President Vladimir Putin signed a decree “Issues of the savings and mortgage system for housing provision for military personnel,” the press service of the head of state reported. In accordance with the decree, the Ministry of Defense is entrusted with the functions of the authorized federal executive body ensuring the functioning of the savings and mortgage system for housing provision for military personnel.

While the tone in the championship is set by Michelin clients Tomorrow the first races of the next San Marino Grand Prix will begin at the Imola circuit. Formula 1 returns to Europe, where, according to many, the real championship will begin. However, we shouldn’t forget about the lessons of the first races, since they significantly changed the pre-season layout.

United Russia has grown a second wing Following the right wing of United Russia, whose representatives officially announced themselves on Tuesday, the party in power has grown a left wing, apparently for balance. This happened at a round table dedicated to the party’s social program.

Sovcomflot is laying a gas fairway The state-owned Sovcomflot yesterday announced its intention to cooperate with Severnaya Verf, controlled by the structures of Mezhprombank. The subject of the corresponding agreement signed by the companies was the study of issues regarding the possibility of building vessels for the transportation of liquefied petroleum gases at the shipyard. Until now, such courts have not been created in Russia.

Yesterday in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin received the Chairman of the European Commission, former Prime Minister of Portugal Jose Manuel Barroso. According to Russian Presidential Aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky, as a result of three-hour negotiations, “it was possible to bring closer the positions of the parties on some complex issues of agreeing on documents on four common European spaces,” which are being prepared for signing on May 10 in Moscow at the Russia-EU summit.

Ecuador's president overthrown by mob There was a coup d'etat in Ecuador yesterday. After street protests, the country's president, 58-year-old Lucio Gutierrez, fled by helicopter from the Carondelet Palace and hid in the territory of the Brazilian embassy. Brazil announced that it would grant him political asylum. The unrest in Quito erupted after the president declared a state of emergency in the capital a week ago and announced the dissolution of the Supreme Court.

CSKA basketball players still won the Russian Cup CSKA continued its unbeaten streak in the domestic arena. Yesterday in Moscow, the team of head coach Dusan Ivkovic won the Russian Cup for the first time, winning the final against Kazan UNICS - 96:81 . Thus, the army team won 30 victories in a row in the championship and national cup matches this season, without ever experiencing the bitterness of defeat. CSKA and UNICS have already met in the Russian Cup final.

The Netherlands and Doctors Without Borders are suing over Russian ransom Yesterday, Judge Jean Mirimanov (Russian by birth) held the first hearing of the case “Kingdom of the Netherlands versus the Swiss section of Doctors Without Borders.” The case decreed that it was the Russian who would examine the claim for compensation of a million euros paid by the Dutch government for the release of Arjan Erkel from captivity in the Caucasus.

The Secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine brings good news to his government The visit to Moscow of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, which began yesterday, coincided with an acute conflict that arose between Kiev and Russian oil companies due to increased prices for petroleum products on the Ukrainian market. After a meeting with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, Mr. Poroshenko called for “not to dramatize” the situation.

Yerevan calls Ankara to repentance for genocide On Sunday, April 24, Armenians around the world will mark the 90th anniversary of the tragic events they call the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On this day in Yerevan, about 1.5 million people will go to the Monument to the Victims of the Genocide.

Russia will play with Italy with a completely new squad On Saturday and Sunday there will be matches of the opening round of the first World Group of the Fed Cup - the unofficial world championship among women's national tennis teams. The current trophy holder, the Russian team, will meet the Italian team in the resort town of Brindisi, on the Apennine Peninsula.

Trading in futures contracts on the new RTS will begin in the summer The transfer of the RTS derivatives market from the parent exchange to the subsidiary exchange will be completed in late May - early June. This was announced yesterday by Oleg Safonov, president of NP RTS, speaking at the second annual forum dedicated to the theory and practice of options trading.

Three mistakes of the reconstruction of Russia The need for institutional reforms seems to be beyond doubt. However, the government is in no hurry to do this, despite the favorable external environment and the president’s high ratings. Moreover, the few reforms that the authorities have decided to undertake invariably do not go as planned. Yesterday, the progress of reforms was assessed by Andrey Neshchadin, executive director of the Expert Institute at the RSPP.

In the early 1960s, while still a teenager, I started talking to a fellow passenger on a train—who, as it turned out, was an Armenian born in Turkey. She was unusually pretty, although she had already reached the age when they speak only the truth. This is what she said: “I was 13 when the Turks burst into our house. Soldiers or just bandits, I don’t know. They killed dad, mom, stabbed all the adults. But then a handsome black-mustachioed Turkish guy ran into the house.

Alexander Semenyaka is building a new system for refinancing housing loans The state program to support mortgages, announced last year as a “national project,” is changing its emphasis.