Trilateral consultations on gas between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union can continue even if there are counter-arbitration claims from Russia and Ukraine. “We expect that consultations can continue even in the presence of these claims,” ITAR-TASS quotes Sabine Berger, press secretary for European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger, as saying.

Expertise 332 1 min. ... Thomas Frey , futurist, executive director of the Da Vinci Institute (USA) From what I understand, the chatbot Evgeniy Gusman did not pass this test in the full sense. Firstly, because it uses a scenario that simulates human communication. That is, the chatbot does not have artificial intelligence. Secondly, the creators of the program cheated a little by creating the image of a “13-year-old boy from Ukraine” to explain his awkward phrases.

The population's demand for cash foreign currency decreased by 34%, to $9.5 billion, in April compared to March. Demand for dollars decreased by 37%, to $5.6 billion, for euros - by 29%. At the same time, the net demand for the American currency decreased by more than eight times (to $0.5 billion), for the European currency - by half (to $1.4 billion).

According to the results of the first quarter of 2014, the Russian retail bank of the VTB group, Leto Bank, issued more than 100 thousand loans to residents of the south of the country, the bank’s press service reported. At the end of the first quarter of 2014, the loan portfolio of Leto Bank in the Southern Federal District and North Caucasus Federal District amounted to 4.855 billion rubles.

The families of those killed at the Ilmen art song festival in the Chelyabinsk region will be paid 500 thousand rubles. ITAR-TASS reports this with reference to the vice-chairman of the regional government Vadim Evdokimov. Let us remind you that on Saturday three people died as a result of a hurricane at the festival site. 50-year-old Zlatoust resident Svetlana Zhukova died from a lightning strike, seven-year-old Natalya Chernova and ten-year-old Alexander Zakharov died under fallen trees.

Private investment in the special economic zone (SEZ) in Primorye, which will be created on the basis of the Sollers car assembly plant, will amount to 20.6 billion rubles, 300 million rubles will be allocated from the regional budget, ITAR-TASS reported on June 16, citing the regional administration. “The main investor will be the Russian-Japanese company Mazda Sollers Manufacturing Rus, which plans to invest 15.8 billion rubles in the development of the SEZ,” the administration notes.

Psychiatry 1K 1 min. ... Canadian scientists have found a substance that is responsible for the development of depression. They turned out to be miR-1202 molecules, which are responsible for activating a number of receptors in the body. “We studied samples of brain tissue from people who suffered from depression during their lifetime with samples from those who had good mental health,” said one of the authors of the work, Gustav Turiki from the University of British Columbia.

Three people died at a music festival On Saturday, heavy winds and thunderstorms caused the death of three guests of the art song festival in the Chelyabinsk region: a woman was killed by lightning, two children died under fallen pine trees. After the hurricane, the festival, which attracted about 12 thousand people, was stopped, and most of the participants were evacuated.

Forum 92 1 min. ... On June 19, the Moscow International Film Festival will begin its work for the 36th time. Chairman of the jury Gleb Panfilov, one of the high-profile premieres is the Ukrainian film “Brothers. The Last Confession” by Victoria Trofimenko. In competition are “Yes and Yes” by Valeria Gai Germanika, “Betty and Amare” by Andy Ziege (about the Italian occupation of Ethiopia), “Hardcore Disco” by Krzysztof Skonieczny (about Polish drug addicts).

Lom-Ali Gaitukaev, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for organizing the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, appealed the sentence. “Both my client and I have already filed short appeals against the verdict. In addition, Gaitukaev filed a request to familiarize himself with the transcripts of the court hearings.

The fire at the Achinsk oil refinery (refinery) in the Bolsheuluisky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory was extinguished, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. “At 00:30 Moscow time on June 16, the fire was extinguished,” the message says. On the evening of June 15, an explosion occurred in the distillation column of the plant, the column collapsed, gas poured out of it, and it began to burn over an area of ​​400 square meters.

Alexey Slashchev invited Dmitry Lovyagin, deputy editor-in-chief of Kommersant FM, to test the updated Land Rover Freelander 2 and share his impressions. Photo: Avtopilot936 Alexey Slashchev: I admit honestly, Land Rover Freelander 2 has become my family’s favorite car. I still maintain neutrality in choosing a car. But still I decided to resort to the help of one of the most critical pilots of the Autopilot program - Dmitry Lovyagin. Dima, help dispel the “pink castles”.

The joint venture will be based in Ireland The second largest manufacturer of medical equipment in the United States, Medtronic, announced the acquisition of its competitor Covidien for $42.9 billion. The deal will allow the company not only to increase its service package, but also to escape from the American tax system. Photo: Jim Mone, AP One of the leaders in the medical equipment market, Medtronic, announced the buyout of its competitor Covidien.

Chairman of the Board of Gazprom Alexey Miller, during negotiations with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Energy Minister Alexander Novak, said that the prepayment regime for gas for Ukraine was introduced due to the unconstructive position of the government of this country, which can be called blackmail, ITAR reports. TASS. Read more about this in the Kommersant article “Gazprom introduced prepayment for gas for Ukraine.”

Svetlana Sukhova found out what Ella Pamfilova thinks about the Crimean problems and Ukrainian refugees Last week, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, Ella Pamfilova, spoke in the State Duma about the “complex of problems” that are growing today in Crimea and about the situation with refugees from south-eastern Ukraine. After the speech, she answered questions from deputies and Ogonyok.