Google has announced the first major update for the Nexus 5 smartphone, released by LG and introduced at the end of October 2013, The Verge reports. The purpose of the update, which increases the version of the operating system on the phone to Android 4.4.1, is to improve the performance of the camera built into the device and eliminate shortcomings identified by users.

The world's largest gingerbread house has been built in Bryan, Texas, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reports. The building turned out to be the size of a one-story residential building and was included in the Guinness Book of Records. The length and height of the house are 18.28 meters, and the width is 12.8 meters. As The Daily Telegraph points out, it took 816 kilograms of butter, 7,200 eggs, 3,265 kilograms of flour and approximately 1,360 kilograms of sugar to make the gingerbread house.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov said that personnel changes may occur in the government he heads. Azarov announced this during an interview with foreign media, excerpts from which were published on Friday, December 6, on the website of the Ukrainian government .

The lawyer of former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko was doused with brilliant green at the entrance to the Kyiv courtroom before a hearing on the case of violations of the law at the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) corporation. The Segodnya newspaper reported this on Friday, December 6. Both young men who attacked Vlasenko were detained. They did not have any documents with them.

The Bank of Russia set the dollar exchange rate for the weekend at 32.9514 rubles, reducing it by almost 17 kopecks compared to the previous day. At the same time, the Central Bank reduced the euro exchange rate by nine kopecks to 45.0116 rubles. The dollar has been worth above 33 rubles since November 28. The official euro exchange rate has been above 45 rubles since November 30.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia does not plan to introduce a visa regime with Central Asian countries. The Prime Minister made this statement during an interview with representatives of the five largest Russian television channels, which started broadcast live at noon on December 6. “But we are planning to move towards crossing the border using passports. All formalities must be completed. All documents must be completed, passports, insurance,” said the head of government.

The winner of the auction for the sale of 100 percent of the shares of the Moscow film equipment plant Moskinap was the Grantax company, part of the Sminex development group. reports this ITAR-TASS . The lot, whose initial price was 625 million rubles, was eventually sold for 935 million rubles. A total of 10 bidders took part in the auction. A Grantax representative refused to disclose plans to reorganize the plant.

The online publication Wired published online correspondence between former American army private Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, who was a WikiLeaks informant, and the founder of the leak site Julian Assange. The text of the correspondence on December 6 appeared on documentcloud.org. According to Wired journalist Kevin Poulsen, the file with correspondence between Manning and Assange was originally published on the official portal of the US Army.

France's Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has awarded MBDA a contract for the supply of new MMP man-portable anti-tank missile systems, Defense News reports. The transaction amount was 500 million euros. Under the terms of the agreement, the French military should be supplied with about 400 launchers and 2,850 missiles for them. Deliveries of the first complexes will be carried out in 2017.

The European Physical Society has declared Italy's Frascati National Laboratory, where the world's first matter-antimatter collider ADA was created, a "historic site." In the laboratory belonging to the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, ceremonial events were held and a memorial plaque was installed. This is stated in the company’s press release , some details are provided by Symmetry.

Publisher Bethesda is not going to present new games at the Spike VGX ceremony, which will be held on December 7th. this on Twitter . announced The company's vice president of marketing, Pete Hines, He wrote that the publisher is not going to show new games at Spike VGX this year, and also does not plan to discuss them. Hines also explained his earlier post about flying to Los Angeles for the awards show.

The credit rating of the Australian airline Qantas, which became famous for its appearance in the film Rain Man, was downgraded to junk by Standard & Poor's. BBC News reported this on December 6. The rating was downgraded from investment grade “BBB-” to “BB+” with a negative outlook, which means it may further deteriorate. S&P cited increased competition in the airline industry and growing financial risks as the reasons for its decision.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised to find out whether the former head of Rosmolodezh Vasily Yakemenko is an employee of Sberbank and what salary he receives in his new position. A question regarding Yakemenko, sent by “TV viewer” Oleg Kashin, was addressed to Medvedev by the editor-in-chief of the Dozhd TV channel, Mikhail Zygar, during an interview on December 6, which was broadcast by the Russia 24 channel.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared mourning in the country in connection with the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela, reports Agence France-Presse . For five days, national flags will be flown at half-mast throughout India and public entertainment events will be limited. Commenting on the decision, Singh explained that Mandela was a "true Gandhian" and a "great friend" of India.

Scientists from Germany and the USA have modeled the process of dissolution of rocks and building materials at the molecular level. details with reference to an article in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C. provides Rice University Researchers studied the dissolution of quartz, silicon dioxide, and SiO2. This mineral is part of a very large number of rocks (more than half the mass of the earth’s crust consists of it) and, accordingly, building materials of mineral origin.