Patriarch Alexy served his first liturgy in the church of the Russian Church Abroad on November 30 in Munich. In the Cathedral of St. The New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia were overcrowded. Hundreds of people came from many German cities. Even the entrance had to be blocked, and for those who did not get into the service, a screen was put up on the street. After the Eucharist, the patriarch went out to communicate with the people.

Despite the fact that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko almost daily assures his citizens that the global financial crisis has not affected the republic, last week Minsk took unprecedented measures to support the Belarusian economy. On Thursday, it became known about the widespread reduction of salaries for state employees - immediately by 15%.

Russian billionaire, president of the Russian Fencing Federation (FFR) and the European Fencing Confederation (CEE) Alisher Usmanov has been elected president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), according to a statement on the FFR website. Usmanov won by a margin of five votes. The billionaire became the first Russian in many years to head the international federation of the Olympic sport.

In a small apartment in the center of Moscow, early in the morning, a district police officer came. The door was opened by a sleepy 35-year-old woman in pajamas and slippers. Scarlet hearts were depicted on the slippers. “Natalya Vladimirovna, how are you? Didn't get married?" - politely asked the militiaman. The lady woke up in surprise.

When the first part of the French Enemy of the State No. 1, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, was released in Russia in mid-November, there was nothing to write about it. Yes, it seemed obvious that this biography of the famous French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s, Jacques Mesrin, was the biggest French project of the decade. That Vincent Cassel, who played the hero, once again showed himself to be a fantastic actor.

One of Hillary Clinton's most famous campaign ads, directed specifically at the inexperienced Barack Obama, showed the telephone ringing in the White House in the middle of the night: “Something has happened in the world. Your voice determines who will answer this call. Will it be someone who already knows the world leaders, knows the military and is ready to lead you forward in this dangerous world?” President Obama will answer the phone in the White House.

“You are BG, and I am BG,” Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov said to Boris Grebenshchikov over a cup of coffee in 2003. Now Grebenshchikov has an anniversary - 55 years - and the first, one might say, true BG celebrates him with concerts and two albums. One is traditional and is called "White Horse", the second is a recording of a concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, made this spring. Her BG posted on the Internet, on the site of the social network Kroogi.ru.

A scandal erupted in Britain. The secret services suspected that listening devices were installed in the samovar given to Queen Elizabeth II by Soviet pilots about 20 years ago. All these years, the samovar stood in the living room of the Scottish castle of Balmoral, the residence of the Queen Mother. According to the servants, the royal family was very fond of this samovar and always showed off it to the guests.

The terrorists in Mumbai didn't have to think about how many commandos the Indian government would send against them and when they would start the assault. It was enough to turn on the nearest TV and listen to Minister of the Interior Shivraj Patil. That's what he said: 200 soldiers left New Delhi at 2.30 am and they have to fly for two hours.

Last week it became known that the British company i-CD Publishing in February 2008 filed a lawsuit with the High Court of London demanding that the site Odnoklassniki.ru be recognized as its property. The company accuses Albert Popkov, the creator of the most popular social network in Russia, of violating property rights and demands the return of all income received by Popkov from the site.

Because of the global crisis, this year's Nobel laureate Paul Krugman has become the most famous economist. The other day, his book "The Return of the Depression and the Crisis of 2008" was published - a new edition of the book published in 1999. Krugman finished writing it, as he himself admitted, in "one crazy week in October", when the American economy was already shaking, but not yet standing on the knees. Now it got even worse.

I have often heard that 2008 ended badly for Zenit and is therefore considered a failure. In the spring and summer we won the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup, and then took only fifth place in the Russian Championship (although we won the last one) and flew out of the Champions League group stage. But the last impression is remembered, apparently, stronger. However, I have a completely different opinion.

At the borders, the clouds are still gloomy, but the crew of the combat vehicle can relax for a while: NATO's entry to the western and southern borders of the country is being postponed. Ukraine and Georgia were not given a MAP - an action plan for membership in the alliance. Moreover, NATO is resuming cooperation with Moscow, despite the war in Georgia. The Kremlin says common sense has prevailed in Brussels. Eastern Europe and the United States believe that the alliance has shown weakness.

The favorite of the Internet, the white bear cub Knut from the Berlin Zoo is forced to look for a new home - because of the crisis. Last week, Knut turned two years old, he has grown - now weighs 210 kg with a height of 2.5 m - and the enclosure has become too small for him. The bear needs a new spacious paddock, but the zoo administration has no money for it.

Riots and unrest erupted in Greece over the weekend after a 15-year-old teenager was shot dead in a routine skirmish between police and anarchists in central Athens on Saturday. The greatest destruction fell on the share of the Greek capital. In Athens, 24 bank branches, 35 shops and 12 residential buildings and apartments, 22 cars, seven bus stops and a branch of the ruling New Democracy party, as well as 63 garbage cans, were partially or completely burned down.