175 years ago Lermontov wrote the poem “Rusalka” Having celebrated on July 19 the bicentenary of Derzhavin’s message “Eugene. Life of Zvanskaya”, I thought that the plot of “the anniversary of one poem” was worth continuing.

Russian-American consultations on missile defense began in the United States The first (two-day) round of consultations on missile defense between the interdepartmental delegation of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with their counterparts from the United States began behind closed doors in Washington yesterday.

VTB shares fell below the offering price VTB shares, which began trading in May, fell yesterday below the placement price both in Russia and abroad. Their quotes on the MICEX decreased by 0.87% - from 13.63 to 13.52 kopecks. per security, on the London Stock Exchange - by 1.41%, from 10.64 to 10.5 dollars per depositary receipt.

Russian beef importers ask for changes to quota system This summer’s “horror story” about the impending sharp increase in bread prices will quite possibly find its development in the story of other products . Due to rising grain prices, the cost of animal feed has increased. There has always been a shortage of domestic meat in Russia, and the current situation with feed will force domestic producers to raise prices.

The Prosecutor General's Office found another criminal episode in the biography of the disgraced oligarch The Prosecutor General's Office, with enviable persistence, continues to open new criminal cases against Boris Berezovsky. Yesterday, his lawyers in the capital's Basmanny Court got acquainted with another charge already brought against their client in absentia - fraud and money laundering in the amount of $13 million.

At the height of the anti-corruption campaign in the Urals, security forces are being actively changed In just a few days, dramatic changes took place in the security forces of the Sverdlovsk region: the chief of the Yekaterinburg police was replaced, the chief tax officer resigned, the head of the bailiff service was changed, and to top it off, a new regional prosecutor arrived from Kostroma. Moreover, most of the resignations took place without unnecessary noise or even press reports.

Will information technology become a tailspin for Moscow traffic jams? Following London and Stockholm, IBM hopes to sell its systems for monitoring car traffic to Moscow. Perhaps the equipment and technology will actually be purchased - with unobvious consequences for the road situation. Muscovites can only hope that the city authorities understand that computers alone will not cope with traffic jams.

Three books about the foreign policy of a superpower The United States of America today, while remaining the sole world hegemon, has plunged the planet into such a tangle of problems that from the outside it increasingly seems, in its own terminology, a “rogue state.” The contradiction between the declared idealism of goals and their practical implementation has reached its highest degree of intensity.

Schwarzenegger's anniversary in the mirror of contemporary art On July 30, Arnold Schwarzenegger turned 60 years old. How many Americans don’t call the hero of the day because of an indigestible surname! And Arnie, and Arnold Strong, and Austrian Oak! The comparison with a tree in the case of Schwarzenegger is more convincing than the allusions to chivalric times. Vital energy, powerful roots, and the juices of life have become the key to an unrivaled career in the self-made man genre.

Gas exports to Europe decreased by 15% The Ministry of Economic Development published disappointing results of gas exports from Russia in the first half of 2007. As stated in the traditional monitoring of socio-economic development prepared by German Gref’s department, over six months Gazprom’s supplies outside Russia decreased by almost 12%.

Anna Chakvetadze does not lose in the finals of WTA tournaments Russian Anna Chakvetadze won her sixth title in her adult career. The Muscovite won the second category BTA competition with a prize fund of $600 thousand in Stanford (USA). In the decisive match, last year's Kremlin Cup champion defeated Indian representative Sania Mirza - 6:3, 6:2. This was already the sixth final with Chakvetadze’s participation, and in all matches of this level she invariably celebrates triumph.

CLUBS Crocodile TX The group is one of the founders of the so-called first wave of domestic alternative music. The team plays unimaginable and catchy music, mixed from a dozen styles, from the heaviest metal to hip-hop. "PodMoskovye" 21.00. Benny Blanco.

The Development Bank congratulated the Black Sea residents on the holiday The newly created Development Bank continued the tradition started by Vnesheconombank - celebrating Navy Day together with Black Sea sailors. In honor of the holiday celebrated last Sunday, the bank donated three ambulances equipped with modern resuscitation equipment to the military hospitals of the Black Sea Fleet.

The largest merger deal in the global banking market is on the verge of failure. The Dutch bank ABN Amro announced on Monday that it refused to recommend to its shareholders the offer of the British Barclays, which is ready to pay 67.5 billion euros for ABN Amro. However, the bank did not recommend that the owners approve the competing proposal - 72 billion euros from the consortium of Royal Bank of Scotland, Fortis and Santander.

The Iraqi national team sensationally won the Asian Cup A sensation occurred at the just completed Asian Cup. The strongest team on the continent was the team of occupied and bleeding Iraq. Recognized favorites remained out of work. This Asian Cup was somewhat unique. Firstly, it took place in four countries at once - Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Secondly, for the first time, the Australian national team took part in the tournament, having recently moved to the Asian Confederation.