Portraits of Kim Jong Il frighten experts "Can you remove the sun from the sky? It's impossible!" This is how the North Korean embassy in Moscow commented on media reports that appeared yesterday that portraits of the “beloved leader” Kim Jong Il, which hung next to the images of his late father and founder of the state Kim Il Sung, were being removed in state institutions of the DPRK.

VEB will support Russian exports to South Africa Tomorrow the next session of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation will open in the capital of the Republic of South Africa. This time, a more than representative delegation of Russian business went to Pretoria together with officials under the leadership of Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov.

Stephen Theede is calling government officials back on his board of directors. The disgraced Yukos continues to push Russian officials to negotiate. The company again offers the government the “peaceful” options that it voiced earlier. Yesterday, YUKOS managers said that they were ready to give government representatives the opportunity to take part in managing the holding: to join the board of directors and discuss an anti-crisis management plan.

The State Duma will protect regional legislative assemblies State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said yesterday that he does not rule out the possibility of introducing changes to the bill on a new procedure for gubernatorial elections, the second reading of which is scheduled for December 1. The presidential initiative caused a mixed reaction in the regions. Tatarstan met with particular dissatisfaction.

The website of the Chechen separatists went live again Less than a month has passed since the website of the Chechen separatists “Caucasus Center”, which was closed first in Lithuania and then in Finland, resumed its work in Sweden. The choice of Sweden was not accidental. The point is not even that the Internet provider who opened the militants' website in Finland, Mikael Storsche, is a Swede by nationality, but that Sweden has a slightly different approach to the Chechen problem as such.

Sukhoi is ready to start RRJ production The Board of Directors of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft CJSC (SCAC) stated at the end of last week that the design and development process of the Russian regional airliner RRJ has reached a stage where it is possible to begin manufacturing prototypes. However, on the threshold of this new stage, the company decided to change the boss. As was announced yesterday, Viktor Subbotin became the General Director of the State Aircraft System on November 13.

Congress of Accord with the President President Vladimir Putin not only considered it necessary to attend the next congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs yesterday, but also spent the entire meeting there, carefully listening to all the reports. Entrepreneurs reacted to this gesture from the head of state with undisguised joy.

Russian ministers cannot decide whether to sell weapons to Baghdad Russia may soon have another source of income - arms supplies to the revived Iraqi army may resume. This was agreed upon during a meeting in the Belgian city of Mons, where the NATO military command is located, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Yuri Baluevsky, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Armed Forces of the North Atlantic Alliance in Europe, American General James Jones. It was Mr.

Alexey Mordashov will complete the construction of the Izhora plant on his own At the beginning of 2006, the metallurgical holding of Alexey Mordashov will enter the competition for supplies to Gazprom and oil companies of large-diameter pipes (LDP). Yesterday, Severstal Group Deputy General Director for Strategic Development Vadim Makhov said that by the end of next year the construction of a pipe mill at the Izhora plant will be completed.

Condi Rice received a gift from Bush Yesterday, US President George W. Bush proposed that Condoleezza Rice take over as the new US Secretary of State. She will head the foreign policy department as soon as she is confirmed by the Senate. And Condoleezza Rice will be replaced as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs by her deputy, Stephen Hadley. Previous Secretary of State Colin Powell resigned. The Secretary of State's chair is a kind of birthday gift to Condoleezza Rice.

Church property is being divided in Moldova Chisinau denied yesterday reports that the Bessarabian Metropolis was recognized as the spiritual, historical and canonical successor of the Metropolis that operated on the territory of the present Republic of Moldova until 1940.

The head of the Pension Fund promises that budget funds will be enough for all beneficiaries The Pension Fund of Russia will finally be able to count all federal beneficiaries entitled to monthly cash payments only by November 25.

Maria Sharapova won the final tennis tournament of the year Maria Sharapova again made herself admired not only by her rivals, experts and fans, but even by people who are not too interested in events in world women's tennis. In the final of the WTA Championship, a tournament with the participation of eight of the strongest players on the planet (including five Russians, which is unique in itself), Maria beat Serena Williams on the court at the Staples Center in Los Angeles - 4:6, 6:2, 6 :4.

LUKOIL categorically refuses the project to build an oil pipeline bypassing the Turkish gulfs from Bulgarian Burgas to Greek Alexandroupolis. A year ago the company lobbied for this project, but now considers it unprofitable. Vagit Alekperov's holding continues to insist on laying an oil pipeline from Western Siberia to the coast of the Barents Sea and proposes to build at least part of the pipeline - from Kharyaga to the village of Indiga.

Offended political candidates appealed to the Constitutional Court The Constitutional Court will have to decide whether professional, national or confessional parties can exist in Russia. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court held open hearings on the constitutionality of one of the articles of the federal law “On Political Parties,” which does not allow the registration of parties that try to indicate in their name that they belong, for example, to Christianity or to the Russian people.