The Swiss government has refused to satisfy the US request for immediate permission for transit flights of American military aircraft in the country's national airspace, RIA Novosti reports. This was announced on Wednesday evening by the head of the international law department of the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Roberto Balzaretti. According to him, it was a request of a "preliminary nature" in order to clarify the principled Swiss position, without specifying the time frame for the flight period.

In Mons (Belgium), a 12-storey residential building burned down, reports Reuters. The fire killed 7 people. Three of them jumped from the 12th floor when they realized they couldn't escape. Another 23 people were hospitalized with poisoning from combustion products. The fire could not be put out for 4 hours, 50 firefighters took part in the extinguishing. The building, built in 1968, had no escape routes in case of a fire. In total, about 180 people lived in it.

Photo from the site www.military.sinor.ru The plane on board was 302 people crashed in Iran near the destination, the Iranian agency IRNA reports. According to IRNA, a crashed plane is Russian -made IL -86. Interfax reports IL-76. The agency received this information in the State Civil Aviation Service of Russia (GSGA), which refers to the data of the Aeroflot representative office in Iran. Some media talk about AN Model.

Wage arrears in Russia are significantly reduced, but, nevertheless, a very large amount has not yet been paid. According to "Ekho Moskvy" with reference to the statement of the Minister of Labor Alexander Pochinok, now the debt is about 30 billion rubles. According to the minister, the bulk of the debt burden (27 billion rubles) falls on the off-budget sector of the economy - enterprises and organizations.

Photo from the site www.acsus.org The US State Department calls on all US citizens who are in Iraq to immediately leave the country. This warning is contained in a special letter posted on the official website of the State Department. In addition, the US authorities are asking their citizens to refrain from traveling to the country in which America may begin in the near future. The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iraq.

Gennady Troshev. Filming NTV According to NG, a source in the leadership of the Southern Federal District, General Gennady Troshev will become a coordinator of the activities of all power structures in Chechnya, the Independent Gazeta reports with reference to a source in the leadership of the Southern Federal District.

Al-Aryan themselves. Photo AP The American special services arrested 4 people on Thursday on suspicion of supporting terrorist organizations. Three people themselves were arrested in Tampa, including Al-Aryan themselves, a professor of computer science of Palestinian origin, who worked at the University of South Florida. Another detained near Chicago, reports Reuters.

A North Korean Air Force MIG-19 fighter jet crossed the military demarcation line between North Korea and the Republic of Korea on Thursday, Reuters reported citing South Korean news agency Renhap. The agency, in turn, refers to the representative of the command of the South Korean Air Force. F-5E fighters were raised into the sky. The air defense battery at the South Korean base Incheon went into combat position. Two minutes later, the fighter left the airspace of the Republic of Korea.

Photo from Newsru.com In one of the units of the strategic missile forces (Strategic Missile Forces), deployed near Krasnoyarsk, an ordinary military service opened fire from a machine gun by his colleagues. The senior warrant officer and three ordinary people were killed. After that, the killer himself shot himself. This was reported to the granims.ru in the press service of the Strategic Missile Forces.

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine decided on Thursday to send a chemical, radiological and bacteriological defense battalion to the Persian Gulf region. According to Interfax, this was announced on Thursday by NSDC Secretary Yevhen Marchuk.

In 2001-2002, the special services of Azerbaijan arrested 38 citizens of their country who studied and fought in the Pankisi Gorge. These data, according to RIA Novosti, were given by the Minister of National Security of Azerbaijan Namik Abbasov.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Wednesday unveiled a new plan to protect the public in the event of a terrorist attack, Reuters reported. Under this plan, every American should have at home a supply of basic items, medicines and food, as well as develop a plan to keep in touch with family members and know how to contact the authorities. The emergency supply, according to Ridge, should include a three-day supply of food and water, a few flashlights and a battery-powered radio.

In Moscow, the construction of one of the most difficult sections of the third transport ring, the Lefortovsky tunnel, has been completed. On Thursday, on this occasion, a solemn meeting was held on Spartakovskaya Square, where the tunnel came to the surface. Addressing the audience, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov congratulated the builders on the early completion of the work. The normative terms for laying the tunnel were 15 months, but in fact it was completed in a little over a year.

In the first match of the second group stage of the Champions League, Lokomotiv lost to Milan at the San Siro stadium with a score of 0:1, according to Ekho Moskvy. The author of the winning goal was Jon Dahl Tomasson, who in the 62nd minute of the meeting successfully finished off the ball, which was sent into Ovchinnikov's goal by Filippo Inzaghi. Experts note the excellent game of Sergei Ovchinnikov, who repeatedly saved the team from extra goals.

A Vietnamese citizen was detained in Moscow for kidnapping his compatriot and demanding $30,000 for his release. As RIA "Novosti" was informed in the law enforcement agencies of the capital, a 38-year-old businessman from Vietnam turned to the police station on Wednesday morning. According to him, on February 12, on Semyonovskaya Square, 6 unknown persons forcibly put him in a car and took him to the Salyut-2 hostel, located on Dobrolyubova Street.