer for the 1st issue of bonds of Home Credit and Finance Bank LLC at a price of 100% of the par value. The volume of the issue is 1.5 billion rubles. April 19 Placement* of OFZ-PD series 25059 in the amount of RUB 11 billion. and OFZ-AD series 46020 in the amount of 9 billion rubles. Placement of the 1st issue of bonds of OJSC "Russian Utility Systems" in the amount of 1.5 billion rubles. for a period of 3 years.

743 2 minutes. ... Oil ($/barrel)Petroleum products ($/t) Title, terms deliveriesRegionSequence demandPrev. closed Name, terms of delivery RegionSequence demandPrev. closed Brent, F.O.B. NW 69.54 69.54 High octane gasoline (95), CIF M 678 678 Cabinda, F.O.B. M 67.63 67.63 High octane gasoline (95), CIF NW 687 687 Bonny Light, FOB M 71.28 71.28 High octane gasoline (95), FOB M 663 663 Kirkuk, FOB M 62.13 62.13 Nafta, CIF M 584 584 Oseberg, F.O.B.

The money of special economic zones will be managed by the joint-stock company state investments The Federal Agency for the Management of Special Economic Zones (RosSEZ) will not create within itself a directorate for managing the SEZ. By government decree, which was published on Friday, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Foreign Economic Association 'Vneshstroyimport'" will be transformed into OJSC "Special Economic Zones (SEZ)", which will be the management holding company for all SEZs.

Zaporozhye, April 17 (VALENTIN Kommersant-TERLETSKY). As Kommersant was told today by the press service of the Zaporozhye regional state administration, the financial condition of the housing and communal services sector of the Zaporozhye region is critical. Accounts payable of housing and communal services enterprises increased by 17% and amounted to 257 million hryvnia. Regional authorities state that the population's debts for housing and communal services increased by 11%.

Kyiv, April 17 (YULIA Kommersant-Moskalenko). A large tire manufacturer, the Dneproshina plant (Dnepropetrovsk), intends to begin production of all-metal cord tires with the addition of natural rubber this year. This was announced by Director for Technical Development Alexander Smirnov. The use of natural rubber, according to Mr. Smirnov, will increase the wear resistance of tires by 7-10%. Tests of the new tires were carried out in February.

US Defense Secretary Sharply Criticized by Retired Generals freedom of speech Last weekend, despite the Easter holidays, there was a heated debate in the United States over whether Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld should resign. The scandal erupted after a group of retired American generals said that it was the Secretary of Defense who was responsible for the military failures of American troops in Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld himself said that he has no plans to resign. US President George W.

Now they're investing in energy stock market According to the Ukrainian Association of Investment Business (UAIB), in March 2006, the profitability of investment funds fell sharply, which is associated with a correction in the PTFS index. However, open-end investment funds withstood fluctuations in the stock market and showed returns no lower than foreign currency deposits.

Russian Football Championship Lokomotiv's incredibly tense match with CSKA ended with the championship leader losing to the 15th team before this round - 2:3, despite Jo's seventh goal in the Premier League. After this, three teams caught up with the leader at once. Lokomotiv's ever-increasing stubbornness was predictable. Loko lost each match with a better game than the previous one.