On the first anniversary of the death of George Harrison, a member of the legendary Beatles quartet, a concert of his colleagues Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will take place in London. According to Interfax, this was announced in Los Angeles by the organizers of the concert. Its initiator is another veteran of rock and roll and a friend of the Liverpool "four" Eric Clapton. This will be the first time the Beatles have performed together since the collapse of the ensemble in 1970.

The Ministry of Defense plans to reduce the term of service in the army to one and a half years. This was announced today at a press conference in Moscow by Vasily Smirnov, head of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces. However, the general made a reservation, the reduction in the terms of service will occur no earlier than the Armed Forces will be staffed by 50% with military personnel serving under the contract.

Acting Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Khloponin flies to Krasnoyarsk on Thursday evening to start work on Friday. In an interview with Interfax, Khloponin announced his intention to address the population on local television on Friday in Krasnoyarsk. In addition, A. Khloponin said, he intends to convene the administration and start a conversation about steps towards solving the problems facing the region.

http://www.ukraine.ru/media/docs/01/08/21/86191.jpg Olga Shorina: Now some lull has arisen. Nevertheless, representatives of the opposition claim that the action "Risen Ukraine!" continues. What is planned in the near future within this action?

On Friday, another rescue team began working in the glacier meltdown zone in North Ossetia, Interfax reports. The order to create another squad of rescuers from the reserve of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the republic numbering 50-70 people was given by the President of North Ossetia Alexander Dzasokhov.

The head of the mission of UN military inspectors, Hans Blix, told the UN Security Council that so far there are several obstacles to the return of inspectors to Iraq. According to BBC, Blix outlined the details of his talks with the Iraqi delegation, which discussed the practical side of the return of inspectors after a four-year absence.

On Thursday in Côte d'Ivoire, after negotiations with mediators, the rebels agreed to lay down their arms and begin negotiations with the government, AP reported. Negotiations may begin as early as Friday after rebel leaders sign a ceasefire agreement. How long the truce will last and what additional conditions the rebels may put forward is still unclear.

The man who opened fire at the UN building in New York has been taken to prison. No casualties have been reported in the incident, AP reported. The man walked through the gate of the fence around the UN building, demonstratively brandishing a gun. Then he opened fire in the air, according to Michael Hovey, a witness to the incident who worked at the UN building.

St. Petersburg "Zenith" stops its performance in the UEFA Cup already at the stage of 1/64 finals. The Russians failed to beat the Swiss Grasshoppers as a result of two meetings. Today's match in St. Petersburg ended with the victory of our team with a score of 2-1, but two weeks ago, the "anti-aircraft gunners" lost in Switzerland with a larger score of 1-3. The Russians in today's meeting suited the score 2-0.

In the capital of Bahrain, Manama, the solemn opening ceremony of the match of the world champion in classical chess Vladimir Kramnik against the computer program "Deep Fritz" took place, according to the online publication World Chess Rating . It was attended by Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Bahrain. After the welcoming speeches delivered by the prince and Vladimir Kramnik, the drawing of lots took place.

Five people have died as a result of hypothermia in Moscow since early October, the capital's emergency medical service told Interfax on Tuesday. Another 15 people diagnosed with hypothermia were hospitalized. In the last winter season of 2001-2002, a record number of deaths from the cold in Moscow - 399 people, in the winter of 2000-2001 - there were about 250.

Appointed Acting Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Khloponin hopes to form the composition of his team in a week, reports Interfax. "Now I am consulting with the heads of structural administration departments and in the near future I will decide on composition of my team," Khloponin said on Friday regional television.

The head of the UN military inspectors mission, Hans Blix, said he would delay the return of the observers to Baghdad until a new UN resolution on Iraq was adopted. Blix, according to the Times, said this after more than three hours of talks with representatives of Iraq on the technical terms of the return of military inspectors. The adoption of the resolution is hampered by disagreements between the countries - members of the UN Security Council with the right of veto.

The builders of the Bureyskaya hydroelectric power station (Amur region. - Ed.) turned to the composer Alexandra Pakhmutova with a request to write a song about the largest construction site in the Far East and received her consent. As Interfax was informed in the press service of the construction management, the appeal to Alexandra Pakhmutova was not accidental.

Bono, one of the leaders of the famous British band U2, has been named the most influential and powerful person in world music. This title, he received, according to the Times, for the ability to "win the ears" of world leaders. According to Q magazine, Bono and his group were elevated to the top of show business by the singer's extraordinary ability to lobby for his interests.