Mikhalkov is not a decree for Ural filmmakers Despite the obvious pressure from Nikita Mikhalkov, the Ural Union of Cinematographers insisted on its own. Its chairman, director and actor Vladimir Makeranets, was re-elected for the next term, and the activities of the board were recognized as satisfactory. 93 out of 132 voters voted for Makeranets, reports the website Nakanune.RU.

The government forces banks that received state aid to lend to businesses and citizens The state is trying with all its might to prevent a credit squeeze in the economy, including using administrative resources for this. Yesterday, at a meeting in the White House, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin drew up a scheme for almost direct state regulation in the field of lending. Financial institutions will be required to issue loans in an amount no less than that which they received from the state.

Regional taxes are collected better than federal ones In the tax control sphere, it seems that a thaw is coming. After two years of absolute silence, the Federal Tax Service began to make official statements. Yesterday, the head of the Federal Tax Service, Mikhail Mokretsov, reported to the Federation Council on the collection of regional and local taxes. Many of the senators' questions put Mr. Mokretsov in a difficult position.

The IMF left China and India among the leaders in economic growth The global economy will fall by 1.3% this year and grow by 1.9% next year. This forecast is contained in the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook report. According to the fund's economists, even if global financial authorities act successfully, economic recovery will occur very slowly. Full restoration may take about five years, with China and India becoming the driving forces.

At the conference in Geneva a resolution was adopted The UN conference in Geneva on the fight against racism, which will conclude its work tomorrow, was nevertheless crowned with success - the final document has already been adopted on the basis of consensus.

Alexander Lukashenko was invited to Europe Today, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will address his annual message to parliament, in which he will undoubtedly touch upon the prospects for dialogue with the West. It is possible that Lukashenko will also announce whether he intends to personally participate in the Prague summit of the European Union on May 7.

The World Cup starts tomorrow in Switzerland Experts call only two teams - Russia and Canada - the favorites of the World Hockey Championship, which will be held in Switzerland. The rest of the teams should serve as a background and, judging by the lineups, they are quite happy with this. Only the home team can present a surprise - it plans to finally win medals of some merit. But all attention will be focused on the team of Vyacheslav Bykov and the North Americans. Favorites Russia.

The United States is "laying the groundwork" for future sanctions against Iran if it refuses to engage with the international community, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday. However, sanctions are not the most effective tool in the fight for nuclear non-proliferation, says former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Hans Blix.

Zvonareva will miss the Fed Cup semi-finals World number six Vera Zvonareva will not take part in the semi-finals of the Fed Cup, which will be held in the Italian Castellaneta Marina this weekend. The reason for this was an ankle injury, due to which the Russian woman was forced to withdraw from the tournament in Charleston, America. This week Zvonareva flew to Moscow to undergo a medical examination.

Small businesses are promised to be gradually equal in taxes to large ones The All-Russian Forum on Small and Medium Enterprises, organized with the support of Vnesheconombank - Development Bank, the Ministry of Economic Development and the public organization OPORA, became a real celebration of small business. And it began with congratulations to the permanent president of OPORA Sergei Borisov, who was awarded the Order of Friendship by presidential decree.

The Russian concern and the Indian Vectra Group are creating a joint venture to produce trucks With falling demand and general instability, KamAZ is trying to find new markets for its products. Yesterday the company announced that it had signed an agreement with India's Vectra Group to create a joint venture to produce trucks for the Indian market.

“Moscow” will fight with the participants of the Champions League The last four contenders for the Russian Football Cup have been determined. In the semi-finals of the tournament, Rubin will play with FC Moscow, and Dynamo will play with CSKA. The capital's Lokomotiv, which hoped to get into the Europa League through the national Cup, dropped out of the competition. The Railwaymen were again thwarted by CSKA.

Social movements for the preservation of cultural heritage The Expert Advisory Public Council under the Chief Architect of Moscow (ECOS) recently began its work with a new composition. 110 council members were elected and approved - specialists in various fields who will consider the most significant urban planning projects in the historical part of the capital.

Russians will drink beer brewed according to regulations The assortment of beer shelves in stores may be replenished with “beer cocktails” and berry beer. Such names are mentioned in the draft technical regulations for beer, which was submitted to the State Duma on Tuesday, April 21, by a group of deputies led by the chairman of the agrarian committee of the lower house of parliament, Valentin Denisov.

The police organized the false murder of the rector of the Polar Academy Law enforcement agencies in St. Petersburg yesterday reported the completion of the hoax they organized, as a result of which the contract killing of the rector of the State Polar Academy Kermen Basangova was prevented.