The Russian Investigative Committee (RIC) has opened three cases over artillery shelling of civilians in southeastern Ukraine by Ukrainian security forces. "Three criminal cases have been opened on the grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (use of prohibited means and methods of warfare)," RIA Novosti quotes a representative of the RIC as saying.

Four terrorists from the Islamic State, which is banned in Russia, who were preparing terrorist attacks on Moscow transport facilities have been detained in Moscow, the FSB Public Relations Center reported. The group included four people – Russians and citizens of Central Asian countries. According to the investigation, they were preparing terrorist attacks using homemade explosive devices. The FSB said that the suspects' actions were directed from Syrian territory.

Back in the late 1990s, defending a dissertation did not require much effort. For a candidate's dissertation, in addition to the manuscript itself, it was necessary to pass three exams and publish the results of the research in a scientific publication. The dissertation could be a published monograph or textbook. There were no regulations on the number of publications required for the defense, nor on the journals in which they should appear. Now the situation has changed radically.

An explosive device went off in the car of former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, injuring Papademos and his driver, Reuters reported. According to preliminary information, the former prime minister has wounds in both legs and was taken to hospital. The agency clarifies that he opened a mined envelope in his car. According to local media, Papademos' life is out of danger. Papademos resigned in 2012 to pave the way for the formation of a new government after parliamentary elections.

May 25, 2017, 02:05 / Business Exclusively by subscription Kirov Plant can now test turbine units for icebreakers The opening of the test bench coincided with a court hearing in which it plays an important role Dmitry Gorshenin The modernization of the stand cost 1.3 billion rubles. / Kirov plant On May 24, the Kirov Plant put into operation a stand for testing steam turbine units with a capacity of up to 75 MW.

The Board of Directors of PJSC Megafon recommended paying dividends for 2016 in the amount of 20 billion rubles, or 32.25 rubles per ordinary share (or GDR), the company said in a statement. If approved, the amount of dividends, taking into account interim dividends for 2016, will be 40 billion rubles, which corresponds to 64.5 rubles per ordinary share (or GDR). The list of shareholders entitled to receive dividends will be compiled based on the register data as of July 11, December.

A cyberattack using the WannaCry virus could have caused $1 billion in damage in 4 days, the McClatchy portal cites the opinion of KnowBe4 CEO Stu Sjuverman. Since May 12, the virus has infected 200,000–300,000 computers in at least 150 countries. American experts do not rule out that attacks may be repeated.

May 25, 2017, 1:17 pm / Business Iran will join any OPEC decision to extend the oil deal Vedomosti Iran will join any decision by OPEC to extend the agreement to reduce oil production, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters. “We have no problems with any of the three extension options – for 6, 9 or 12 months,” he noted. According to him, the extension period “is not a matter of disagreement” between the countries included in the cartel.

May 25, 2017, 21:25 / Business / News Rotenberg's SMP Bank plans to buy a stake in Aquanika from Timchenko's Volga Group undefined Vedomosti SMP Bank filed a petition with the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to acquire a stake in the authorized capital of the drinking water manufacturer Akvanika LLC. According to the SPARK-Interfax database, 100% of the shares of Aquanika LLC belong to Volga Group LLC of Gennady Timchenko. The SMP Bank group is controlled by businessman Arkady Rotenberg.

Yesterday, the State Duma adopted amendments to the laws on presidential elections. They propose increasing the number of polling stations and simplifying the procedure for appointing observers, and also partially abolish absentee ballots. The amendments may affect the amount of funding for the presidential campaign, Kommersant newspaper writes, citing a source.

May 25, 2017, 19:25 / Business The next meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries will take place on November 30 Vedomosti The next OPEC meeting and meeting with countries outside the organization will be held on November 30, 2017, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum. “The approved date for the 173rd OPEC meeting and the third meeting with non-OPEC countries is November 30, 2017,” the statement said.

May 25, 2017, 15:27 / Business "Kinef" named the cause of the fire in which two people died Vedomosti As a result of a fire at the Kinef oil refinery in the Kirishi district of the Leningrad region, two people died. The fire occurred during repair work.

May 25, 2017, 16:30 / Economy / News Real incomes of the population in April fell to the level of 2009 – VEB undefined Vedomosti Real incomes of the population continue to decline and in April reached the level of 2009, according to Vnesheconombank’s monthly review. “Consumer spending, which was the main driver of GDP in the first quarter, decreased slightly in April. Mainly due to a decrease in demand for paid services.

May 25, 2017, 14:43 / Business OPEC accepted the 14th member of the cartel - Equatorial Guinea undefined Vedomosti Read also: Oil-producing countries extended production cuts for 9 months At a meeting in Vienna, OPEC accepted its fourteenth member, Equatorial Guinea, into the organization, as previously expected, Saudi Arabian Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in his welcoming speech. "Welcome!" - he said and shook hands with the representative of Guinea.

May 25, 2017, 01:33 / Business Exclusively by subscription R-Pharm plans to enter the Japanese market in three years There the company will develop two or three new products Anastasia Ivanova Despite stagnation, the Japanese market is about $100 billion / Shizuo-Kambayashi / AP Chairman of the board of directors of the company and its main owner Alexey Repik spoke about this in an interview with Vedomosti (for more details, see pages 08–09).