The Vedomosti newspaper reports that a new, revised version of the concept of railway transport reform involves dividing the monopoly into a state body and a business entity. In other words, the state monopoly of the Ministry of Railways will be divided into the ministry itself and the Russian Railways Company (RZD). At the same time, the property of state-owned enterprises and railway transport organizations will be transferred to RZD.

The United Nations today unveiled information about the catastrophic situation in the city of Luau in the east of Angola. According to the UN, in this remote town, at least 10 people die daily from hunger. Most of them are children. The UN urges to urgently deliver food and medication to the city. In this South African country, civil war has been going on for 25 years.

FIFA, under strong pressure from the European Commission - the permanent governing body of the European Union - decided to radically reform the system of transfers of football players. As it became known here today, the leadership of world football is considering a number of issues at once. First, remove transfer fees for “very young” players. Secondly, to prohibit transfers from club to club of players under 24 years of age, as well as football players of all ages, during the playing season.

The accident occurred in New Zealand, where the 20-kilometer race walking world champion is training for the Olympic Games. Another car crashed into the car in which Markov was traveling from behind, as a result of which Ilya lost consciousness for some time. The athlete has lost a lot of blood and is now undergoing intensive therapy and massage. However, he did not stop training and feels better every day.

US President Bill Clinton believes that the national missile defense system (NRI) will be created by 2006. This will happen provided that the future president will decide on the need to deploy it. He stated this today, speaking at the University of Georgetown with speech on US national security issues. According to Clinton, Moscow and Washington are no longer opponents, but not real allies.

French investigators today unveiled a preliminary report on the causes of the Concorde disaster. We give a translation of negotiations in the cabin of the Concorde aircraft before its death, demonstrating how events developed during seconds during an airliner take -off. The time is indicated by the Middle European: in order to get Moscow, you need to add 4 hours to it. We give part of the record made after the problems were discovered by lowering the usual negotiations before taking off.

Two -time US Open champion American Monica Selesh in the third round beat her compatriot Canda Rubin 6: 3; 4: 6; 6: 4. The Frenchwoman Natalie Tozia, who beat Janet Lee from Taiwan 6: 3, went into the fourth circle; 6: 2, and Sandrin Testu, who easily defeated Dutchwoman Christie Bugert 6: 0; 6: 1.

A working trip to the Samara region President Putin on Thursday evening visited the city of Syzran. The president was accompanied by a representative in the Volga Federal District Sergey Kiriyenko and the governor of the Samara region Konstantin Titov. During the trip, Putin got acquainted with Syzran sights and talked with the townspeople.

State Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev, who is now in New York at a conference of the UN Chairman of Parliament, gave comments in connection with the creation of a state council in an exclusive interview with NTV. According to Seleznev, the president will collect all governors and heads of legislative assemblies into the State Council to communicate with the subjects of the federation. “This form of communication is needed in such a way to hear the voice of the regions,” said Seleznev.

In Chechnya, for the first time in 3 years, parents sending their children to schools do not have to pay for training. The state again takes care of students. However, out of 53 Grozny schools, a little more than half was able to spend the Day of Knowledge. The first bell rang where on the eve of the teachers and parents who survived from the bombing, they were able to put the elementary order √ to scrape garbage, collect furniture and plan the educational process.

“For the first time in the years of reforms, Kazakhstan has seen a significant increase in key economic indicators,” Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said in the country’s parliament today. He said that “in the first seven months of this year, the largest increase in the gross national product in the CIS was achieved - 11.5%.” Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover increased by 81% compared to July last year, and exports doubled. Real cash incomes of the population increased by 5.4%.

According to Reuters from Los Angeles, Michael Douglas categorically refutes the reports that appeared yesterday that he and Katherine Zeta-Jones seemed to announce the wedding day in Santa Barbara. One of the first information was published by the British tabloid Sun, the article, in particular, said that on September 30, a luxurious complex in Santa Barbara would be a marriage of a star couple.

998 thousand students, including 78 thousand first -graders, went on September 1 to Moscow schools. 12 new schools opened in the capital. At the opening ceremony of one of them was the mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov. By the way, the capital's mayor today spent two of his daughters to the school. The youngest, Olya, went to first grade, and the eldest, Alena, in the second. As noted in the city hall, the celebration of Knowledge Day this year in Moscow will take place under a shortened program.

The president of the Omsk Avangard, Anatoly Bardin, invited 28-year-old Canadian goalie Corey Hirsch, who has 105 NHL games for the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, to join his team. If for some reason the contract is not signed, another Canadian goalkeeper, Jamie Ram, will be invited to Omsk instead of Hirsch. By the way, he also managed to play not only in the NHL for the New York Rangers, but also for the Canadian national team at the 2000 World Championship in St. Petersburg.

In Armenia, another experiment with money is carried out. Unlike the Russian ruble, which is called wooden, varnished bills have now appeared in Armenia. Banknotes with the advantage of 500 drams, officially introduced into circulation from today, are covered with a thin layer of varnish and seem laminated to the touch. With the help of unusual bills, the Central Bank of Armenia intends to find out how varnish coating is capable of protecting the money from the Skoroy wear.