** President of the Russian Federation and his administration ** President of the Russian Federation V. Putin ... I held a working meeting with the President of Armenia R. Kocharyan . ... He supported the initiative to form a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation by uniting the Irkutsk region and the Ust-Ordynsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug. The corresponding letter was received by the governor of the Irkutsk region, the regional administration said.

The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation revealed ineffective use by state customers in 2005 2.54 billion rubles allocated for the implementation of the federal target program "Restoring the economy and social sphere of the Chechen Republic (2002 and subsequent years)." This is stated in the department of the department following the results of the meeting of the Board of the Accounts Chamber.

Yesterday, Ukraine has put forward its version of the gas crisis with Russia. Kyiv proposed to Gazprom control over the half of the domestic gas market to replace the consent of Moscow to increase prices not sharply, but gradually. Gazprom rejected this proposal. This indicates that Russia does not intend to abandon its new foreign policy concept.

In Istanbul, a loud trial opens over the famous Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk for his statements on the problem of the Armenian genocide and the Kurdish issue. He faces up to three years in prison under Article 301 of the New Criminal Code of Turkey "Insulting the Turkish nation." The reason for the charges against Pamuk was his interview in the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger, published in February this year.

The law "On the ratification of the agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the International Union of Electric Network on the establishment of the Zonal Representative Office of the International Union of Electric National Security in the Russian Federation" has been approved, the Polit.ru correspondent reports. The agreement was signed on December 15, 2003 in Geneva.

Two schools in Connecticut introduced fines for obscene expressions among schoolchildren, reports Reuters. From now on, the police have the right to issue penalty coupons to schoolchildren directly "at the crime scene." These coupons are similar to fines for getting used to speed or parking in a wrong place. Cases of non -payment of a fine will be considered in court.

In the upcoming Saturday and Sunday, snowy weather is expected in the capital, a blizzard is possible in places, REGNUM reports. On Saturday night in Moscow, minus 1-3 degrees is expected, in the region - up to minus 6. Little snow will pass, wet in some places, a snowstorm is possible in certain areas, Newsru.com reports. On Sunday, December 18, at night and day in Moscow, it is expected from zero to minus 2 degrees, in the region - to minus 5.

RAO "UES of Russia" and Rusal announce the signing of the "main conditions of the partnership agreement" - a document containing the key parameters of the project to create the Boguchansky energy metallurgical complex, the stages of its implementation and the principles of interaction between participants. The parties plan to sign a partnership agreement in the first quarter of 2006. According to preliminary estimates, investments in the project will amount to more than $ 4 billion.

A plenary meeting of the State Duma will be held, at which, according to a preliminary agenda, it is planned to discuss in the second reading amendments and additions to a number of legislative acts aimed at strengthening control over the activities of non -profit, in particular foreign organizations in Russia, as well as to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

The accident in the industrial zone of the Leningrad NPP did not affect the normal operation of its power units, RIA Novosti reports. "The release of the metal from the melting furnace of the private enterprise" Ekomet -s ", located at a distance of about one kilometer from the main complex of buildings of the Leningrad NPP, in no way influenced the normal operation of its power units," announced the deputy head of Rosatom Sergey Antipov.

The gas stain from China last night hit Amuri moves to the village of Nizhneleninsky Jewish Autonomous Region, RIA Novosti reports. “It is still difficult to say what the degree of concentration of toxic substances in contaminated water, since Chinese experts delay the transmission of information on water monitoring in the Sungari River flowing into the Amur. Russian experts took water sample at night and in the morning and now do it analysis,” the Ministry of Emergencies noted.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed former US President George H. W. Bush as his special envoy to eliminate the consequences of the October earthquake in South Asia, RIA Novosti reports. The father of the current owner, Bely, will coordinate the organization’s efforts to preserve the political will in the international community to provide medium- and long-term assistance to the affected areas, including in their economic recovery.

The American Congress adopted a resolution in which legislators urge the Russian government to withdraw or modify the bill on non -governmental organizations, Echo of Moscow reports. Congressmen believe that the document seriously limits the activities of both foreign and local organizations of this kind. Meanwhile, they should be able to work in open and autonomous mode in accordance with universally recognized practice adopted in the West.

On December 17, Russia will sign the final protocols on the completion of negotiations on the WTO with Nicaragua and Paraguay and, possibly, with Canada, RIA Novosti reports the head of the Mayrs of the Russian Federation Hermann Gref. "With Nicaragua and paragraph, everything is already agreed with us, and the signing will take place tomorrow, but it is possible that by solving technical issues, we will sign the protocol with Canada," the minister said.

In September, in Germany, in the presence of the Russian President and the German Chancellor, an agreement on the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline was signed. 1,200 km of the gas pipeline will run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing the Baltic countries and Poland with branches to the Kaliningrad region, Sweden and Finland; in the future – 3000 km through Holland to Great Britain.