The missing plane of the British Air Force is probably shot down by the American Patriot missile. This was stated today by the official representative of the British Armed Forces in the Persian Gulf zone, reports Reuters. “More and more data suggest that the British aircraft is shot down by an American rocket in the Kuwaiti -Iraqi border,” he said. The battery of the missiles is located on the border of Iraq with Kuwait.

The first mass karaoke warehouse was the first after the start of hostilities against Iraq on the night of Saturday to Sunday on board the Kitty Hawk American aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. The ship involved in the hostilities against Iraq is constantly based in the Japanese port of Yokosuk.

In the area of ​​the Iraqi port city of UMM Kasra, there is a heavy fight between the American Marines and soldiers of the Iraqi army. It is heard to shoot machine guns and machine guns, and, as far as is known, the Iraqis launched at least one missile on American positions. Tanks approached the naval infantrymen. The battle began after the Americans noticed a group of Iraqi military personnel who ran across from one position to another.

The southern regions of Baghdad were bombed. According to a special correspondent of the Echo of Moscow radio station, American aircraft inflicted 4 bombing in the south of Baghdad. In this direction there is a strategically important object - a flyover. According to the correspondent, "during the day in the city of air sirens, it is not heard, and people are not ready for the fact that bombs can fall nearby."

Aviation of the United States and Great Britain resumed the bombing of the South Iraqi district of Basra. According to Iranian radio, in the southwestern border regions of Iran, powerful explosions and sounds of the engines of heavy bombers are heard. Judging by the pillars of black smoke, four oil wells are burning in the area, RIA Novosti reports. Basra was also tanking from artillery guns.

Two British pilots were baptized over the Iraqi capital on Sunday, according to Al-Jazeera. According to the television channel, the pilots were bought up from a broken or faulty fighter. Now the Iraqi military is searching for pilots in the area of ​​the Tiger River embankment. The CNN television company showed searches live. Iransky soldiers fired from machine guns by water.

In the cities and villages of Chechnya today, at 08:00 Moscow time, 416 polling stations for voting on projects of the Constitution and laws on the election of the president and parliament of the republic opened. Voting will last until 20 hours, reports ITAR-TASS. 540 thousand 545 people are included in the voting lists. In addition, people are expected to participate in people who have not broken ties with the republic and temporarily live in neighboring regions.

The Williams pilot Ralph Schumacher is going to ruin the Bild publication. The reason for the court claim, which Schumacher filed the information of this publication that the "Shummy" is the youngest - blue. The press called the recent marriage of Schumacher Jr., in order to hide the fact of belonging to the blue. According to the pilot himself: - "I can be called gay just like a Danube can be called an island." Interestingly, this was described on the Internet site of Italian gays and lesbians.

On Sunday, March 23, the 75th anniversary ceremony of the Oscar-2003 film award will be held at the Kodak Hollywood theater (Los Angeles). The organizers of the holiday reported that this year changes were made to the award procedure taking into account the war in Iraq.

The danger of striking attacks from Iraq on Israel is still preserved, today the press secretary of the Israeli government, Major General Amos Gilad, said. According to the general, the Anglo-American coalition has not yet fully controlled Iraqi reserves of Scud missiles. At the same time, Gilad emphasized that Israeli air defense and civil defense forces are ready for possible Iraqi shelling.

As of 16:00 Moscow time, the number of those who voted in a referendum in Chechnya exceeded 60 percent. This was announced by the ITAR-TASS correspondent, the chairman of the election commission of the Chechen Republic Abdul-Kirim Arsakhanov. The referendum is considered consisted if more than 50 percent of more than 540 thousand people are involved in it. According to him, 53% of voters voted in Grozny by 13:00. 79% of voters have already taken part in the Vedensky district voting.

The Ambassador of Iraq to Moscow Abbas Galaf confirmed on Sunday in an interview with Interfax, the fact of death in the area of ​​the Iraqi city of Basra of a Russian citizen, presumably, a journalist. Messages about this death appeared in the media last Saturday. According to the ambassador, this Russian entered the territory of Iraq from Kuwait along with American troops.

Manchester United was the head of the tournament table of the English football championship for the only day. On Sunday, “Manchester United” again by Arsenal, having won with Everton - 2: 1. The victory of the Arsenal was brought by Captain Patrick Vier, who scored a decisive goal in the 64th minute. However, the victory was given to Arsenal very difficult. The “gunners” faced a very rigid defense of rivals who undertook the tactics of the small foul to stop the opponents.

On Sunday, about 40 ships with equipment and weapons for the 4th Infantry Division of the US Armed Forces will begin to be held by the SUETSK Canal. This was reported to the sources in the American administration by the NBC television company. According to the television company, the decision to send vessels from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf was made after the United States failed to obtain permission from Turkey to use the Turkish territory to open the Northern Front.

A ground operation to capture Baghdad can begin to Tuesday. This was announced today in London by the British military source, according to which the troops of the US -British coalition do not intend to fight for the seizure of the second largest Iraqi city - Basra, reports Reuters. "We strive to start a ground operation against Baghdad to Tuesday," a military source said. An important circumstance in this case, he called the fact that the coalition troops pass Basra and go north to Baghdad.