Air passengers in Russia fear women in black more than hurricanes The Ministry of Transport, under the pretext of ensuring the safety of air transportation, can today propose even the most stringent measures that not only create inconvenience, but also limit the rights of passengers. Those who regularly use airline services will understand this.

The European Union has undergone a planned change of commissioners. The post of EU Energy Commissioner, strategic for Russia, went to Latvian Andris Piebalgs, a native of the former Soviet Union (the vote in the European Parliament to approve the new composition of the commission was supposed to take place after the signing of this issue of “Energy of Europe”). It is difficult to predict how this appointment will affect cooperation with Moscow, including on gas issues.

Great need for investment in the energy sector Russia under President Putin has made significant progress towards reform. The ongoing discussions about the investment climate - even against the backdrop of the Yukos affair - should not blind our eyes to this. Never before has this country's potential and underlying situation been as favorable as today for positive economic development and investment. Russia has reduced its public debt and is servicing it regularly.

The investigation into the case of Vyacheslav Ivankov is nearing its end The Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow extended the detention of thief in law Vyacheslav Ivankov, nicknamed Yaponchik, who is accused of murdering two Turkish citizens in 1992. He will remain in prison until at least February 17, 2005, but investigators plan to finish investigating his case even earlier.

Unknown sources rushed to report Sibneft’s tax problems Tax officials explained yesterday what is behind the reports published on Wednesday about the presentation of claims against Sibneft for 2000-2001 in the amount of 21 billion rubles. As a source in the tax authorities told Vremya Novostey, in fact, in accordance with the law, the Federal Tax Service (FSN) is obliged, after receiving objections to the inspection report, to issue a demand for payment of the amount to the budget.

Centenary against the background of Anglo-French contradictions The two-day visit of French President Jacques Chirac to the UK is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Entente - the treaty of “cordial agreement” between the two countries. In April, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited France for the same solemn occasion. The Entente military alliance created in 1904 put an end to the century-long confrontation between Paris and London.

The Hollywood symphony “The Lord of the Rings” was played in Moscow The backstory of the event is simple: Canadian film composer Howard Shore - one of the most venerable Hollywood composers (and what could be more significant for the reputation and finances of a modern composer than good Hollywood fame) - wrote the soundtrack for Peter Jackson's film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" based on the cult book by Tolkien .

Apple juice will be repainted to match the opposition The second round of presidential elections will take place in Ukraine on Sunday. Voters' sympathies are polarized: the west and center of the country support opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, the south and east support the current Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Forecast for the coming days The central and northwestern regions will be at the epicenter of bad weather on Friday and Saturday. There is snow, sleet, heavy in places, blizzards, icy conditions, wind, snow drifts on the roads in places, rolling, sleet, during the day -5...+2oC. On Sunday it will get colder by 2-3 degrees. In the capital on Friday it will be cloudy, with light snow at times. Temperature at night -1...-6оС, during the day 0...-2оС, north-west wind, 5--10 m/s.

Vadim TYULPANOV, speaker of the St. Petersburg parliament: -- The Federation Council should be formed according to the old scheme from the heads of the executive and legislative authorities of the constituent entities of the federation, and not from their representatives. Mainly because with such a mechanism, governors and speakers will directly participate in the adoption of the federal budget and really influence the formation of the treasury, defending the interests of the regions.

In the language of sociologists, the forecast “horizon” of most studies is located at a distance of 20-30 years. When it comes to such periods of time, it is usually assumed that the fundamental parameters - demographic development, economic growth, political conditions - are under more or less reliable control of the forecaster and are in fact “constant”.

The Eastern Committee mobilizes German business to invest in Russia The tragic events in Beslan disrupted the planned meeting schedule between President Putin and Federal Chancellor Schröder. A trip to Hamburg planned for September had to be cancelled. However, it was during these weeks that the German business community showed its sincere solidarity with the Russians and demonstrated support for the set of reforms carried out by the Russian government.

The heart, the energy center, the engine of growth and the soul of the German economy, and also a machine that creates jobs - such epithets are often given to medium-sized enterprises in Germany. All this is true and is easily confirmed by numbers. Medium-sized businesses in Germany account for 98% of all enterprises, producing 57% of GDP and creating 70% of jobs in the country.

Yesterday one of the capital's best theaters burned in Moscow The theater "Near the Stanislavsky House" under the direction of Yuri Pogrebnichko, People's Artist of Russia and State Prize laureate, a theater beloved by fans and some critics, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last year, received the Golden Mask and the Edinburgh Festival prize, burned down in the night for Thursday. The main stage and auditorium were almost completely destroyed.

Russia is looking for ways to rapprochement with a long-time economic partner Yesterday, a meeting of the Russian-Indian commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation began in Delhi. Once upon a time, India was one of the closest partners of the USSR among countries that did not choose the socialist path of development. To this day, people remember Indian tea with an elephant and the fashionable gauze fabric.