In Moscow, international observers arrive in Russia to monitor the progress of the presidential elections. According to the headquarters of PACE, a delegation of nine people arrives in Moscow to observe the progress of the presidential election from the organization. It is led by Rudolf Bindig, a member of the Law Committee PACE and a representative of a group of socialists from Germany.

The cousins ​​of Manuel and Kandelario Orozko, peasants aged 70 and 85 from the Mexican state of Halisco, argued for many years for a water source. In the end, they decided to resolve their protracted quarrel in the old fashion, on a pistol duel. They met at night in a clean field. The 70-year-old Manuel shot 45 caliber from the old Colt, his 85-year-old brother of Kandeladario, from a 22-caliber pistol, writes Reuters on Thursday.

Warm and sunny weather in the metropolitan region led to a deterioration in the environmental situation, Roshydrome said. On Friday, during the day in Moscow and the region there will be slight cloudy, precipitation is not expected. By noon, the air in the capital will warm up to plus 3-5 degrees, in the region-to plus 1-6. But in the morning, weather forecasters warn, still quite cool. Now in the capital minus 4-6, in the suburbs, the thermometer shows from 4 to 9 degrees of frost.

In the Khvyoninsky district of the Hovgorod region, the roof of the school of the children's anti -Tuberculosis sanatorium "Khvyonoy" fell. The representative of the Committee for the Protection of Population of the Hovgorod Region said on Friday that 10 square meters had collapsed. meters of the roof of the school. Only by chance of children in the room that the roof fell over, there was no and no one was injured, reports Interfax.

At the world, which started today in Seoul, three sets of medals were played out: in men at distances of 500 and 5000 meters, for women - 1500 meters. The tournament opened the competitions of sprinters in which the "silver" of the Russian national team was brought by Dmitry Lobkov.

In France, in connection with a terrorist threat, a “red level” of danger was introduced in the protection of stations and railways. This was announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs of France Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking on the second channel of French television. For the rest of the country, the "orange level" of the plan for the fight against terrorism, introduced last Thursday, is preserved, ITAR-TASS reports.

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said that officials, due to the fault of whose residents of demolished or reconstructed houses are resettled to other areas, will be personal responsibility.

Industrial production in France in January unexpectedly decreased by 0.5% relative to December, Bloomberg reports with reference to the data of the French National Statistical Management of Insee. Analysts predicted that industrial production will grow by 0.4% per month and by a year - by 1.8%. The increase regarding January 2003 amounted to 0.9%. Promproduction was reduced by the results of two months of the last three, which indicates a possible slowdown in economic growth, experts say.

Eight celebrities will hold three nights in the hacking castle in the framework of the new reality show "I am famous and scared" of one of the British television channels. For three days, eight stars of the British show business will be held at the Clogym Castle in the county of Northumberland. The Living TV channel will tell about all the ups and downs of their location there British viewers.

At least 154 people died as a result of the passage of the powerful tropical cyclone "Gafilo" over Madagascar. This became known after the authorities officially confirmed the information about the death during the storm off the northern coast of the island of the Samson passenger ferry. On board there were 21 crews and 92 passengers, of which only two were found alive, ITAR-TASS reports. The ferry made a flight from the Comor island of Anjuan to the port city of Mahadzang.

The US Embassy in Germany warned its citizens about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the concert hall "Topper" in Berlin. The US citizens living in the German capital received letters from the American embassy on Friday by e -mail, which spoke about the attack, RIA Novosti reports.

The Spanish police discovered and neutralized another explosive device in Madrid on Friday, ITAR-TASS reports. The day before, 10 explosive devices exploded in four electric trains, another 3 bombs were neutralized by the police through the controlled undermining.

There are no Russians among the wounded and identified at the moment the bodies of the dead in the series of terrorist attacks in Madrid. This was reported to "Interfax" by the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Yakovenko with reference to the data of the Spanish authorities. He noted that he had just contacted the Russian Embassy in Madrid.

The court recognized the defendants in the so -called "case of Aeroflot" guilty, but freed them from further punishment. The main accused of the former first deputy general director of Aeroflot Nikolai Glushkov and the deputy for commerce and advertising, Alexander Krasnenker, were found guilty under Article 193 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Non-return from abroad in foreign currency").

The Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov informed the president of plans to raise pensions in April. According to Zurabov, the average increase in pensions that will affect all pensioners will amount to 121 rubles, and for old -age pensioners, the number of which is 29.3 million, an increase will be 135 rubles. According to Zurabov, there are 38 million pensioners in Russia in Russia, of which 29.3 million are old -age pensioners.