Promotion NBP. Photo from the site www.communist.ru The 2005 coming will be the first year of preparing the bureaucratic elite by 2008-the year of the end of the second term of the presidency of Vladimir Putin. It is quite obvious that three scenarios will compete: the extension of his presidential powers, the search for “such as Putin”, and the implementation of the “successor-2” operation or the transfer of power to the loyal protege of nationalist forces.

Sluttered villages in Indonesia. Photo by ar According to the latest data, the total number of those killed as a result of the tsunami in the south of Asia approaches 130 thousand people. At the moment, the number of victims amounted to 129 thousand 817 people. According to Reuters, such data were provided by governments and the Ministry of Health of the injured countries. The greatest damage to natural disaster caused Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.

Five police officers were killed in the Peruvian city of Andahailas as a result of a shootout with a group of armed extremists who seized the police commissariat on the night of January 1 and held 10 police officers, Reuters reports. According to eyewitnesses, the shootout began on Sunday morning, shots are still heard. Doctors at local hospitals have so far confirmed the death of four people.

In Argentina, a fire in a prison hospital in the city of Olmos, 60 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, killed six prisoners and seriously injured several dozen more. According to AFP, this was reported on Saturday by representatives of the prison. In addition, hospital staff received various injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation and the incident is under investigation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine continues to accept congratulations to Viktor Yushchenko on his victory in the presidential election, Korrespondent.Net reports. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in his message to Yushchenko wrote that the strengthening of democracy in Ukraine will guarantee economic development, as well as stability, security and cooperation with all neighbors.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that it could take up to 10 years to restore countries affected by the earthquake and tsunami. According to the Air Force, in an interview with American television, the head of the UN said that on January 6 he was going to visit Indonesia, the country most affected by the tsunami. There, Kofi Annan will hold a meeting with the heads of state, the purpose of which will be to coordinate rescue and recovery work.

Boris Nemtsov, a member of the SPS political council, believes that in 2004 the political situation in Russia worsened.

Thailand. Photo from the site www.etstour.ru On Sunday, the Krasnoyarsk Airlines Airlines with Russian tourists from Thailand arrived at the Moscow Airport on Sunday. As reports with reference to Interfax Gazeta.ru, this was announced by the press secretary of the Russian Union of Trade of Trade Irina Tyurina. She noted that not all Russian tourists who rested in the countries of Southeast Asia who suffered from the tsunami flew in this flight.

New tremors were recorded on Sunday in the Indian Ocean, in the same area where the epicenter of the devastating 9-point earthquake was located. According to Ekho Moskvy, a week after the tragedy, the tremors were not so strong - about 5 points on the Richter scale. According to official figures, as of January 1, the death toll from the tsunami was about 124,000. The governments of a number of countries today announced new data on the victims.

At least 18 Iraqis were killed in a car bombing near the city of Balad, 70 kilometers north of Baghdad. Another six people were injured. According to the Air Force, news agencies report this with reference to a representative of the American military contingent stationed in Iraq. According to preliminary data, a car bomb was driven by a suicide bomber. The blast took place in an area known as the Sunni Triangle, where resistance to coalition forces regularly becomes violent.

Over the past day, Russian diplomats in Bangkok found out the fate of two Russian families who were in Thailand when the tsunami hit the coast of this country, Lenta.Ru reports citing Interfax. "We managed to get in touch with these Russians. They were not injured," representatives of the operational headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. So far, diplomats have located about 700 Russian tourists who were vacationing in Thailand at the time of the disaster, they said.

Victor Yushchenko. Photo MIGNEWS The inauguration of Viktor Yushchenko is scheduled for the old New Year - January 13, the Echo of Moscow reports. The ceremony will be held in the Verkhovna Rada. It became known to ITAR-TASS from sources at the headquarters of the Our Ukraine Bloc. According to the headquarters, a special script for the ceremony is being prepared.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn intends to step down this year. According to Ekho Moskvy, in an interview with the American ABC television channel, he said that ten years in this position was enough for him. Australian James Wolfensohn took over the World Bank in 1995. As the radio station notes, he began with sharp criticism of his own organization.

Scotland Yard. Image from the site www.countrybookshop.co.uk The British police conduct an investigation on the fact of sending letters with false data about the dead as a result of the tsunami. As the AR reports, the residents of the UK by e -mail received reports that their relatives and friends died. False notifications on behalf of the government of the country were sent to citizens who applied to the website of the Sky News television channel for information about relatives and friends.

11 people were killed and eight injured in a car accident in Brazil. According to AP, the bus with 24 passengers fell into the river to a depth of eight meters. The accident occurred in Puso Alegre, about 200 kilometers east of Sao Paulo. According to a local police spokesman, the bus driver lost control in poor visibility. The driver and five other passengers were not injured. Two of the wounded are in critical condition.