The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade does not rule out the possibility of increasing import duties on new foreign cars from a number of countries, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Andrei Kushnirenko said today at a conference organized by the Adam Smith Institute. He noted that increasing duties on all new foreign cars, which today amount to 25%, does not seem appropriate.

The annual celebration of the fire festival in Iran ended in tragedy. Three people were killed and at least 50 were injured as a result of fireworks explosions. According to eyewitnesses, the dead were jumping over the fire at the moment when the fireworks exploded. Spectators standing nearby were injured. The police have already arrested 10 people in connection with the incident.

Aslan Maskhadov's widow Kusama, his children, Anzor and Fatima, appealed to the Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia with a request to assist in the issue of handing over the body of the murdered separatist leader. This was reported by the radio station "Echo of Moscow".

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said that he did not give any guarantees to former President Leonid Kuchma in the case of Georgy Gongadze. At the same time, in an interview with Western journalists, he noted that “he is not a supporter of any political persecution, including his opponents,” the presidential press service told RBC. According to V.

Employees of the Department for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation prevented an attempt to give a bribe to one of the leaders of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, the department's press service reported today.

The Japanese, who have always excelled in high technology, were the first to develop a robotic animal model. Scientists have created an artificial snake, which, according to experts, should become an indispensable assistant in many areas of life. The Japanese, who have always excelled in high technology, were the first to develop a robotic animal model. Scientists have created an artificial snake, which, according to experts, should become an indispensable assistant in many areas of life.

At the 135th session of OPEC, which is taking place today in the Iranian city of Isfahan, OPEC countries decided to increase quotas for oil production and exports. This was announced by the Minister of Petroleum of Nigeria. This decision was made despite the fact that the Organization of Petroleum Exporters had previously promised to maintain previous quotas. OPEC countries agreed to increase the oil production quota by 500 thousand barrels per day - up to 27.5 million barrels. per day.

As the head of the Federal Energy Agency (Rosenergo) Sergei Oganesyan told reporters today, the scheme for the merger of Gazprom OJSC and Rosneft OJSC has been determined and “what was voiced by Alexey Miller is most likely what will happen.” At the same time, he clarified that at present a lot depends on the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, since this department will submit documents on the merger to the government.

The US government is looking into Venezuela's troubling purchase of 40 Russian helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. The US government is studying the circumstances of Venezuela's purchase of 40 Russian helicopters and 100 thousand Kalashnikov assault rifles, an agreement about which it has been concerned about recently.

The State Duma today adopted the presidential bill “On the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation” in the final third reading. The law defines the main legal and organizational issues of the formation and activities of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

BenQ Group, formerly known as Acer Communications & Multimedia Group, known in the global market for its developments in the field of high technology, introduced its new computer mouse N300, made in the shape of a car. For a long time, designers could not decide in what style to make their new product in order to attract potential buyers.

The capital's police are looking for a suspect in preparing a terrorist attack in the Moscow metro in February 2004. As the head of the Department of Internal Affairs at the Moscow Metro of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate, police colonel Nikolai Ivanov, told RBC today, “a tip has been received on a certain Ruslan Rakhmanovich Ibragimov, who is suspected of preparing to commit a terrorist attack in the Moscow metro in February 2004.” According to N.

On Wednesday it became known that a major special operation was being carried out in Grozny. As reported by the NTV television company with reference to representatives of the Regional Operational Headquarters, militant leaders are being sought in the administrative center of the Chechen Republic. It is reported that the Chechen special services received information from previously detained terrorists that Shamil Basayev and A.

The project for the construction of the first high-speed toll highway Moscow - St. Petersburg, which the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation plans to begin at the end of 2006, may mark the beginning of further construction of toll roads in Russia. This opinion was expressed to RBC by Ernst & Young partner Evgeniy Sidorenko.

Experts from the Environmental Protection Agency have demanded that mercury emissions from thermal power plants (CHP) be cut in half. Experts believe that reducing mercury emissions will protect the population, in particular children, from toxic metal poisoning, which causes nervous system disorders, AP reports. The administration of US President George W. Bush 15 years ago ordered a halving of mercury emissions from industrial enterprises, but there was no such order for thermal power plants.