Belarus has puzzled Russia and the CIS Economic Court There is a new episode in the endless series “about how Alexander Grigorievich quarreled with all the successive presidents of Russia.” Minsk filed a lawsuit against Russia with the CIS Economic Court, demanding the abolition of export duties on petroleum products established in the Russian Federation. It is noteworthy, however, that this step was done without the already familiar flamboyant verbal escapades of the Belarusian president.

Traffic police officers extorted money from capital drivers The Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow recently issued a guilty verdict in the case of inspectors of a separate company of the road patrol service (DPS) of the capital's traffic police Stanislav Skladnov, Anton Chernyshev and Sergei Kuzovlev. All three were found guilty of extortion and abuse of power with the use of violence and causing grave consequences.

An experiment to introduce a “spiritual and moral” course in schools was prepared in an emergency mode In less than a week, from April 1, a pedagogical experiment will start in 19 Russian regions - fourth-graders will begin to be taught “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics.” This week the supply of appropriate textbooks to schools should be completed.

Lights around the world will be dimmed for one hour on Saturday. Global blackouts as a way to remind people of their impact on the world around them are becoming a traditional event. The fourth annual Earth Hour event, during which everyone turns off the lights in their homes for one hour, will take place next Saturday from 20.30 to 21.30 Moscow time. In large cities, you will be able to watch the building lights go out.

Politicians will not agree on a global tax on financial institutions The G20 countries have not yet been able to agree on a single tax on banks that could protect taxpayers. This was announced yesterday by British Finance Minister Alistair Darling. According to him, England does not want to introduce unilateral measures to prevent banks from fleeing to other countries. “Global monetary authorities still cannot agree on how taxes on banks will work.

The US and Pakistan have cleared up misunderstandings The two-day US-Pakistan strategic dialogue ended in Washington yesterday. The main interlocutors were US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Both came out to the press beaming. "This is the start of something new," Mrs. Clinton said.

The President demanded that all veterans in need be provided with housing for the Victory Anniversary One-time cash payments, personalized congratulations from the president and the opportunity to travel for free to any region of Russia to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Victory - this is not a complete list of what veterans of the Great Patriotic War can count on in the anniversary year.

Moscow has reduced the maximum price growth index for housing and communal services The city authorities have insured themselves against further claims from the federal government regarding the rate of growth of utility tariffs. Yesterday it became known that Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov signed a decree that formally reduces the maximum indices for changing the amount of citizens' payments for residential premises and housing and communal services.

Gazprom entered the battle for equal profitability The gas monopolist announced yesterday that it had prepared a draft government resolution on the use of reduction factors that would adjust wholesale gas prices determined by the formula to the level outlined in the scenario conditions for the development of the Russian economy for 2011-2013.

CONCERTS JJ Johansson (Sweden). A Scandinavian blond with a languid look, an esthete and a decadent, a former architect and designer, currently a reverent dandy and the king of the dance floor. Ikra , March 26, 20.00. "Bi-2". “B1 Maximum” , March 26, 20.00. Poets Of The Fall (Finland). Alt-rock. “Glavclub” (House of Culture named after Gorbunov) , March 26, 20.00. Eyal Maoz (USA - Russia). Presentation of the album Quartet Hope and Destruction. CC "Dom" , March 26, 20.00. Chicherina.

Parliament will decide the fate of American fighters Due to financial difficulties, Bucharest does not have the luxury of purchasing new combat aircraft and is forced to make do with used aircraft. At the proposal of the Ministry of Defense, the country's Supreme Military Council recently decided to purchase 24 American F-16 multirole fighters (pictured) , designed to replace the Soviet-made MiG-21, the service life of which will expire in the coming years.

“Phobos. Club of Fear" on Moscow screens First, a historical note: Phobos is one of the two satellites of Mars, named after the ancient Greek god of fear, the son of Ares and Aphrodite, who often accompanied his father in numerous battles. Phobos rotates around its axis with the same period as around Mars, so it always faces the same side towards it. The tidal influence of Mars gradually slows down its movement, which in the future will lead the satellite to fall onto the surface of the planet.

The South African Competition Commission has temporarily exempted the country's oil companies from complying with a number of antitrust provisions to ensure uninterrupted supply of oil and petroleum products during the World Cup (from June 11 to July 11), Interfax-AFI reports. As tens of thousands of foreign tourists flock to South Africa, demand for petrol, diesel and jet fuel will soar, industry experts say.

The organizer of the militant attack on Nalchik was killed The FSB yesterday announced the liquidation of the leader of the Wahhabi underground in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, the “Sharia judge of the Caucasus Emirate” Anzor Astemirov, nicknamed Seifullah.

How to save technical regulation reform Russia's actions to create a national system of technical regulation resemble the tread of an elephant in a china shop. Everything is destroyed, time is lost. The Federal Law “On Technical Regulation” has significantly slowed down the process of improving national standards. 600-700 standards adopted during the existence of the law are a drop in the bucket for a country like Russia.