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.

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).

CSKA defeated in Italian Siena Over the past few days, Russian clubs have suffered defeats in all three continental tournaments. There were, of course, victories: the capital's Dynamo and Khimki defeated mid-level Greek teams, but these successes, taking into account the large difference in the budgets of the opponents, should be taken for granted.

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.

“Video Parade” began in St. Petersburg This year, the PRO ARTE Foundation, the main and, by and large, only St. Petersburg institution that deals with contemporary art in all its genres and types, turns ten years old. Life from crisis to crisis, especially in a city steeped in classical art, is not easy for those who popularize dissonant and edgy modernity.

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.

Commercial results of the 2008 film year Statistics, as we know, know everything, including which films were the highest grossing in the world last year. And these figures should not be treated with highbrow and disdain - practice shows that they are much more indicative and important than the lists of laureates of numerous professional awards and prize-winners of class “A” festivals.

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.

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.

Victor Yushchenko: The world does not recognize economic parameters painted in rosy tones The readiness of the International Monetary Fund to help Kyiv, as expected, was met with the impossibility of providing this assistance. Yesterday was marked by another scandal at the top of the Ukrainian government - the country's Finance Minister Viktor Pynzenyk resigned, and President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko continued to pour out accusations at each other.

Popularity can save the Murmansk governor from losing his United Russia party card The elections of mayors of a number of cities, scheduled for March 1, continue to cause trouble for United Russia. Recently, the party had to expel from its ranks four candidates for the post of mayor of Smolensk, including the current mayor Vladislav Khaletsky. They went to the polls without asking, while the party in power supported another candidate - businessman Valery Razuvaev.