The 7th International Festival of Orthodox Chants was opened in the Belarusian capital. It is conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Republic, the Committee on Religious and National Affairs, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate , ITAR-TASS reports. Representatives of seven European countries will perform in the competition program.

The American armed forces can apply biochemical weapons during a military operation in Iraq, which is prohibited by current international laws. The possibility of using the United States of those types of biochemical weapons that do not cause death (mainly of various gases), said US Secretary of Defense Donald Ramsfeld.

The fight of the deputy Sandybin and the deputy Fedulov made some look at his image of the defender of the wide masses of the common people in a new way. For example, the leader of the All -Russian Party "Youth Unity" deputy Alexander Burataev said that after this fight and for a man Sandybin did not consider. “I was disappointed in Shandybina, he thought - a man, a working class, but he doesn’t know how to fight,” Burataeva stated.

Just three weeks before the official beginning of the 2003 World Cup at the Formula 1 Auto Raders, their presentation is Jordan. In Barcelona, ​​the head of the team of Eddie Jordan, as well as Dzhancarlo Physicelle and Ralph Firman, removed the coverlet from the next car, introducing a new coloring of their car.

In Russia, the number of people who died from influenza and its complications reached 12 people. According to February 17, 2 people died in Moscow, 3 in St. Petersburg - 3, 2 in Voronezh, 2 in Moscow, 3 in Astrakhan, 1 in Ulyanovsk - 1, 1 in Chelyabinsk, 1 in the Moscow region - 1. The epidemic spread to 33 regions of Russia. 80% of those sick in Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, Astrakhan, Kaluga and in the Stavropol Territory are schoolchildren.

Up to 200 representatives of medical institutions of various regions of the country picked up the State Duma building on the Okhotny row on Monday morning, protesting against the intended changes in the wage system of state employees.

On Friday, February 14, Scottish creators of the outbuilding of Dolly announced that they had put to sleep the first mammal, produced by cloning. According to Le Monde today (translation on the website inopressa.ru ), the stuffed sheep will be exhibited in the Scottish National Museum.

Moscow telephone numbers starting on 284 and 971, which were disconnected as a result of a fire on Zamoskvoretskaya PBX, may be earned tonight. Such an encouraging for residents of the northeast of the capital was reported in the Moscow City Hall, reports ITAR-TASS. Recall, on the eve, it was reported that two metropolitan ATS 284 and 971 (each capacity of each - 10,000 numbers), injured after a fire at the Zamoskvoretskaya telephone station, will remain without communication for 8 days .

Today, prominent representatives of the Yekaterinburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church - Hieromonk Flavian (Matveev) and priest Vladimir Zaitsev sent an open letter to the head of the city administration of Yekaterinburg A.

The Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has created an international commission to verify the investigation of an attempt on the President of Turkmenistan Samarmurat Niyazov on November 25, 2002. This is stated in the message of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna.

In the north-west of France, in the Department of Cat-D'armore, the car collided with a school bus. As a result of the accident, 12 children and the driver were injured, whose condition is evaluated as serious. This was reported by the France-Info radio station with reference to the traffic police of the department. 19 children were traveling on the bus. The cause of the accident has not yet been established, RIA Novosti reports.

From the beginning of the year, the Russians have lost 375 million on the dollar. The mechanism of loss is this. Since the beginning of 2003, there has been a noticeable strengthening of the nominal course of the ruble in relation to the American currency. From a record of 31.88 rubles per dollar, the quotes of the Russian currency rose to 31.64 rubles. For the dollar. The same course was declared the Central Bank for February 18.

In the Czech Republic, increased security measures have been taken from today. The protection of the metropolitan international port "Ruzin" has been strengthened. According to the received reports, security measures are aimed at preventing possible terrorist attacks.

From Monday, the Bank of Russia reduces the refinancing rate to the lowest mark in its entire history - 18%. The Board of Directors of the Central Bank made a decision on this on Friday. Previously, its level was 21%, and the previous record (20%) was set in 1991. Since then, only Sergey Dubinin, who headed the Central Bank in 1997, could beat him. However, then a smooth reduction in the rate cut off the financial crisis.

The Georgian National Security Council on Monday evening at an extraordinary meeting decided to extend the mandate for six months of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. This was announced to reporters by the Secretary of the SNB Tedo Japaridze.