November 20, 2015, 09:03 / Economics Moody's upgrades Ukraine's sovereign rating to Caa3 Vedomosti Moody's has upgraded Ukraine's sovereign rating to Caa3 from Ca, reports Prime . The rating outlook has been improved from "negative" to "stable". On November 18, Fitch raised Ukraine's long-term foreign currency rating from RD (“limited default”) to CCC (“pre-default”). The short-term foreign currency rating was also upgraded from RD to C.

German IT companies have begun discussing with the Ministry of Economy the possibility of selling foreign software to government agencies, the production of which will be partially transferred to Russia. In this way, they want to soften the law that has been making it difficult to supply foreign software to government agencies since January 1, 2016. In 2014, SAP alone supplied solutions for the Russian government sector worth 5.6 billion rubles.

Retailer offered suppliers to choose a discount percentage for a promotional campaign / E. Egorov / Vedomosti In general, contracts with suppliers and principles of work on product promotion at O'Key, Perekrestok and Lenta are the same, apparently, we are talking about some details, says Georgy Zhitmarev, Commercial Director of the Piskarevsky Dairy Plant.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the federal district court in Washington granted the plaintiffs' motion and recused herself from the case of former shareholders of the oil company Yukos against Russia, Prime reports , citing court documents. The case will be transferred to another judge, who has not yet been appointed. The plaintiffs representing the former Yukos shareholders saw a conflict of interest in the judge's long-standing acquaintance with Caroline Lamm, one of the defendant's lawyers.

See also: Russian Oscar contenders Konstantin Bronzit's cartoon "We Can't Live Without Space" has been included in the shortlist of the American Film Academy "Oscar". The director told Interfax about this. "This year, the shortlist consists of a minimum number of titles - 10 films," Bronzit noted. A total of 60 films were sent to the competition. Previously, this work won the Grand Prix of the Annecy Film Festival and the main prize of the Zagreb Film Festival.

November 20, 2015, 14:59 / Business The Ministry of Transport recognized local failures in the operation of the Platon system Vedomosti Failures in the operation of the Platon system for collecting tolls from heavy trucks for travel on federal highways are local in nature and will be dealt with on an individual basis. As reports Interfax , Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told reporters in Samara on Friday.

November 20, 2015, 11:59 / Economics Fed did everything possible to prevent rate hike from being a surprise - Fisher Vedomosti The Federal Reserve System (Fed) has done everything possible to prepare world markets for an increase in the key interest rate in the United States, Fed Deputy Chairman Stanley Fisher said at a conference in San Francisco on Asian economies.

EU countries are planning to impose a ban on the circulation of virtual currencies and anonymous payments, Reuters reports , citing a draft document prepared for an emergency meeting of justice ministers on November 20 in Brussels after the Paris attacks.

Estonia and Lithuania will refuse to join the anti-terrorist coalition if Russia joins it, Bloomberg reports. "Lithuania will not join any unions where Russia is present," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Friday. In her opinion, Russia continues to participate in the military conflict in Ukraine. Estonian President Toomas Ilves supports Grybauskaite. According to him, we should unite to counter Russia's aggressive policies.

November 20, 2015, 17:02 / Business / News Russia is ready to launch an energy bridge to Crimea before the New Year undefined Vedomosti Russia is ready to launch an energy bridge to Crimea from the Krasnodar Territory along the bottom of the Kerch Strait a little earlier than January 1, 2016, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters. According to him, the transmission of electricity from Ukraine to Crimea takes place along two lines and amounts to 650 MW.

The Bank of Russia announced the cancellation of licenses from non-state pension funds Erel and Blagodenstvie . A temporary administration has been introduced in both NPFs, the regulator’s press service reports. The licenses of both NPFs were canceled due to violations of the requirements of the law “On Non-State Pension Funds” regarding the adoption of unilateral decisions that violate the rights of insured persons, according to a press release on the Central Bank website.

In Verona, 15 paintings by medieval artists were stolen from the Castelvecchio Museum on the night of November 20, Il Messaggero reports. Among the stolen paintings were Peter Paul Rubens' Dama delle licnidi, Antonio Pisanello's Madonna with the Quail, Giovanni Caroto's Portrait of a Boy with a Drawing of a Doll, and Jacopo Bellini's St. Jerome in the Desert.

November 19, 2015, 19:11 / Real estate Buyers from Russia and Asia left the expensive housing market in London The reason for this is devaluation and problems in developing economies, as well as the increase in stamp duty in Britain Judith Evans The average house price in Kensington is 1.5 million pounds / Jan Kranendonk / YAY / TASS Buyers from Russia and Asia, which until recently accounted for about a third of home purchases in London's most expensive areas, have remained largely absent from

November 20, 2015, 21:19 / Economics The Ministry of Finance announced a possible reduction in inflation below 6% for 2016 Vedomosti Annual inflation in Russia may drop below 7% by the end of the first quarter of 2016, and below 6% by the end of the year, Deputy Finance Minister Maxim Oreshkin said in an interview with Rossiya 24. Now annual inflation is at the level of 15.2-15.3%, in March it reached 16.9%. From the beginning of the year to November 16, prices increased by 11.7%.

The activities of an international network involved in supplying weapons to the Islamic State (banned in Russia) have been suppressed in Kuwait, AFP reports , citing a statement from the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. The group was led by Osama Hayat, a Lebanese native who coordinated the activities of IS in Kuwait, reports AP . He organized transactions for the purchase of Chinese FN6 MANPADS in Ukraine, which were then supplied to militants in Syria through Turkish territory.