On October 5, the Verkhovna Rada commission to investigate the financing of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko visited London and met with the disgraced Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky to find out some circumstances from him about the money that Berezovsky provided to the current Ukrainian president during the election campaign in the autumn and in the winter of 2004.

Introduction 100 years ago, on October 17, 1905 (according to the old style), Nicholas II approved the famous “The All-Real Report of the State Secretary of Count Witte”, which contained an assessment of the political situation (“unheard of turmoil”) in the empire, as well as a list of urgent (at the same time, purely liberal) measures to stabilize (“restoration of silence and peace on their native land”).

The short list of the Russian Boker, announced last week, caused an ambiguous reaction of our literary public. But specialists, i.e. The jury, better. And what can read the readers? How do they relate to the authors who are on the list? And most importantly: are they familiar with the work of these authors? With this question, the "pragmatist of culture" turned to her respondents.

According to research, 79% of Russians surveyed are dissatisfied with their lives. Projecting personal dissatisfaction onto the state of society as a whole, 76% of respondents tend to assess Russian society as unfair, and 57% believe that society today is even less fair than in Soviet times. So what is social justice and how does it appear to Russian society today?

A soldier of the Italian contingent in Afghanistan, who died on Tuesday based on Camp Invicta near Kabul, was accidentally killed by a colleague. This was announced on Tuesday evening by the official representative of the Italian contingent Colonel Massimo Girando. According to him, the senior corporal of Michele Sanfilippo (Michele Sanfilippo) died as a result of a "random shot of a colleague who was with him in the same barracks and who was one of his best friends," RIA Novosti reports.

On October 11, the Georgian parliament adopted a resolution according to which Russia should withdraw its peacekeepers from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, if at a certain time in these conflict regions there are no changes arranging Tbilisi.

Tatyana Lokshina Now, when mentioning the Chechen conflict in a particular international structure, you immediately hear: “Yes, and the parliamentary elections in the republic on November 27, 2005 will become a very important exam for Russian democracy!” An amazing statement. And I want to ask: “What, excuse me, an exam and for what, excuse me, democracy?” Sometimes you restrain yourself for the reasons of the Polites. Sometimes you ask. Although the question, of course, is rhetorical.

The implementation of the national project "Affordable and comfortable housing - Russian citizens" should be established daily control, said Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Wednesday at the expanded collegium of the Ministry of Regional Development.

Two missiles exploded near the US Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday, the Associated press agency reports. One of the missiles exploded near the residence of the Canadian ambassador located on the territory of the American diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. Two guards were injured, one of them was serious, RIA Novosti reports. The explosions thundered on the eve of the arrival of the US Secretary of State Condolizes Rais in Kabul.

The presentation of the first edition of the Great Encyclopedia in 62 volumes took place today in Moscow, ITAR-TASS reports For the first time, all 62 volumes come out at the same time. And on November 1, a subscription to this publication will begin. The estimated cost of it is 58 thousand rubles.

** What to expect in the coming hours. Announcement of events ** In Moscow: The plenary meeting of the State Duma will be held. It is planned to consider immediately in the first, second and third readings amendments to the 2005 budget, which the Government of the Russian Federation proposes in connection with the receipt of additional income.

The monument to the patrons of the century will be opened to the 860th anniversary of Moscow in Maryin. Monument - “Street of New Time” will be erected in the form of a round colonnade crowned with a 10 -meter stele, Radio Culture reports Belocamous steps will lead to the festive flowerpots to the rotunda placed on a small elevation of the rotunda from different sides. And at the top of the stele itself, the golden figure of the angel will flaunt.

Economic growth and a higher salary in Eastern Europe and the former republics of the USSR caused a decrease in poverty and reducing the gap between the poor and rich in these countries, the World Bank reported on Wednesday, newspaper.ru reports with reference to Reuters. The report notes that in the period between 1998 and 2003, the standard of living of more than 40 million people improved and came out of the poverty line, mainly in Russia, as well as in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

In many cities of Russia, unions of non -production workers conduct a protest today, reports Radio "Freedom". The main requirements are to increase wages to state employees at least one and a half times and improve working conditions. About four thousand people gathered in Yuzhno -Sakhalinsk - teachers, doctors and cultural workers. In Vladivostok, one and a half thousand pickets took to the streets. In Yekaterinburg, several hundred people participated in the action.

10 applicants for participation in the competition for the privatization of the Ukrainian Metallurgical Plant "Krivorozhstal" were identified. Today, at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, the country's Prime Minister Yuri Yingurov said this. Investors, according to him, "have already handed over all the necessary documents to the Anitmonopol Committee." Ekhanurov also promised that the competition will be held according to the planned schedule - we are talking about October 24.