The VIM-Avia airline yesterday began placing a promissory note loan for 500 million rubles. and announced its intention to issue bonds for an as yet undetermined amount in the middle of next year. Impexbank and the Region group of companies have been appointed as the organizers of the bill program. The head of the bank's department, Andrei Chervov, said yesterday that the first tranche of bills for 150 million rubles is now being placed. The second tranche for 350 million rubles.

Iraqis are being flayed by Americans and their own security forces The Pentagon admitted that US troops used phosphorus-containing weapons in Iraq. US Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable said "white phosphorus bombs were used as incendiary weapons against armed enemies" in Fallujah, but not against civilians.

Deputies are in no hurry to amend the law “On Gas Supply” The State Duma Committee on Energy, Transport and Communications yesterday recommended that parliament approve amendments to the law “On Gas Supply,” but only in the first reading. First of all, they are canceling quotas for foreigners to own Gazprom shares. The committee proposed that the Duma Council schedule consideration of the bill for November 23.

The central banks of Russia and America received heads Yesterday, American senators and Russian deputies elected people who will determine monetary policy in these countries over the next four years. The positive decision of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, which unanimously approved Sergei Ignatiev as head of the Central Bank, did not surprise anyone. As, indeed, are the recommendations of the US Senate Banking Committee to appoint Ben Bernanke as head of the Fed. And although Mr.

People with the right position were elected to the second third of the Public Chamber The process of forming the Public Chamber of Russia has entered a new stage. Yesterday, the composition of the second third of the chamber was finally announced, which the first third, invited by the president, elected from among representatives of public organizations.

The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia, which began this year, has not brought Moscow and Tbilisi closer. Georgian Foreign Minister Gela BEZHUASHVILI, in an interview with Vremya Novostei correspondent Mikhail VIGNANSKY, spoke about the main problems in relations between the two countries.

Forecast for the coming days Most of the European territory of Russia will be at the mercy of a vast storm cyclone, the center of which will be located over the Barents Sea. Precipitation in the form of rain and sleet will occur everywhere, accompanied by gusty and, in some places, stormy winds. The air temperature will finally gradually return to normal climatic levels, and only in the south of Russia will it still be 3-4 degrees above normal.

Vladimir Kvachkov is campaigning from prison Representatives of the election headquarters of State Duma candidate retired Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, who is accused of an assassination attempt on the head of RAO UES Anatoly Chubais, held a press conference yesterday. They complained to journalists about the candidate’s inability to campaign for himself and declared Colonel Kvachkov the bearer of the super idea of ​​modernizing the army.

Reindeer herders dream of refrigerators The abnormally warm autumn of 2005, it turns out, is fraught with a terrible danger for Komi reindeer herders. Lingering frosts could leave families grazing herds of reindeer and agricultural enterprises in the republic specializing in the production of venison without income. And it’s not just that a number of expensive stores and restaurants that use this delicious meat may face a shortage.

There is still a global shortage of platinum, but palladium is still slightly in excess The British expert bureau Johnson Matthey, a leading distributor of platinum group metals (PGMs), has published a preliminary review of this segment of the global market for this year. Russia, the second largest supplier of platinum and the first supplier of palladium after South Africa, is expected to increase platinum exports this year and reduce palladium supplies, according to Johnson Matthey.

Opponents of the vertical of power have not lost hope of depriving the president of the right to dismiss governors The consideration of the new system for appointing regional heads turned out to be a test of endurance for the Constitutional Court.

Russia is preparing a referendum on the transition to a professional army Before the public had time to discuss the sad messages from Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov about the closure of the lion's share of military departments at civilian universities and the inevitable abolition of most deferments from military service, the military (or anti-war) opposition raised its voice.

CLUBS Jane Birkin. Maybe the main concert of the year. One of the brightest symbols of the 60s and 70s will perform in Moscow - the famous actress and singer, star of comedies with Pierre Richard and Antonioni's film Blow Up. But the whole world knows Jane Birkin primarily as the wife and partner of Serge Gainsbourg.

APEC participants support Russia's accession to the WTO Today and tomorrow, leaders of more than twenty countries are coming to the South Korean port of Busan, including Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush. They will take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and at the same time communicate with each other.

In ten years, all of humanity can have free access to the Internet Yesterday, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) opened in Tunisia under the auspices of the UN. Formally, the main task of this forum is to reduce the “information gap” between developed countries and third world countries. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said at the opening of the WSIS that the technological achievements of the information society remain inaccessible to a large number of people.