In a number of areas of the Altai Territory, where the second round of the governor’s elections takes place on Sunday, unknown persons are trying to access the election commissions, imposing themselves as representatives of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. This was stated on Sunday in contact with the residents of the region, the chairman of the regional election commission Olga Agafonova, Interfax reports.

The second round of the presidential election will be held in Slovakia, which is scheduled for April 17. Of the 11 candidates, the ex-Prime Minister of the republic Vladimir Mechyar and the former chairman of the parliament Ivan Gashparovich passed it. This was reported to ITAR-TASS in the Central Election Commission of Slovakia. The greatest surprise was that voters did not support the Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Kukan despite the fact that surveys have read a confident victory for him.

The expansion of NATO "now, in this version, does not pose a threat to Russia." This was stated on Sunday by the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Yakovenko.

By the morning of Sunday, part of the Mozdog-Kazimagomed main gas pipeline, which was disabled by the explosion on Friday, was completely restored, RIA Novosti reports. “It is filled with“ blue fuel, ”the deputy general director of Kaspiygazprom LLC Gasan Abdurahmanov told RIA Novosti . The repair brigades of the gas company replaced the rupture place on the pipeline on the Uytash section with a “coil” - a pipe piece of 11 meters long and a diameter of 1200 mm.

American Serena Williams defended her title of winner of the NASDAQ-100 Open tournament, the female part of which ended in Miami. In the finale, without any problems, the American defeated the Russian woman Elena Dementiev, giving her only two gams 6: 1, 6: 1. Williams played its first tournament after an eight-month absence due to a knee injury that Serena received during Wimbledon.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili signed an order of national reconciliation with supporters of the first President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia. On the basis of this document, a group of zviadists out of 14 people handed over to the Minister of Internal Affairs Georgy Baramidze small arms and in return received hoes as a sign of returning to peaceful life.

In Japan, the score of "Wedding Cantata 216" Johann Sebastian Bach, which the composer wrote in 1728, lost 80 years ago, was discovered in Japan. Eight pages of the score containing a party for soprano and Alta were found in the house of the now deceased Japanese pianist Tieko Hara. This was announced today by Professor Tadasi Isoam from the Kunitati music school.

In the northeast of Baghdad, real street battles are underway, according to the Katar satellite television channel Al-Jazeera. Demonstrations of supporters of the radical Shiite leader led to destabilization in the city area. According to Al-Jazeera, anarchy reigns on the streets, many armed people, the sounds of a shootout are heard.

Three people were injured as a result of the explosion of the grenade, which was heard today in the afternoon in the square in front of one of the stations of the Tbilisi metro. According to the data received by ITAR-TASS in the city police, the wounded were taken to the hospital, the condition of the woman who suffered during the explosion is serious. The incident occurred when one of the attackers who found out relations in the square decided to resort to force and threw a grenade.

In Rostov-on-Don, with a maz falling into the pit, three workers crushed, two of them died. According to Interfax on Sunday, a source in the law enforcement agencies of the Zheleznodorozhny district of the city, where the tragedy occurred, the emergency occurred on the eve of at about 14:20 Moscow time. At the moment when the dump truck was loading the soil, the foundation of the pit occurred, and the truck overturned at the workers located below.

Political leaders of 13 Palestinian organizations, including Hamas groups, Fath and Islamic Jihad, held negotiations in the gas sector about how the situation would develop after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from there. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, however, so far refuses to discuss his proposals with the Palestinians on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and from certain areas of the western bank of the Jordan River.

On Sunday, a week before Easter, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Great twelve holiday (one of the 12 main) entrances of the Lord to Jerusalem, which is also called the Peresal Sunday. On this day, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy the Second will perform the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, RIA Novosti was informed in the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

During the upcoming visit to Washington, British Prime Minister Tony Blair intends to turn to US President George Bush with a request to delay for the year the introduction of dactyloscopy and photographing for the British entering the United States, Daily Telegraph writes today. The British prime minister arrives in the USA next week. During the visit in which Cheri's wife will accompany him, Blair will meet with Bush at the president’s family ranch in Crawford.

Near the Small Shiite mosque in the Iraqi city of Baakub, 65 km north of Baghdad, the explosion thundered early in the morning. According to ITAR-TASS, one person was injured as a result of the incident. The explosion led to the collapse of most of the building. Numerous victims were avoided only because the explosive device worked after the end of the morning prayer, when the mosque was empty. This is not the first time in Iraq to attack the mosque.

In the second round of the elections of the Governor of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug, the current head of the autonomy Vladimir Loginov won, RIA Novosti was told in the District Emergency Committee. According to preliminary data obtained after processing 100% of the ballots, 51.4% of voters cast their votes for Vladimir Loginov. For his opponent Boris Chuev - 39.5%. 7.6% of voters voted against all candidates. In general, the voter turnout exceeded 70%.