Discussion continues around energy reform Two of the most powerful players in the Russian electricity market - RAO UES of Russia and Rosenergoatom - are offering ways to reform the industry. RAO has decided to form a committee under the company’s board of directors that will work on all reform issues affecting the company.

Belarusian democrats have put forward a single candidate The number of contenders for the post of President of Belarus has dropped to a dangerous minimum. Yesterday, one of the candidates, Semyon Domash, submitted a statement to the Central Election Commission that he was ceasing to participate in the election campaign.

A group of counterfeiters was detained by employees of the Main Directorate for Combating Economic Crimes (GUBEP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes of the Volgograd Region. In the city of Mikhailovka, detectives captured three unemployed local residents, 18-20 years old, Zubchenko, Samoilenko and Gorin. In addition, the head of the information and security department of the local branch of Sberbank of Russia No. 4006 was detained.

Roma set their sights on a second Scudetto in a row The capital club Roma, after a long break, finally won the gold medals of the Italian championship and is now preparing to defend its title in the next championship starting on Saturday, combining games in the domestic competition with matches in the Champions League. The task is not the easiest, but doable.

Former Prosecutor General of Belarus Oleg Bozhelko returned to Minsk. Yesterday he was supposed to hold a press conference in Moscow and confirm information about the involvement of the Belarusian leadership in the disappearances of famous politicians. But the ex-prosecutor never decided to go against the “father”. Instead, he fled to Minsk. For the last six months, Mr. Bozhelko has been in Russia, where he fled after his resignation, fearing persecution.

She seeks the “collapse of the dictatorship” The Georgian opposition, including non-parliamentary parties, decided on an unprecedented unification against the ruling “Union of Citizens” - in the office of the beer king and at the same time the head of the “Industry will save Georgia” movement, Goga Topadze, an agreement was concluded to create a coordination council in September.

The anniversary has passed. Vladimir Putin remained silent The leader of the Union of Right Forces, Boris Nemtsov, presented Boris Yeltsin with a silver figurine yesterday - the first president holds the Russian flag in his hands and tramples a tank with his foot. At this point, the participation of officials in the festive events dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the victory over the State Emergency Committee and the Day of the State Flag of Russia was exhausted.

In the Irkutsk region, one of the four convicts who escaped from the Tulun prison was detained yesterday. 39-year-old Vitaly Ermakimov was discovered by police officers and employees of the GUIN several tens of kilometers from the place of detention in the village of Shuba, Tulunsky district. Four prisoners escaped on Tuesday, killing an on-duty guard with a homemade crossbow and wounding a guard. The fugitives broke through the posts, threatening them with wooden dummy pistols.

A commission for the restoration of the city meets in Lensk The head of the government commission for the restoration of Lensk and Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu yesterday at a meeting in Lensk put forward a proposal to exempt construction workers working in the city from paying registration fees, any fines and taxes. According to Mr. Shoigu, he made such a proposal to the Minister of Taxes and Duties Gennady Bukaev and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Boris Gryzlov.

FCSM challenges the almost completed restructuring of Norilsk Nickel The restructuring of Norilsk Nickel is almost complete. Its management announced yesterday the preliminary results of the exchange of shares of RAO Norilsk Nickel (97%) for shares of the mining and metallurgical company (MMC) Norilsk Nickel. However, the FCSM added a fly in the ointment. Its head, Igor Kostikov, reiterated yesterday his determination to challenge the results of the restructuring.

A conscript soldier was detained in Ulan-Ude, who accounted for three killed and two crippled pensioners - residents of the capital of Buryatia. During the investigation, it turned out that the soldier was serving in a military unit stationed on the outskirts of Ulan-Ude. He was called up from the Perm region. As the detainee admitted, he went from house to house and looked for apartments where old people lived.

Mobile operator VimpelCom (trademark Bee Line), following its main competitor, Mobile Telesystems, reported yesterday an almost doubling of profits for the last quarter. The results exceeded analysts' expectations, and quotes for VimpelCom's ADRs on US stock exchanges increased by 12% at the beginning of trading.

The Ministry of Finance is going to separate business and charity German money intended for Russians - prisoners of fascist concentration camps, has been haunting the Duma, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Taxes for the third day. Representatives of these departments cannot give a firm answer whether former prisoners should pay a single social tax on the amounts that will soon arrive from Germany as compensation for the years spent in captivity.

The Australian bank ANZ, the country's third largest bank, decided to support athletes who won silver at the Olympics in different years. The bank's management was prompted to take this step by the opinion of sports psychologists, who claim that it is the silver medalists, as well as athletes who failed to make it into the top three, who experience extreme stress. ANZ financed a series of promotional TV films about sporting "losers".

South Korea settled scores with the IMF ahead of schedule Yesterday, South Korean authorities reported that they completed repayments on the IMF loan two years and eight months ahead of schedule. In December 1997, as Asia was in the throes of a devastating financial crisis, the Fund arranged for a $58 billion emergency loan to Seoul to save the country from default.