January traditionally begins with the New Year holidays; this year Russians take 10 days off at once – from December 30 to January 8. From the first day of the new year, a number of changes in laws will come into effect, including those that directly affect citizens’ incomes. Read more about how much the minimum wage and pensions will be indexed, how the rules for issuing maternity capital will change and other important innovations in the traditional Izvestia review.