Chronicle of sporting events Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who lost to Belgian Justine Henin in the final of the Madrid tournament, finished the season ranked fifth in the world. The first line of the WTA ranking is occupied by Henin, who has 6155 points. Following her was Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova - 3725. Third and fourth places went to Serbian tennis players Elena Jankovic (3475) and Ana Ivanovic (3461).

AES+F Group Exhibition in Paris In the capital of the French Republic, as always, there are many exhibitions, and, as always, they are exemplary. Choose according to your taste: those inclined to solving intellectual puzzles, comprehending the image of the world of alchemists and mystics of the court of Rudolf II will prefer a trip to the Luxembourg Palace, to the personal exhibition of the famous Arcimboldo.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia will vote for the Russian parliament A member of the Russian Central Election Commission, Vasily Volkov, told Vremya Novostei yesterday that ahead of the State Duma elections scheduled for December 2, Russia intends to open polling stations in the unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia , which are de jure part of Georgia.

The Constitutional Court will answer the housing question of the Supreme Arbitration Court Yesterday the Constitutional Court began considering an unusual “housing issue” raised by another supreme authority - the Supreme Arbitration Court.

The cream of world chess gathered in Moscow Over the past few days, the Central House of the chess player named after Mikhail Botvinnik has been noisy like an agitated hive. Of course, all the celebrities of the chess world are visiting us! The Mikhail Tal Memorial, a FIDE category 20 tournament, has started. The current stars sat down at the boards immediately after their predecessors and legendary players of previous generations who played the USSR - Yugoslavia match.

Vladimir Putin promised the foreman of the climbers to continue leading the country President Vladimir Putin's working trip to Krasnoyarsk brought closer the answer to the most pressing question for modern Russia - what will happen to the country after March 2008. The President dispelled doubts: the victory of United Russia means an expression of confidence in him, Vladimir Putin .

Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived in Tehran to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue. He will meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. China and Russia advocate resolving the crisis around the Iranian nuclear program exclusively through diplomatic methods. Next Monday, the international “six” will again discuss the Iranian nuclear dossier.

A man singing in a woman’s voice—this is how Kurmangaliyev was remembered even by those who could not pronounce or write his last name without errors. For the domestic vocal art of the last quarter of the twentieth century, which was not rich in big names, Kurmangaliev became an entire era - with his high voice, which would most correctly be called an alto, he opened the door to the alluring world of ancient music, which later turned into a cult and a religion.

Georgian opposition hopes in vain for victory The Georgian opposition yesterday accused Mikheil Saakashvili of already opening the election campaign, putting potential rivals in unequal conditions in the early elections on January 5 . “The president is counting on administrative resources, on the fact that the Imedi and Kavkasia television companies are not working, and on the continuing state of emergency,” said Tinatin Khidasheli, a representative of the Republican Party.

Moscow police uncovered a conspiracy to inflate prices for food products The Department for Combating Economic Crimes (UBEP) of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate announced yesterday that it was carrying out a “large-scale operation with an unjustified increase in prices for food products.” Although the police claimed that they were carrying out this operation jointly with the Moscow government - the department of consumer market and services and the department of food resources,

Severstal and Acron signed contracts for the purchase of gas until 2012 Two large gas consumers immediately announced the signing of long-term contracts with Gazprom. The chemical holding Acron and the metallurgical company Severstal will receive 2.3 and 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year, respectively. Until now, only the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works , as well as Mosenergo, whose controlling stake belongs to the gas monopoly, have openly acknowledged the existence of agreements.

General Shamanov again received a post in the Ministry of Defense There is a new head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training and Troop Service in the Russian Armed Forces . Advisor to the Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Vladimir Shamanov, was appointed to this position. Yesterday morning he signed a contract with the military department, and a little later the document was endorsed by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Lokomotiv is considering candidates for the post of head coach Lokomotiv, which recently fired head coach Anatoly Byshovets and president Yuri Semin , has not yet decided on their successors. The chairman of the board of directors of the club, Sergei Lipatov, at a special briefing yesterday, could only outline the parameters by which the main shareholder of the club, OJSC Russian Railways, would choose a new mentor: “For starters, it is desirable that it be a man.

The state recognizes higher religious education as full-fledged Religious education in Russia will receive official status and will be practically equal in rights to secular education . Yesterday, State Duma deputies adopted in the first reading a bill allowing the issuance of state diplomas to graduates of religious educational institutions.

Southern cyclones paved the way to the European territory of Russia. The one that passed the southern Russian seas on Sunday afternoon burst into the center of Russia, passing through the southwestern regions with moderate snowfalls. The next southern whirlwind, which will pass today or tomorrow, promises to cover the central regions, including the Moscow region, with snow.