German political scientist Alexander RAR commented on Vremya Novostei’s speech in Berlin by Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov. Since 2007, Belarus has been pursuing a policy of rapprochement with the West, in particular with the European Union. This began after the well-known oil conflict between Minsk and Moscow (it arose in January 2007 due to a dispute over export duties on Russian oil. - Ed. ).

The fight against associated gas flaring will go according to schedule Yesterday, the government once again made it clear to oil workers that it will not tolerate new adjustments to the plan to reduce the amount of flared associated petroleum gas (APG). And no financial difficulties of companies due to falling oil prices can serve as a reason for postponing the implementation of the program, which, according to Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, will cost 260 billion rubles.

Mikheil Saakashvili named his most dangerous enemy The annual address of Mikheil Saakashvili, which was delivered yesterday from the parliamentary rostrum, was accompanied by promises from the opposition that this would be the last address of the current President of Georgia to the deputies. The opposition insists on holding early presidential and parliamentary elections this spring, through which they hope to replace the head of state. This time, Mr.

The army will also be subject to budget cuts in 2009 Russia's defense budget this year will be reduced by 15%. Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Mikhail Babich was the first representative of the Russian government to publicly state this yesterday - a man, no doubt, knowledgeable. This news stands in stark contrast to the government's recent assurances that the amounts planned for the country's military department and defense-industrial complex will remain unchanged.

Oil companies may receive new preferences from the government Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, although he calls the Russian economy into the high distances of high technology, is still well aware of its raw material status. Yesterday he again became concerned about the fate of one of the main donors of the federal budget - the oil sector. The head of government held a meeting on the development of the industry after inspecting the Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad region.

Preliminary results of the Berlin Film Festival The winners of the 59th Berlinale will be announced tomorrow. The Polish patriarch Andrzej Wajda will certainly intervene in the fight for the Golden Bears, whose film under the still unclear title “Sweet Race” closes the competition program. According to the unwritten festival code, the second part of the competition should be stronger than the first. It happened this time too, but we didn’t get a single opening film.

First satellite collision recorded in space The Russian military satellite Kosmos-2251, “retired to the reserve” back in 1995, unexpectedly reminded itself not only of its creators, but also of its once potential enemy. On Tuesday, this device, rotating at an altitude of 800 km from the Earth's surface, did not share an orbit with the American communications satellite Iridium.

EU banks' toxic balance sheets could lead to defaults EU credit institutions hold so many depreciated and liquidated bonds on their balance sheets that this could lead to the bankruptcy of entire states. This conclusion was made in the European Commission report, which was quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

The European Court has defended church follower Moon from Russian persecution The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) yesterday punished Russia for violating several fundamental rights (the right to freedom of thought and conscience, the right to personal liberty and security, the right to private and family life), which was committed against a US citizen and a follower of the Church Moon's unification by Patrick Nolan.

Russia is recommended to abandon household chemicals containing phosphorus The strict requirements of the European Union for its members in terms of compliance with environmental legislation have already had a positive impact on the ecology of the Baltic Sea off the coast of Poland. However, since Russia is not a member of the community of states of the Old World, it must propose its own action plan aimed at preserving the Baltic.

The ruble has become more expensive by more than a ruble The Bank of Russia achieved its goal: in conditions of limited ruble liquidity, investors gave up hope of breaking through the bi-currency basket mark of 41 rubles. Yesterday, the ruble exchange rate made a sharp jump away from the upper limit of the corridor established by the Central Bank - it rose in price against the dollar and the euro by 1.3 rubles, and the value of the basket fell below 39.4 rubles.

The current pool of the best foreign films, compiled by Vremya Novostey columnist Stanislav F. ROSTOTSKY, includes films that appeared in domestic film distribution from January to December 2008 (excluding one-time festival screenings and films immediately released on DVD). The rating is compiled without places - the films are arranged in the order of their appearance in Russian cinemas. 1. “Outland” (India - UK - USA, 2006, Tarzem Singh).

Another special operation in Nazran ended in a major terrorist attack Four policemen were killed and several other law enforcement officers and civilians were injured as a result of a powerful explosion that occurred yesterday morning on the outskirts of Nazran. An emergency occurred after operatives stumbled upon a group of militants during a passport check. After a fierce battle, a powerful bomb went off in the mansion in which the bandits were holed up.

European football teams played test matches The acute shortage of official matches held on a day specially allocated by UEFA for the needs of the national teams was made up for by many friendly matches. Most European teams decided to test their strength, including Russia’s rivals in the qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup.

Pianist Matthew Shipp performed at the Home Center At Matthew Shipp's only concert, the House hall was packed. This is understandable: the African-American pianist is known far beyond new jazz circles. The 49-year-old artist is also the program director of the experimental series of the Thirsty Ear audio label, in which he boldly publishes discs by avant-garde artists of all stripes - from “anti-pop” rappers to dance-denying DJs. On other such discs it is recorded itself.