What are Russian software manufacturers worth in Europe? PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has published its first ranking of the top 100 software providers operating in the European market. The rating was compiled based on an analysis of data from 2007 with the participation of a number of European software developer associations. The markets of 20 Western European countries were analyzed. In the future, PwC promises to expand its geographical understanding of Europe to include Russia.

Minsk does not count on cheap gas Minsk expects to conclude a contract with Moscow for Russian gas supplies for 2009 by the end of December. “I think this issue will be resolved by the end of the year,” Deputy Prime Minister of the Belarusian government Vladimir Semashko said yesterday. It has not yet been announced when negotiations on this issue will take place.

The Italians showed the Maly Theater how to stage classics The Maly Theatre, a stronghold of the conservative and simple-minded public, seems to have made very close friends at home with the Milanese Piccolo Theater and could not have imagined a better idea. Only in October did the great and eternal Strehler’s “The Servant of Two Masters” come to Maly for a major tour, and in December they already brought “Dacha Trilogy” by the same Goldoni from Milan.

The parliamentary majority is ready to criticize the government, but not the prime minister The last law from the presidential package of amendments to the Constitution of the country is going to be adopted today by the State Duma in the third and final reading.

Twenty-four Russians died in Israel Yesterday evening, a few kilometers north of the Israeli resort town of Eilat, the worst car accident in the history of the Jewish state occurred. Its victims were guests from Russia. A bus with passengers fell off a cliff into an abyss almost 70 meters deep. According to Russian diplomats, the death toll has reached 24 people (previously reported at thirty), another 25 people were injured.

The number of malware may increase fivefold in 2009 Despite the fact that the crisis only intensifies the desire to save on everything, including software for your own computer, manufacturers of anti-virus programs can rest easy. Demand for anti-malware products looks set to continue. This will be helped by the elementary instinct of self-preservation of users.

Turks argue about reconciliation with Armenians Prominent politicians and former diplomats of Turkey spoke out yesterday sharply against the initiative of eminent compatriots - scientists and political scientists - to bring a public apology to the entire nation for the extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

Watch from December 18 on Moscow screens “About Fedot the Sagittarius, a daring fellow” (Russia, 2008, Lyudmila Steblyanko) . An adaptation of the cult fairy-tale poem by Leonid Filatov, produced by the Melnitsa studio (known best of all for its full-length cartoons about Russian heroes), the much-quoted story about the Tsar’s archer, whom the sovereign torments with all sorts of voluntaristic orders, but in fact wants to take the archer into the crowned paws sorceress wife.

If Iran does not receive air defense systems A high-ranking representative of the Israeli Ministry of Defense - the head of the military-political bureau, retired Major General Amos Gilad - is arriving in Moscow today. Information about Vremya Novostei's visit was officially confirmed by the Israeli Embassy in Moscow. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the main purpose of the trip will be to discuss military cooperation between Russia and Iran.

Russian ambassadors to Abkhazia and South Ossetia presented their credentials On the eve of the opening in Geneva of the third round of international consultations on the situation in Georgia after the August war, Russian ambassadors to Abkhazia and South Ossetia presented credentials to the presidents of these republics, unilaterally recognized by Russia on August 26, 2008 .

IT migrant workers may appear in Russia in 2009 The crisis has stopped the galloping, unjustified growth of wages in the IT sector. Next year, market participants predict that wages will fall by at least 30%. This may lead to the fact that the Russian IT market will no longer be so interesting for highly qualified specialists, and they will move to the West in search of a better share. They may be replaced by workers who do not have such high salary expectations.

“The Art of the Brilliant Porte” in the Moscow Kremlin Museums Today there will be a ceremonial presentation, and on Friday the official opening of an exhibition of jewelry art of the Ottoman Empire of the 16th - 17th centuries from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums. The general partner of the project is OJSC Gazprombank. The exhibition is amazing for several reasons.

CPC shareholders are expected to sign a memorandum on doubling the pipeline's capacity Today, at a meeting of shareholders of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), the fate of the project to double the capacity of the oil pipeline should finally be decided. The parties have been trying to sign the corresponding memorandum since the beginning of autumn.

The government will not postpone the pension reform deadline The economic crisis will not force the Russian government to abandon plans to reform the pension system. The authorities do not intend to postpone the deadline for replacing the unified social tax (UST) with insurance contributions to the Social Insurance Fund, the Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund and the Pension Fund. Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov announced this when opening the first Russian Pension Forum.

Uzbekistan began trading at $300 per thousand cubic meters of gas There are two weeks left until the new year, and Gazprom has not agreed on the terms of gas purchases in Central Asian countries. Moreover, negotiations at the highest level, in fact, never began. Yesterday, the head of the Russian monopolist, Alexey Miller, met for the first time with the president of Kazmunaigas, Kairgeldy Kabyldin, who was appointed to this position at the end of August.