In China, the famous dissident Chen Si was sentenced to ten years in prison. In the south-west of China, the court of Guyang today found the 57-year-old dissident guilty of inciting to the overthrow of the state system. Reuters reported this by his wife. According to her, Chen Xi does not intend to appeal the verdict, but insists on his innocence. The reason for the trial was numerous essays with criticism of the ruling in China of the Communist Party, which Chen Si published on foreign sites.

Dmitry Medvedev will discuss on December 26 with members of the State Council the issue of decentralization of power and, as expected, will give, following the meeting, a number of instructions. Assistant President Arkady Dvorkovich does not think that Medvedev should focus on the demands of participants in the protest movement in the country.

Football. Championship of England. 18th round "Chelsea" - "Fulham" 1: 1 "Bolton" - "Newcasl" 0: 2 "Liverpool" - "Blackburn" 1: 1 "Manchester United" - "Wigan" 5: 0 "Sunderland" - "Everton" 1: 1 "West Bromvich" - "Manchester City" 0: 0

Rally "For honest elections" on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow Anna Kachkaeva: I called the last program “Watching TV” this year, I called the neologism, because the time is the time of the final - through the condition. Revolutionary December divided what was happening on the television screen into “before” and “after”. For the first time over the years, words against Putin sounded on federal channels. How did television illuminate mass protests? Will television deal with this new challenge?

Vladimir Ryzhkov Participants in the rally on Sakharov Avenue in Moscow adopted a resolution, which contains the requirements for the abolition of the results of the parliamentary elections, the sharp liberalization of the political system in Russia and the revision of the electoral legislation. How exactly do the leaders of the movement "for honest elections" imagine a specific action plan?

The court in St. Petersburg today sentenced the former warrant officer of the police Vadim Boyko, also known as the "Pearl Warrant Officer", by three and a half years of imprisonment. He was charged with excess of authority to disperse the opposition rally on July 31 last year. As follows from the video and the testimony of witnesses, Boyko beat one of the participants in the action with a club on the head and called the audience "ferrets".

Mikhail Sokolov: Today we are talking about what Russia will be after rallies in Bolotnaya Square and Avenue Andrei Sakharov, what's next. In our Moscow studio, the co -chair of the Party of People’s Freedom Boris Nemtsov. Boris Efimovich, I read the respected newspaper today, where it is written: "The appearance in Russia of a civilized effective street democracy rightly merit to civilian activists." Further surname.

Anti -government demonstration in the city of Homs In the Syrian city of Homs, today at least 20 people died in clashes with security forces. This was reported by Syrian human rights activists. Today, the arrival of the first group of fifty observers from the League of Arab states to monitor the situation in the country is expected to arrive in Syria.

Vladimir Kharitonov Alexander Genis: In the last year, the release of the American hour '', by tradition, we will call the book of the year. But this time we will lend her heading with Marina Efimova to talk about the author, who did so much for American literature in Russia. In addition, he was my friend.

Human rights activist Lev Ponomarev on a single picket will hold the poster with the slogan "The regime kills Sergei Udaltsov! Freedom Udaltsov! The executioners - to the answer!". On Sunday, December 25, on the end of the previous administrative arrest of the coordinator of the Left Front movement Sergei Udaltsov, the magistrate court sentenced him to another 10 days of imprisonment .

In Baghdad, on Monday, 7 people died, according to updated data, and over 30 were injured as a result of an explosion near the building of the Ministry of the Interior. The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber in a mined car, the Iraqi police said. Among the dead are four police officers. Last week, more than 60 people became victims of a series of explosions in Baghdad.

Prime Minister Japan Yosihiko Noda Japan today urged China to activate efforts in ensuring stability on the Korean peninsula after the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Ira. The Prime Minister of Japan Yosihiko Noda also called on the chairman of the PRC Hu Jintao to inform about the situation in North Korea after the youngest son of Kim Jong Ira, Kim Jong-un, became the new head of the DPRK.

The Central Bank of Russia, reducing the refinancing rate from December 26 from a level of 8.25% to 8% per annum, has also changed control of some other from its key rates. This is an attempt to moderate the volatility in the financial market, experts believe, noting that the general dynamics of interest rates on it will be determined, rather, by other factors.

The first group of observers of the League of the Arab states arrived in Syria. It includes about 50 people. The task of observers is to monitor the situation in the country in order to contribute to the cessation of violence, which has been going on for more than 9 months - from March, when mass performances began against President Bashar al -Assad. Syrian authorities last week under international pressure agreed to the arrival of observers to the country.