A Step to the Right Important changes are taking place in Eastern Europe that could weaken European security and harm the interests of the United States. The expansion of both NATO and the European Union was intended to consolidate political and economic reforms in the region and help its integration with the West. The recent rise of nationalist and populist forces in several Eastern European countries, however, threatens to undermine the transformation process.

The National Education Project in 2007 should be implemented faster than it was in 2006. The Ministry of Education and Science decided in this way to give the regions some time to fulfill local financial obligations under the project. Representatives of this department recently approved a schedule for the implementation of key programs: the winners of the competition for innovative universities will be announced on March 9, and the best schools by April 15.

Chronicle of sporting events Basketball. NBA. Regular season. "Indiana" - "Minnesota" - 71:78, "Cleveland" - "Orlando" - 86:83, "Philadelphia" - "New York" - 98:77, "Memphis" - " Utah - 97:100, Houston - Clippers - 93:98, Seattle - Toronto - 110:97, Detroit - Atlanta - 108:81, Miami - Golden State - 105:92, New Orleans - San Antonio - 77:112, Milwaukee - New Jersey - 115:104, Chicago -- “Charlotte” - 115:76. The home match against the Clippers turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for Houston.

Russia abolished its military headquarters in Tbilisi Today at noon, the commander of the Group of Russian Forces in Transcaucasia (GRVZ), Major General Andrei Popov, will be the last of the Russian military to leave Tbilisi and head to Batumi. From now on until the completion of the base withdrawal process in 2008, a management group of 13 officers will operate in the capital of Adjara.

Yesterday, North Korea celebrated the 15th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's ascension to the post of supreme commander of the country and the birthday of his mother Kim Chek Suk (12/24/1917 - 09/22/1949).

Rosnedra believes that the terms of the license for the development of the Kharyaga field have been violated At a meeting last Friday, the Rosnedra commission postponed until mid-February the issue of revoking the French Total’s license for the Kharyaginskoye field, which is being developed under the terms of a production sharing agreement.

Nadal and Nalbandian willingly played in national level tournaments According to the tennis calendar, December is considered a month of rest for the world's leading players, gathering their strength before the January start of the new season.

Mikhail Zurabov outlined to regional officials the basics of paid medicine Russian doctors and patients need to learn to think in Marx’s formula “commodity-money-commodity”. This is the only way they will be able to survive in the conditions of new medicine, which the head of the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Mikhail Zurabov, intends to promote. Last Friday, the minister conveyed this idea to health officials in the Northwestern and Southern federal districts.

November 22 -- December 22, 2006 “Politicians Through the Eyes of the Media,” a joint project of Vremya Novostei and the Medialogia company, are ratings of the political figures most actively discussed in the Russian media.

UN sanctions against Iran benefit Russia The international community will now talk to Tehran with a document in hand that was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council . This became possible thanks to Russia’s principled and at the same time flexible position. However, “more energetic actions” on Iran are already expected from Moscow, as stated, in particular, by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns.

Chess continues to be one of the most scandalous sports, where the defeated - seemingly intelligent and erudite people in jackets and ties - basically do not know how to admit defeat, and the coaching and management teams of the strongest players try to sort things out in market squabbles and courts.

Moscow and Minsk have less than a week left until the end of the year to sign a new gas contract and find a solution to the division of oil duties. Controversial issues were discussed during a Saturday telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. Minsk asked for such a conversation. There is already one positive news for Lukashenko - Belarus, in any case, is not in danger of cutting off gas supplies from January 1, 2007.

Over the next two days, significant changes in weather will occur in the north-west of European Russia. Monday will be cold, windy, with light snow and heavy ice in places. The temperature at night will drop to -2...-7оС, with clearing in some places to -10...-13оС, and the day will be just as cold. In the center the weather will be truly winter on both days.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev may be interrogated in a fresh criminal case This week, investigators from the Prosecutor General's Office will again take on the disgraced oligarch, ex-head of the oil company YUKOS, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and his former business partner, ex-head of the Menatep MFO, Platon Lebedev, who were sentenced to eight years in prison.

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