At least 47 people died on Sunday as a result of a fire in one of the discos in the capital of Venezuela Karakas. Eight people are hospitalized in serious condition. When there was a fire in the hall, there were about 500 people, ITAR-TASS reports. The causes of the incident are still unclear. According to firefighters, the fire could flare up due to a short circuit in the wiring. The causes of the incident are investigated.

Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali went to meet the requirements of an alliance of six religious parties-a forum of uniform actions (Muttachid Madzhlis-Emal) and promised to restore Friday in the country as a weekend.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office presented all the materials necessary for the extradition of one of the leaders of the Chechen separatists Ahmed Zakayev, established by the Danish authorities. "The Russian side complied with all the requirements of Danish law enforcement agencies taking into account the specifics of Denmark's legislation," the official representative of the Prosecutor General Leonid Troshin on Sunday told Interfax.

The astronauts of the Endeavour ship completed the third exit to outer space on Sunday, ITAR-TASS reports. He was the last in the program and, as it turned out, the most difficult. From the very beginning, John Herrington and Michael Lopez-Alegria took up not only planned work, but also the elimination of difficulties that suddenly arose.

A few hours before the first match of the day, Shamil Tarpishchev made a replacement as part of the Russian team. Instead of Evgeny Kafelnikov with a field-Henry Mathieu will play Mikhail Yuzhny. South will play his match even if Marat Safin yields to Sebastian Grozhan, since according to the tournament regulations, all five meetings should take place. However, it may turn out that the South Mathieu match will be decisive, then the young tennis player will literally pull out the Russian team.

Russian traveler Fedor Konyukhov set a world record in overcoming the Atlantic Ocean on the funny boat. The Russian improved the previous world achievement established by Emmanuel Kuandr for 10 days. The Despeado boat has already delivered the Uralaz boat, on which Konyukhov made his heroic journey. ITAR-TASS recalls that the boat was made on a special order in England.

The gala scake and the presentation of the Golden Mannequin prize ends tonight of high fashion in Moscow. But before the closure ceremony takes place, one of the most famous Russian couturiers Valentin Yudashkin will demonstrate its creations on the catwalk of the Russian Central Concert Hall. He will present his new collection of the Autumn-Winter season 2002-2003, ITAR-TASS reports.

The DPRK trading bank announced the ban on the walking of American dollars in the country since December 1, RIA Novosti reports. Observers consider this decision a new confirmation of growing tension in relations between North Korea and the United States. All foreign citizens working in the DPRK must transfer dollar accounts for several days and exchange cash dollars to another foreign currency.

The decision of the Central Bank on the liberalization of the procedure for the sale of export currency revenue is unlikely to affect the ratio of the ruble to the dollar - such an opinion on the air of the Echo of Moscow radio station was expressed by the director of the Open Russia Foundation Irina Yasina. “At least, you should not be afraid that the dollar will grow, and the ruble falls with a vengeance,” said Yasina.

The export of the tower and other details of the German T-3 tank from the Second Mrive War was stopped by Smolensk customs officers on the way to the Belarusian Mstislavl. "According to the conclusion of the experts of the culture of the Russian Federation, the part of the German tank detained by customs officers is of historical and cultural value and can be used to fully exhibit or restore the sample," Leonid Vasilevsky told Interfax.

Spain first expelled a tanker from its economic zone, which did not meet the safety standards during the transportation of oil products, ITAR-TASS reports. The ship went under the Maltese flag and was expelled from the 200-mile zone with a ship of the Spanish naval forces. This was announced today by the chairman of the Spanish government, Jose Maria A Asnar, who noted the importance of the implementation of measures taken by Spain and France at a recent bilateral summit.

The Russian fishing schooner "Mary" on Sunday, jumping on the pitfalls, sank in the Sea of ​​Japan. The entire crew of 12 people was saved by a fishing vessel located in the neighborhood. According to RIA Novosti in the Far Eastern Service of Observation of the Fleet, shipwreck occurred only 100 meters from land off the coast of the Primorsky Territory. There was quiet, sunny weather, with minimal excitement at sea.

A few days before the terrorist attack in Mombas on the Arab sites of the World Wide Web, a “letter to the American people” was posted on the weekend, signed by the head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, Osama Ben Laden. In this letter, in particular, it is indicated that the main reason for the attacks of the group of groups on US facilities is the fact of the existence of the state of Israel and the Prozrail policy that adheres to the White House administration, MIGNEWS.com reports.

World AIDS Day is celebrated today in all countries. The motto of this year is "Live and let others live." It calls for young people to maintain their health granted by fate and support people who are infected with HIV infection. Experts of the World Health Organization annually draw public attention to the inadmissibility of HIV discrimination. There are frequent cases when people infected with AIDS virus were refused medical care, providing work, and housing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on an official visit to the PRC. As RIA Novosti reports, the airliner with the President of Russia and his wife has just landed at Beijing Airport. On Monday, the head of the Russian state will hold negotiations with the chairman of the PRC Jiang Zemin. This will be the third meeting of the Russian and Chinese leaders for this year.