Criminals extorted 3 million rubles from victims The Krasnoyarsk Regional Court sentenced 28-year-old Ivan Chernyshev, one of those accused of two high-profile murders - the head physician of a local hospital and an employee of Sberbank - to 18 years in a maximum security colony. The court also satisfied the civil claims of relatives of the criminal’s victims in the amount of 1 million rubles. in every case.

Having purchased its payment system from Yandex Sberbank is entering the electronic payments market that is strategically important for it through the purchase of a controlling stake in the Yandex.Money system. The search engine will earn $60 million from the sale of a non-core asset. Sberbank is acquiring 75% of the authorized capital of Yandex.Money Payment System LLC for $60 million, while Yandex retains a blocking stake of 25% plus 1 ruble, the companies announced yesterday.

The President spoke with reporters for more than 4.5 hours. This is a record for meetings between the president and media representatives. Kommersant FM correspondent Daria Polygaeva, who was present at the event, told Ksenia Turkova the details. At the press conference, the head of state commented on the work of the government, his own health, the riots on Bolotnaya Square, the Russian response to the Magnitsky Act and many other issues. — What are your overall impressions of this whole event?

The network of MFCs is being expanded in the Volgograd region The Minister of Economy, Foreign Economic Relations and Investments of the Volgograd Region, Elvira Lagutina, announced that the regional government, together with local governments, will expand the network of multifunctional centers for the provision of public services (MFC). Currently, there are already 23 MFC offices in the region - in all urban districts and seven municipal districts.

Investors believed in the growth of emerging economies The number of optimists counting on the global economic recovery among portfolio managers is growing rapidly. Due to fiscal problems in the US and peripheral European countries, investors are giving preference to emerging markets. At the same time, the Russian market ranks second in popularity after China, which is facilitated by low inflation, a strong ruble and high oil prices.

Russian President Vladimir Putin notes that the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash near Smolensk should not be politicized. The Polish President's Tu-154 plane crashed on April 10, 2010 near Smolensk during landing. 96 people died - eight crew members and 88 passengers, including the president, his wife and part of the Polish leadership, RIA Novosti recalls.

In the first working days of 2013, a meeting of the Security Council will be held on security issues and strengthening control over the investigation of crimes against journalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 20. “In the first working days of the new year, we will return to this issue (investigation of crimes against journalists) at a separate meeting.

The militants who kidnapped two Russians and an Italian in Syria are demanding a ransom of $700 thousand. The Russian authorities will most likely agree to these conditions, experts say. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry strongly recommends that citizens refrain from visiting Syria, observers remind. They demand $700 thousand for the Russians and Italians kidnapped in Syria. The Kommersant newspaper learned about this.

Opinion Without exaggeration, the most important event that will have a long-term impact on the economy of the region, on the investment attractiveness of the region and on the activity of regional business was Russia’s accession to the WTO.

Ukraine in the current marketing year (MY, July 2012 - June 2013) can export 23 million tons of grain instead of the previously expected 21-22 million tons, said Sergei Petrenko, deputy director of the department of economic development of the agricultural market of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. “Export opportunities for the 2012/2013 marketing year are estimated at approximately 23 million tons,” he said at a meeting of the board of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.

"The Hobbit" was released Premiere/cinema The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, based on an early book by J. R. R. Tolkien, which director Peter Jackson turned to after working on The Lord of the Rings, was released across the country. An Unexpected Journey is the first part of an upcoming trilogy set in Middle-earth 60 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. In it, a good hobbit helps the dwarves regain the kingdom that was taken from them by the evil dragon.

Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, already serving time for corruption, was sentenced to another 10 years in prison, local media reported. In addition to the politician himself, the court sentenced his wife to eight years in prison. The former politician was found guilty of accepting a bribe of $13 million from a financial company. The Taiwanese authorities will seek from the Swiss authorities the return of these funds, which have settled in bank accounts in Europe.

The Russian President gave a large press conference for the first time in four years. More than a thousand journalists were accredited for the event. Kommersant-Online noted the most interesting moments and unexpected turns of the discussion. On the response to the Magnitsky Act Ksenia Sokolova, “Snob”: In response to the Magnitsky Act, the State Duma adopted prohibitive measures regarding the adoption of Russian children by Americans. Do you think this answer is adequate?

The winner of the Miss Universe 2012 competition, the final of which was held in Las Vegas, was Miss USA, 20-year-old Olivia Culpo from Rhode Island. Olivia Culpo received the precious crown from last year's Miss Universe, Leila Lopez from Angola. Second place went to Jeanine Tugonon, representing the Philippines, and third place went to Irene Sofia Esser Quintero from Venezuela. A total of 89 girls from different countries took part in the competition.

For many Russians, the phrase “European education” is synonymous with high quality. That is why, according to UNESCO statistics, more and more young residents of our country are seeking to get an education abroad or at least get acquainted with its principles for a semester. The increase in “academic mobility” between the Russian Federation and the EU is facilitated by the interest in this of both parties: both Moscow and Brussels.