During today's trading on the ICE exchange, the price of Brent oil rose above $53 per barrel for the first time since July 31, 2015. At its maximum, the price of Brent futures for delivery in November 2015 reached $53.01, which is 2.1% higher than yesterday’s closing level. Today's jump in oil prices has led to an increase in the ruble exchange rate.

LUKOIL, together with its partners, discovered a gas field on the continental shelf of Romania. This is stated in a message on the company's website. The deposit was discovered on the offshore Lira structure located in the Trident block. Geological exploration work there has been carried out since 2011 by LUKOIL Overseas Atash BV (a 100% subsidiary of PJSC LUKOIL) on the basis of an agreement with the Romanian government.

Vladimir Putin postponed the first launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome from December 25 to 2016.

The Moscow government did not support the proposal to ban the sale of alcohol on Fridays. According to the head of the capital's department of trade and services, Alexey Nemeryuk, such a ban is inappropriate, reports m24.ru . One specific “day of sobriety” will not radically change the situation, Nemeryuk believes. “This is a measure of linear impact. I don’t know how expedient it is,” he noted.

A man named Santa Claus was elected to the council of the city of North Pole in the state of Alaska, reports Reuters . The agency describes him as "a man with a soft white beard who prides himself on being a protector of young children." He is 68 years old. During the election campaign, he wore his signature red velvet outfit. Klaus's former name was Thomas Patrick O'Connor - he changed his name about ten years ago. At that time he was still living in Nevada.

The Guardian Council of the Iranian Constitution (a special supra-parliamentary body of power in Iran) ratified a bill approving the implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and the Six. This was reported by the Iranian state agency IRNA. On October 13, the bill was approved by the parliament of the republic. 161 deputies voted in favor, 59 were against, 13 abstained. On October 11, parliament approved the general scheme for implementing the agreement.

Photo: Reuters The Netherlands presented a report on the Boeing crash: the plane was shot down by a Buk. The answer to the question of who started it should be answered by another investigation. On Tuesday, the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) presented a final report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 (flight MH17) in the skies over Donbass on July 17, 2014.

The Investigative Committee (IC) opened a criminal case into a fire in a private house in the village of Otopkovo, Kochevsky district, Perm Territory, according to the department’s website. The fire claimed the lives of six people, including three children. The case was initiated under Part 3 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence to two or more persons). Investigators from the Investigative Committee found no signs of arson at the house.

The Basmanny Court of Moscow refused to satisfy the complaint of the daughter of Boris Nemtsov, who demanded to interrogate the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and other high-ranking officials of the republic in the case of the murder of her father Zhanna Nemtsova (Photo: AP) The Basmanny Court of Moscow on Wednesday considered the complaint of Zhanna Nemtsova, who legally demanded to interrogate Ramzan Kadyrov and other high-ranking officials of Chechnya.

The fall in Russia's GDP over the three quarters of 2015 amounted to 3.8%, said Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev. “Our cumulative decline for three quarters is 3.8%. We believe that the 4th quarter will be at approximately the same level, and at the end of the year there will be a 3.8-3.9% decline,” Ulyukaev said on Tuesday in an interview with the Business FM radio station . He predicts that the Russian economy will show growth in the 4th quarter.

The former producer of “Tender May” and the president of the United National Bank challenged the revocation of the credit institution’s license in the Moscow Arbitration Court. RIA Novosti reported this in court. Razin’s claim (who owns about 9% of the bank’s shares) was submitted to the Moscow Arbitration Court on October 7. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 17. The license of the Nizhny Novgorod United National Bank was revoked on October 6.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated the need for the presence of “deterrence forces” along the entire border line with Russia, as well as along the sea near Transnistria, reports 112.ua.

From today, soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces will begin patrolling the streets of major Israeli cities along with police officers. This decision was made by the country’s Committee on Security and Public Policy, reports . Channel 9 Israel Conscripts will ensure order in crowded places - on the streets, markets, and shopping centers. The authorities plan to use six companies of military personnel.

The ex-owner of Svyaznoy Maxim Nogotkov moved to the USA. He's now in Silicon Valley trying to launch a new mobile commerce business. Ex-owner of Svyaznoy Maxim Nogotkov (Photo: Ekaterina Kuzmina / RBC) A source close to Svyaznoy told RBC that Nogotkov moved to the USA and lives in Silicon Valley. This information was confirmed by three acquaintances of Nogotkov. “Maxim is trying to launch a new project and is looking for funds for it,” says one of them.

Russian aircraft attacked repair shops of Islamic State militants (an organization banned in Russia) in Syria. This was announced by official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov, the department said in a statement. The workshops were located 13 km from Aleppo. In them, militants repaired armored vehicles, installed mortars, heavy machine guns, and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns on off-road vehicles.