Israel helps Mahmoud Abbas The agreement to begin reconciliation , signed on March 23 in the Yemeni capital Sanaa by representatives of the warring Palestinian groups Palestine Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), may be invalid. Saeb Erekat, one of the allies of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said yesterday that the Sana'a agreement was signed without the consent of the Palestinian President.

Fierce fighting takes place in Basra Yesterday, Iraq's second city of Basra, in the south of the country, became the scene of fierce fighting between government troops and Shiite factions. Among the militants, the leading role belongs to the Mahdi Army, led by the Shiite imam and spiritual leader Muqtada al-Sadr . During the fighting yesterday, more than 20 people were killed and about 60 were injured.

Vagit Alekperov did not report anything about the business results of his trip to Baghdad LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov returned from Baghdad last night . The company reports that he met with the country's President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani and several other Iraqi leaders. Mr. Alekperov did not speak in detail about whether any specific agreements had been reached on the company’s work in Iraq.

CLUBS Umka and “Armored Car” at the Ikra club, 20.00. “Earth and Heaven”: Sergei Starostin (vocals), Alexander Sakurov (saxophone, flute), Igor Ivanushkin (double bass), Marian Caldalaru (percussion), Pavel Chekmakovsky (guitar). House of Journalists , 19.00. CONCERTS An offering to Mstislav Rostropovich.

Türkiye did not obtain gas from Turkmenistan The visit of Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Ankara did not even bring specific words about Ashgabat’s intention to export gas to Europe through Turkey. The receiving party had high hopes for the signing of at least a memorandum, especially after, on the eve of the trip, the Turkmen leader declared his commitment to the policy of diversifying the directions of energy supplies.

A smart PR campaign saved the Mars rovers from shutdown A mysterious story happened in the US space department. Apparently, the National Aerospace Agency was going to shut down the Mars rover program, but a massive retaliatory PR campaign by engineers and middle managers helped repel the attack by functionaries. As a result, the specialists running Spirit and Opportunity will receive regular funding for at least another two years.

The state chose the airline over the state corporation The head of Rosimushchestvo, Valery Nazarov, said yesterday that state-owned stakes in airlines operating in the Russian Far East will be transferred to Aeroflot . This extremely positive signal for the national air carrier may finally push forward the now virtually frozen process of creating a Far Eastern subsidiary of Aeroflot .

Hosni Mubarak met with Russian presidents Yesterday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met in Moscow with the elected Russian President Dmitry Medvedev . The Russian politician pointed to “very good prospects for the development of relations” between the two countries.

The tactical struggle for tax cuts led the government away from discussing the country's development strategy The good intention to discuss the global macroeconomic tasks facing the government and the country in the next ten and even twenty years (Putin’s plan, also known as “Strategy 2020” ) seems to be developing into a discussion on a much more immediate and pressing topic - about the prospects tax cuts in a year or two.

Experts doubt the government's ability to keep inflation within forecasts in the coming years The Ministry of Economic Development announced an upward revision of the marginal inflation forecast for 2008 - from 8.5 to 9.5%. Experts see nothing surprising in the forecast being adjusted for the worse. Moreover, they are sure that this is not the final figure. Accordingly, doubts about reducing inflation to 6% by 2010 have only strengthened.

Witnesses in the murder case of the deputy head of the Central Bank will be heard behind closed doors At the ongoing trial in the Moscow City Court in the case of the murder of the first deputy of the Central Bank of Russia Andrei Kozlov, the state prosecution yesterday finished presenting evidence of the guilt of the defendants. This happened without the presence of the public and the press - on Monday, judge Natalya Olikhver, presiding over the trial, transferred it to closed session.

The growth of officials' salaries in 2007 far outpaced the rise in prices The state's desire to increase salaries for public sector employees is especially successfully fulfilled by the example of officials . The official average salary of regional officials, according to a Rosstat report published yesterday, increased by a quarter over the past year (with official annual inflation of 11.9%) and exceeded the psychological threshold of $1,000 per month.

“Golden Mask” has begun: which of the guest performers should not be missed Today the Golden Mask festival begins, and theatergoers, standing in front of the box office, are already nervously compiling a schedule into which it is impossible to fit everything in. So for Moscow theater lovers, who first of all want to understand what they can’t miss, I’ll tell you about the main dramatic and puppet touring performers. Let's start with the opening.

Paris is betting on rapprochement with London London is preparing to welcome a distinguished guest - today French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his newly-made wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy arrive in the UK for a two-day official visit. Parisian guests will be accommodated at Windsor Palace and will be granted an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. For Monsieur Sarkozy, the visit will be an important political event aimed at improving the somewhat cooled relations between Paris and Foggy Albion.

Watch from March 27 on Moscow screens “Detective” (USA, 2007, Kenneth Branagh). A remake of Joseph Mankiewicz's 1972 film, where Anthony Shaffer's play is altered almost beyond recognition (the script for the new version was written by Harold Pinter): an elderly and wealthy writer (Michael Caine) starts a dangerous psychological (and other) duel with a young actor (Jude Law) -- his wife's lover.