Alexander the Great is being robbed of his fame as the founder of cities The legendary commander Alexander the Great, considered the founder of the city of Alexandria (now in Egypt), created this settlement in 332 BC. not out of nowhere. So say French geologists from the University of Paul Cézanne in Aix-en-Provence, who conducted soil studies in the historical harbor of Alexandria.

The President of Kyrgyzstan was greeted briefly but warmly in the Kremlin Yesterday's meeting between the presidents of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the Kremlin, and then the negotiations in a broad format, were exemplary from the point of view of protocol. The rendezvous between Vladimir Putin and Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the Green Living Room of the Grand Kremlin Palace began on time, and an hour later the interlocutors joined the members of their delegations.

How youth policy is done Two protests by youth organizations dedicated to the State Duma’s abolition of nine of the 25 existing deferments from military conscription clashed on Sunday near the Ministry of Defense building. A Vremya Novostey correspondent turned out to be a witness to the “collision.” On Friday, young Yabloko members led by Ilya Yashin announced their intention to protest against the cancellation of deferments.

20 years ago, on the night of April 26, 1986, the fourth power unit exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In addition to the nearby regions of Ukraine and Belarus, some Russian regions were exposed to radioactive contamination. According to the chief state sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation, Gennady Onishchenko, today there are 4,343 settlements in 14 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, where more than 1.5 million people live, in the zone of radioactive contamination.

There is a stack of April magazines on the table. Appeals to the remnants of conscience. Requires review. “October” is especially urgent (here I am still No. 3 in debtors). Well, magazines are not without their merits.

Russians will not be able to compete for the next Federation Cup Russian tennis players lost the opening quarterfinal match of the Fed Cup to the Belgian team - 2:3 and dropped out of the fight for this prestigious trophy this season. The overall score of the Russian-Belgian confrontations at the Federation Cup became 3:1 in favor of the rivals. Undoubtedly, this meeting was the most intriguing of all the Cup quarterfinal matches.

The Russian market for the Hungarian voter Hungarian Prime Minister and leader of the liberal-socialist bloc Ferenc Gyurcsany yesterday accepted congratulations from his rival, the head of the conservative right-wing opposition Viktor Orban, who lost the parliamentary elections. The final results will be announced in the next few days, but it is already clear that the coalition of 44-year-old Gyurcsany will have at least 210 seats in the 386-seat parliament.

Olmert creates the biggest government ever Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to present his cabinet next week for approval by the 120-seat Knesset. Olmert's government will become the largest in the country's history - 27 ministers. The ruling coalition will include six parties - the centrist Kadima (Forward), the left Labor Party, the right Our Home Is Israel (NDI), the Pensioners Party, the ultra-religious Shas and another religious Yahadut HaTorah (Unity of the Torah) party.

Intelligence agencies uncovered an international criminal group of shuttle traders The Moscow Prosecutor's Office, and after it the Prosecutor General's Office, yesterday solemnly announced the exposure in Moscow of “an international criminal group involved in the smuggling of consumer goods through Vnukovo Airport.” As a result of this operation, carried out by officers of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Organized Crime Control Department and riot police, 21 people were detained.

Epidemics feared in Koryakia after earthquake The Olyutorsky district of Koryakia, which was hit by the strongest earthquake in recent years on April 21, continues to live in a state of emergency. And although, as noted in the Kamchatka branch of the geophysical service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, seismic activity in the region has decreased significantly, a repetition of a strong earthquake is still quite possible. Residents of Koryakia felt the last tangible shock on Sunday.

Investors consider the company's dividends too low Today in Astana there will be a meeting of the board of directors of LUKOIL, where the amount of dividends based on the results of last year will be determined. However, yesterday the vice-president of the company Andrei Gaidamaka told Reuters that earnings per share would be 33 rubles. The total amount of payments, if approved by shareholders at the annual meeting, may exceed RUB 28 billion. (approximately $1 billion).

President At a meeting with members of the government, he reminded the Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov of his instructions to improve the pension system for military widows. The minister, in turn, promised that in a week the government will complete the development of a law according to which all widows of military personnel will receive two pensions, including for the loss of a breadwinner.

The dollar fell to a six-year low in Russia The dollar exchange rate in Russia yesterday reached a minimum not seen since January 2000. The official exchange rate of the Central Bank decreased by 0.3%, from 27.51 to 27.43 rubles/dollar, and there seems to be no chance that the American currency will at least slightly regain lost ground. According to market participants, before the May holidays, the dollar traditionally becomes cheaper by 10-15 kopecks.

The largest Russian state concerns are trying to sell tasty morsels to foreign investors The boom in the IPO market of Russian companies became the central topic at the Russian Economic Forum in London, which began yesterday. Another Russian state corporation has expressed a desire to become a public company by placing its shares. Following Rosneft, VTB, KamAZ and RAO UES of Russia, the state transport monopoly, Russian Railways, intends to raise several billion dollars.

Georgian Defense Minister went to earn the post of Prime Minister Yesterday, 33-year-old Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili went to Ukraine with a special assignment from his commander-in-chief. 38-year-old President Mikheil Saakashvili, during his visit to China in the first half of April, stated that he entrusts the head of the military department with the task of winning new markets for Georgian wine within three months.