Moscow stores will lose their licenses for selling alcohol to minors While the capital's retail alcohol market is trying to make up for losses incurred during the summer crisis with pre-holiday sales, Moscow legislators are clarifying the rules of the game for those who survived the introduction of the EGAIS system.

The shortage of winners that has arisen in our figure skating has involuntarily reduced the circle of interlocutors with whom we can talk about pleasant things. At the Grand Prix final, only dancers Oksana DOMNINA and Maxim SHABALIN were able to reach the podium, who answered questions from Vremya Novostei correspondent Olga ERMOLINA.

Latvia may sign a border treaty with Russia as early as February If the course of the government of Latvian Prime Minister Aigar Kalvitis remains the same, a border agreement between Russia and Latvia may be signed as early as February 2007. This assumption was expressed yesterday by Russian Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kalyuzhny. The possibility of signing the document in the first half of 2007 was confirmed yesterday to the LETA news agency by Latvian Ambassador to Russia Andris Teikmanis.

Japanese Prime Minister wants to change the constitution Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to achieve the adoption of a law on a referendum on constitutional reform in January, at the first parliamentary session of the new year.

Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov died tonight of cardiac arrest, the country's state television reported. According to the Constitution of Turkmenistan, until the election of a new president, his powers are transferred to the chairman of the Mejlis (parliament), who is currently Ovesgeldy Ataev. In this case, presidential elections must be held no later than two months from the date of transfer of his powers to the Chairman of the Mejlis.

Yesterday, the capital's deputies introduced amendments to the city law “On administrative responsibility for disturbing the peace and quiet of citizens at night in the city of Moscow.” The Moscow City Duma doubled the fines for night owls and shifted responsibility for the noise children make to their parents.

"Rosimushchestvo" and Yakutia divided "Yakutalmaz" Yesterday, the Supreme Arbitration Court finally approved a settlement agreement between Rosimushchestvo and Yakutia regarding the Yakutalmaz property complex.

State Duma deputies have quarreled Russia with Europe Russia has refused to modernize the work of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This happened thanks to the decision of the State Duma adopted yesterday - deputies did not ratify the 14th Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, long ago adopted and ratified by all other member states of the Council of Europe (CoE).

Mikhail Mishustin headed the agency for special economic zones After a three-month break, the Federal Agency for the Management of Special Economic Zones (RosSEZ) finally received a new head. As the Vremya Novostei newspaper predicted a week ago , it is now the ex-head of Rosnedvizhimost Mikhail Mishustin. Mikhail Mishustin is 40 years old. Since 1989, he has been involved in the creation and operation of information systems. Candidate of Economic Sciences.

Gazprom cannot agree with the former Soviet republics on supplies for next year Ten days before the New Year, Gazprom managed to agree on supplies for 2007 only with Ukraine and Armenia from the countries of the former USSR. There are no contracts with other consumers and, with the exception of Latvia and Estonia, there are no contracts in sight yet.

Paris Opera premieres are devoid of radicalism The intendant of the Paris Opera, Gerard Mortier, finally decided to spare the stubborn Parisian public by arranging for them a season of soft-class directing, without excessive radicalism. Three premieres in recent months have been held in this category.

Aton Group managed to profitably sell its core business Many years of attempts by the founder of the Aton investment group, Evgeniy Yuryev, to sell his business to a Western investor have finally ended successfully. Yesterday, the group officially announced the sale of 100% of its institutional division - Aton-Broker and Aton International Ltd. Bank Austria Creditanstalt, part of the Italian banking group Unicredit, became the buyer of Aton's business.

Officials are introducing a pricing mechanism for domestic Russian gas supplies to the government The Federal Tariff Service was supposed to carry out yesterday one of the government's instructions dated November 30, when the decision was made to liberalize the gas and electricity market for industrial consumers by 2011. Namely, to submit to the White House a draft price formula agreed upon with other relevant departments for concluding long-term gas supply contracts with Russian consumers.

Valentina Matvienko was entrusted with St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko yesterday became governor of St. Petersburg for the next five years . The city parliament approved her candidacy for a second term as governor. According to the results of a secret ballot, 40 deputies were in favor of extending Valentina Matvienko’s term of office and only three were against. There were no abstentions.

Tomorrow Georgia will mark a sad date - the 15th anniversary of the start of the civil war, which ended 16 days later with the overthrow of President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who moved to Grozny under the tutelage of his friend, the president of the self-proclaimed Ichkeria Dzhokhar Dudayev. In March 1992, former USSR Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze arrived in Georgia.