The number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is at minimal levels - previously similar indicators were noted in the midst of a crisis of the late 2008-2009. In the first half of 2011, M&A activity was uniform: on average, 4,500 transactions were made in a quarter. However, in July - September 2011, the total volume of transactions was reduced by 33%, and the number of large ones (from 1 to 5 billion euros) has halved.

Associate Professor of the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University decided to work as an insurance agent. Without reaching, apparently, special success in promoting insurance services, the teacher turned his eyes to the most affordable audience - students. The scheme is simple: for admission to the exam in the specialty "Higher Mathematics" from students, it was required to conclude an insurance contract, the percentage of which went to the associate professor's pocket.

Domestic state defense order is growing with a terrible pace: by 2014, compared to 2009, it will increase almost three times. As a result, Russia can reach third place in the world in dollar defense expenses: the UK, who is experiencing budget problems, most likely will give it to us . Return to the Cold War? It may seem.

Young Petersburgers at the age of 18–24, it is believed that the troubles living on its territory are to blame, reports VTsIOM. In the capital - only 34%, but among the Muscovites it is more common that interethnic relations in Russia over the past year have become more tense, intolerant. They offer , “without demanding anything in return,” the founder of VKontakte Pavel Durov and the founder of DST Yuri Milner, the startupers. Money is issued only to Internet projects.

The chief executive of Deutsche Bank in Russia and the CIS Igor Lozhevsky today at the annual press conference of Deutsche Bank dispelled rumors about his departure from the bank-on the eve of the media reported that he could leave his post. However, he did not refute the assumption that he could go to a higher position in the global Deutsche Bank. According to him, the 2008 Commitment includes only the condition that it will be in Russia for no more than 5 years.

The key element of the concept of retention of power Putin made control over the sources of citizens to receive information. When there are only a few sources with large coverage, you can take control over them. But with the development of social networks, the number of sources of information receiving information incredibly increased - each of us became. Each such source has a relatively small coverage, but the total coverage is huge.

It is very exciting to observe the situation around the sanctioned rally against falsifications in elections in the Revolution Square. On Wednesday, there was information that the area would close the repair of the Mosvodokanal, which caused the indignation of the opposition blogosphere.

The head of the State Duma Security Committee 5 of the convocation, a member of the United Russia party Vladimir Vasiliev gave an interview to the Rain television channel and answered Slon questions about protests, arrests of disagreements and refused to go to a rally on Saturday: - Why are they arrested and detained disagreed? - First, our society is imperfect. It waited long enough how the intrigue of Medvedev - Putin would be resolved.

Yuri Schmidt, lawyer of the ex-head of the company Yukos, said yesterday that it seems to him that Mikhail Khodorkovsky could be released in 2012: “My intuition suggests that in 2012 they should be free. I want to believe in it, and do not ask me about any evidence. ” But Slon still decided to ask about evidence: Yuri Schmidt: “Since yesterday, I have repented about fifty times in the fact that I uttered this phrase, or rather, for how it was handed over.

Which country bought the most American bonds and shares most? Citizens and organizations of which state most owed to American banks? Or, conversely, what country should America itself be? The answers to these questions are contained on maps from the report of the IMF “Apocalypse later: the evolution of the North Atlantic economy and the global crisis” . The IMF reflected the financial interdependencies between the United States and other countries on the map of the world from 1994 to 2009.

The data that the CEC publishes according to the election results allow you to build dependencies between the number of votes cast for a particular party and the turnout to polling stations. I analyzed the election data in St. Petersburg and Moscow and noticed a number of anomalies. The points on the diagrams correspond to the data of territorial election commissions.

The Finnish Nokia is going to sell its British “daughter” Vertu , which produces the most expensive serial phones in the world (the price of handmade devices can be hundreds of thousands of dollars at all). This was reported by the newspaper Financial Times with reference to an informed source. Goldman Sachs will advise Nokia during the transaction. While negotiations are at the initial stage, even the price for which the Finns would like to sell their luxury unit is not determined.

An illusion is created that it is worthwhile to cancel the results of the Duma elections, and everything will immediately become super and cool. It will not be cool, the requirement to cancel the elections is the requirement to change the screen and scenery. There are no real mechanisms for representing public interests. For whom to demand the cancellation of the elections - for the Communist Party? For "fair Russia", for "Yabloko"?

On Wednesday, at the OSCE summit in Vilnius, Russia blocked the "Declaration of Fundamental Freedoms in the Digital Age." European countries, the USA and Canada, most of the 56 countries included in the OSCE, approved the document, but decisions in the organization are made only unanimously.

On December 10, not only in Moscow, but also in many cities of Russia, rallies will be held against election results. In Moscow, the protesters were going to reach the Revolution Square, but today the Moscow government contacted the organizers of the rally and invited them to transfer the action to Bolotnaya Square. Several tens of thousands of people are going to go to the rally.