The President exempted the space industry from VAT Space explorers are exempt from value added tax. President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the Tax Code providing VAT benefits to enterprises producing and servicing space technology, as well as conducting research programs for monitoring objects and phenomena in outer space, including from Earth.

Yesterday, an unusual meeting took place in the Vatican: between the rector of the Holy See, Benedict XVI, and the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who heads the largest country in the Islamic world. The Vatican still does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. However, the monarch, who is now visiting European countries, himself requested an audience with the Pope. Welcoming the monarch, the pontiff warmly clasped his hand with his palms and led him into his library.

West Qurna 2 is mired in Iraqi government debt Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani continues to assert that the Iraqi government does not consider LUKOIL's contract to develop the giant West Qurna 2 oil field to be valid. Over the weekend, The New York Times published his statement that the field may be open to new applicants as early as next year. However, earlier Iraqi officials have repeatedly said that they consider the LUKOIL contract to be invalid .

The final women's tournament started in Madrid The eight participants in the final BTA championship, where $3 million is at stake, included three Russians - Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze and Maria Sharapova. All eight athletes who will take to the courts in Madrid this week are divided into two groups - “yellow” and “red” - according to the colors of the Spanish flag.

Leonid Slutsky opened a grandiose season of coaching resignations in Russian football The season has not yet ended, and the coaches of the Russian Football Premier League teams are slowly vacating their chairs. The most unexpected resignation of the final championship was the dismissal of Moscow head coach Leonid Slutsky.

The new head of the IMF opened a mailbox French socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn has taken up his duties as head of the International Monetary Fund . On November 1, DSK (as he abbreviates himself) together with his wife, journalist Anne Sinclair, solemnly entered the IMF from the front entrance and took over the post from the retired Spanish Marquis Rodrigo de Rato. The first innovation associated with the arrival of Strauss-Kahn was not long in coming.

The largest terrorist attack in the history of Afghanistan was carried out Yesterday, the worst terrorist attack in its history took place in Afghanistan. While a parliamentary delegation was visiting a sugar factory in Baghlan province, north of Kabul, a suicide bomber blew himself up. According to various reports, the victims of the explosion were from 80 to 100 people, including women and children. According to Afghan media reports, the Taliban refused to take responsibility for the attack.

Our teams won both titles at the European Championships The Russian team won the European Team Chess Championship, held in Crete. We entered the last round with the Bulgarian team already in the rank of champions, three points ahead of our closest competitors. But we also won this prestige match 2.5:1.5. “Silver” went to the Armenian team, which turned out to be stronger in the play-off with Israel - 2.5:1.5. The team from the promised land eventually slipped from second place to fourth.

“Russian March” and “Young Guard” coincided in festive slogans A recreated or, according to some, invented holiday - National Unity Day - was held in Russia for the third time. In some ways, it increasingly resembles its political predecessor - the anniversary of the Great October Revolution, celebrated according to the introduced “new style” on November 7. But now the country celebrates the 4th, and only the communists are true to themselves and hold actions on the anniversary of October.

Today the country is burying Igor Moiseev Igor Moiseev lived a century and a little longer - his heart stopped on the night of November 2 at the 102nd year of his life. When his centenary was celebrated, he was still in uniform - from the box of the Kremlin Palace he saluted the crowd of six thousand with a glass of champagne.

Protesters in Tbilisi demand the resignation of President Saakashvili Georgia is again being tested by a revolutionary situation. In Tbilisi, on Rustaveli Avenue, in front of the parliament building, there is an impromptu opposition rostrum . Yesterday the opposition decided to pitch tents there as well. Emotional speakers replace each other. Nearby - under a cellophane canopy from the rain - some of the opposition leaders are starving.

Italian police decapitate Sicilian mafia Prosecutors and police in Sicily continue to break the traditions of Italian cinema, providing a “happy ending” for the scriptwriters of future films dedicated to the national pastime of the inhabitants of the southern Apennines - the fight against the mafia.

Diana Vishneva and others on the stage of the Mikhailovsky Theater The St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky Theater (renamed many times, the most ingrained of its former names is the Maly Opera House) released the premiere of “Giselle”. The director is Nikita Dolgushin, who danced on this stage for many years, then taught and staged classics for many years. Dolgushin has a reputation as a subtle stylist, an expert in “real” manners.

Lech Kaczynski was unable to congratulate the winner Yesterday evening, Polish President Lech Kaczynski completed consultations with the leaders of the parties that entered parliament following the results of the early elections on October 21 . The topic of conversation was the appointment of a new prime minister. The old government led by 58-year-old Jaroslaw Kaczynski resigned on November 5 but will remain in place until a new cabinet is formed.

Moscow authorities want to improve the system of intellectual property protection The city authorities are confident that some ideas of city officials require not only implementation in the daily life of the city, but also intellectual protection . “Our developments need to be protected with patents and scientific and technical products introduced ,” said Yuri Roslyak, head of the city’s economic policy and development complex, at a meeting of the city government yesterday.