France will mark the start of its six-month presidency of the European Union by decorating the Eiffel Tower with the colors of the EU flag, Reuters reports citing Le Parisien newspaper. The tower, 300 meters high, will shine blue, against which will be a huge circle of yellow stars, every evening for two months, starting on June 30th. To "paint" the most recognizable symbol of France in blue, eight giant spotlights on the ground and another 100 on the tower itself will be required.

At the end of 2001, a formidable circular was sent to all regional divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the then Minister of Internal Affairs Boris Gryzlov promised to fire policemen who refused to accept applications from injured citizens. And - about a miracle! - according to the results of 2002, the number of applications almost tripled - 13 million (5 million in 2001). In 2005, the innovations were consolidated by order, and there were even more applications - almost 20 million.

The experts of the analytical center were based on official statistics from Rosstat and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as on their own calculated indicators. The study was conducted in 156 Russian cities with a population of more than 100,000 people. The rating includes 50 dangerous cities in the country. To assess the criminal situation, weighted average data for 2002–2006 are provided. The 2008 forecast is an estimate that models whether crime rates will rise or fall.

The uncle of the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Nikitich, sat in the Perm region in the famous Nyrob prison. When his nephew was on the throne, the locals received a letter of sympathy for the well-born inmate. Peasant children, at the instigation of their elders, threw food into the pit where the prisoner was, for which at first the peasants were tortured to death, but when the government changed, they were freed from all duties.