The accident in Moscow could become a political assassination attempt on Chubais The political consequences of the Moscow blackout may be no less serious than the technological or domestic ones.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky was recognized as a tax evader The power outage that happened in Moscow yesterday did not in the least prevent the announcement of the verdict in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. It was this area that, ironically, ended up outside the emergency zone.

Auditors want to protect the secrets of their clients Tax persecution of businesses has recently made the issue of maintaining the professional secrets of lawyers, auditors, tax consultants and notaries particularly relevant.

Dementieva played the longest game at Roland Garros Last year's French Open finalist Elena Dementieva beat Croatian Sandra Mamic yesterday in the second round of the tournament - 7:6 (9:7), 6:2. The first set of this match, which lasted 85 minutes, became a record length at the current Roland Garros. It is difficult to predict how events in the match would have developed further if Elena had lost in the tiebreaker.

Former chief engineer of Mosenergo, ex-Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia Viktor KUDRYAVY: - This accident was to be expected. The emergency automation at Mosenergo is designed for its balanced operation, but Moscow has long become an energy-deficient city. And over the past three years, the deficit has grown sevenfold. If in 2003 it was about 240 MW, and in 2004 - 600 MW, then in the winter of this year this figure reached 1,700 MW.

Norilsk Nickel is looking for a niche for Polyus South African gold mining company Gold Fields is considering the possibility of creating a joint venture with MMC Norilsk Nickel, controlled by Vladimir Potanin. The Bloomberg news agency reported this yesterday, citing its sources. It is believed that Gold Fields may transfer its most profitable businesses in Australia and Ghana to the joint company.

But Yulia Tymoshenko will continue to fight Russian oil workers Ukraine, as President Viktor Yushchenko promised to Russian oil workers, has abolished state regulation of prices for petroleum products since yesterday. And although formally the confrontation between oil traders and the Ukrainian authorities has ended, Russian businessmen, apparently, have acquired a sworn enemy in the person of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Deputy Minister of Finance Sergei SHATALOV comments on the consequences of the decision of the Constitutional Court in Vremya Novostei: - Regardless of what the Constitutional Court decides, the more important question is not the number of years of limitation for tax offenses, but the moment from which to start counting this period, be it three, four, five, ten years. Now, as you know, there are disputes about what to take as the starting point for the limitation period.

In Moscow, celebrations on the occasion of the last bell were postponed to the evening due to power failures A power outage in a number of metropolitan schools did not overshadow the final bell ceremony for graduates.

The Duma was busy with gasoline prices and settling personal scores Yesterday, Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko spoke at the State Duma during the government hour. Events in Moscow made his visit to the lower house of parliament could not have been more appropriate. When asked whether there could be a shortage of electricity in Russia, Mr. Khristenko replied that the critical point would come in 2010.

Space forces have turned Russia into a continuous radar field The Russian Space Forces are preparing to celebrate the anniversary of their main symbol - the Baikonur Cosmodrome. On June 2, the 5th State Engineering Test Site of the Ministry of Defense will turn half a century old. The main builder of the cosmodrome was General Shubnikov, the creator of Treptow Park in Berlin.

2003 was the darkest year in the history of world energy November 9, 1965. “Dress rehearsal for the “great blackout of 2003.” As a result of the cascading accident, eight states in the northeastern United States and part of Canada were left without power. In New York City and its suburbs, power was lost in 4 million buildings. Up to 800 thousand people were caught in a blackout in the metro, and rescuers had to bring them to the surface all night.

Everyone is unhappy with Viktor Yushchenko's initiative Yesterday, Moldovan parliamentarians discussed the plan for a settlement in Transnistria, proposed on May 17 in Vinnitsa by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Germany may not give up its nuclear power plants The historic defeat of the German coalition of Social Democrats and the Green Party in parliamentary elections in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has opened the prospect of a possible change of power in Berlin.

Andrey Monastyrsky at Stella Art Gallery In contrast to the new, poorly thought-out permanent exhibition of nonconformist and conceptual art prepared by the department of modern trends of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the new exhibition of the patriarch of Moscow conceptualism Andrei Monastyrsky at the private gallery Stella Art claims to become a chapter in the history of Russian fine art. According to curator Ekaterina Degot, this is Monastyrsky’s first fairly complete personal exhibition.