60 8 min. ... If the United States extradites its former prime minister Lazarenko to Ukraine, the CIS could face the most high-profile trial in the last decade. Russia is not at all indifferent to how events will develop. TO HOMELAND - TO PRISON Since today, there has been a real flurry of sensational statements in Ukraine regarding high-ranking politicians.

On June 26, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili promised that in the near future “the same thing will happen in South Ossetia as happened in Adjara.” He also called on the international community to more actively participate in resolving the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts.

174 1 min. ... Anniversary conversation with comrade Andropov Having made noise and slammed away the pile of things, the day passed away and faded into the distance. There are two people in the room - me and Andropov, photographed in our own Ogonyok. With a bright gaze he looks like a knight, piercing through my soul... What did you say? “Please sit down?” Thank you, don't worry, I'll wait. Comrade Andropov, I am reporting to you. That is, I’m pawning, it’s easier to say.

On June 27, the closing ceremony of the 26th Moscow International Film Festival ( MIFF ) took place. The MIFF jury named Dmitry Meskhiev’s film “Our Own” as the best film of the festival, which received the main prize - a golden statuette of St. George. In addition to the main prize of the Moscow International Film Festival, Dmitry Meskhiev received the award for best director's work, and Bogdan Stupka, who played one of the main roles in the film, was awarded the award for best actor.

On June 27, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said that early next month the country's former president Saddam Hussein , who is now under the protection of the US military, will be transferred to an Iraqi prison. “He will be in an Iraqi prison and guarded by Iraqi soldiers. However, we will request the assistance of a multinational force to provide security for the prison, as well as increased supervision of the prisoner.

10 3 min. ... After the Russians were eliminated from EURO 2004, we finally relaxed and watched football with pleasure. As is customary all over the world Football without football In the center of Porto, an hour and a half after the end of the Germany-Holland match, the Dutch in orange shirts and the Germans in white stood peacefully drinking. The Germans, as usual, love beer. For some reason the Dutch have champagne.

193 3 min. ... The first pharmaceutical gardens in Russia will appear in the capital's Bitsevsky and Izmailovsky parks in 2005. BOTANY OF THE XXI CENTURY In the Middle Ages, apothecary gardens (the first was founded in 1543 in Pisa, Italy) were botanical gardens - unique research centers where the healing properties of plants were studied.

21 7 min. ... Cher is a bright representative of the disappearing tribe of prima donna singers, whose every action the world recently followed with aspiration. The news “Cher lost her footing in search of a personal chef” once worried the average person more than the oil crisis. Her path to Olympus was classically American: she ran away from home, washed dishes in a cafe, worked hard on herself and became a star. Today this type is a fading nature: Cher recently announced the end of her career.

On June 26, the Dutch national team defeated their rivals from Sweden with a score of 5:4 and secured participation in the semi-finals of the European football championship. In the semi-finals the Dutch will meet the hosts of the tournament - the Portuguese national team. The teams of Sweden and the Netherlands were unable to break through the enemy defense either in regular time or in extra time. The outcome of the match was decided in a penalty shootout.

On June 27, in the Iraqi city of Nassiriyah, local police detained two Chechens. The detainees are suspected of involvement in terrorist activities in the country and connections with the radical Islamic organization Al-Qaeda. The Iraqi newspaper Al-Sabah reports, citing an unnamed source in the leadership of the Iraqi police, that the detained Chechens were part of an armed group sent by Islamists to commit sabotage in the vicinity of Nassiriyah, where the American Air Force base is located.

Records This is not a scene from a James Bond movie: this is how British businessman Richard Branson set a new record. Dressed in a smart suit, he crossed the strait, covering the 35 kilometers from Dover in southern England to Calais in northern France in 1 hour 40 minutes and 6 seconds. The unique car in which the record holder traveled can reach speeds of up to 160 km/h on land and 50 km/h on water.

72 8 min. ... 7 BOOKS OF JUNE It seems right to us to move on to the practice of targeted book reviews. Culture should, first of all, be in demand, shouldn’t it? So we are trying to make sure that the book is immediately received by the person for whom it is intended. And I read during those activities for which she is most inclined. So, seven books of June 1. For those on the go Catherine II and her favorites. Paul I and his extravagances. Compilation and commentary by Alexander Alexandrov.

On June 27, more than 200 drivers of heavy vehicles blocked the Baku-Rostov highway in protest against the “arbitrariness of the traffic police.” If their demands are not heard, Dagestani drivers promise to organize a “march against Moscow.” Drivers accuse traffic police officers of “arbitrariness and extortion,” as well as “discrimination based on nationality,” NTV television reports.

18 2 minutes. ... Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin returned from a trip to France, Mexico and the United States of America and flew to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan OLD AGE WILL NOT LEAVE HIM AT HOME... The next day a trip to St. Petersburg was planned, and a day later - to Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It feels like something is eating him. Something that doesn't allow you to sit in one place. Why does he fly so much? What motivates this person? What doesn't give you peace?

According to exit polls, Lithuanian presidential candidate Valdas Adamkus won with 62% of the vote. His opponent was ex-Prime Minister of Lithuania Kazimira Prunskienė, reports Reuters .