The Australian swimmer Ian Torp was given the opportunity to defend his title of Olympic champion at a crown distance of 400 meters in frequency in Athens. At a recent national qualifying tournament, the torp twice made a false bank and, according to international rules, was disqualified , and also deprived of the opportunity to perform at 2004 games at his crown distance. His place was taken by Craig Stevens, who won the country's championship at this distance.

The unusual sight awaited the visitors of the New York Central Park on Friday: two gays in protest climbed a tree and had sex there for four hours, insulting the police and gathered around the crowd of people. The police tried to seduce gays with drinking, but they angrily rejected the proposal to go down and taste Coca Cola: “This is Coke. And I want a vanilla Diet Pepsi,” a 32 -year -old shemale with a female bust, who was only a purple cape, told the police sitting on a tree.

Since the beginning of the Iraqi war to April 15, 2004, 789 coalition forces have died in Iraq, 686 of them are Americans. The Newsweek magazine gained access to the data of an unofficial study, according to which, the cause of the deaths of 142 soldiers and officers were explosions of mines, 48 ​​died as a result of attacks using hand grenade launchers.

In Ashgabat, a closed trial was held on the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and the chairman of the National Security Committee, General Zanan Berdyev. According to the information received from the source in the Prosecutor General of Turkmenistan, last week the former Minister of Internal Affairs and the chairman of the National Security Committee of Turkmenistan, Pran Berdyev, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

A joint meeting of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is opening today in Tallinn under the leadership of the Archbishop of Estonia Peter Zurbriggen, the Delfi website reports. This was announced by the representative of the Apostolic Administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Estonia, Philip Zordan.

The DPRK rejected the proposal of South Korea to send humanitarian aid to the victims of the explosion at the Renchon railway station. Pyongyang proposed to continue negotiations on Tuesday in the border North Korean city of C whileon. The parties should determine how humanitarian goods will be delivered. South Korea proposes to deliver help by land, and northerners insist on using the sea routes for this.

As a result of a public opinion survey conducted in April jointly by IPSOS and Associated Press , it turned out that half of the Americans believes that terrorist organizations can win the war that they wage against the United States. About 20% of respondents are firmly convinced of the inevitability of the victory of terrorists.

The founder of the American cosmetic Empire, Ester, Lauder died on Saturday in New York at the age of 97. According to the representative of the company of the same name, Sally Sumen, death occurred as a result of heart failure. In 1995, Aste Lauder moved away from the management of the company created in 1946. According to The New York Times, at that time the cost of the company was estimated at $ 2 billion.

The United States is ready to assist North Korea in connection with the catastrophe on the railway , said US Secretary of State Colin Powel at a press conference on Monday. According to him, the United States collaborates with the UN and will offer financial assistance. “We make the UN understand that we wish to participate in recovery events that will be appropriate for us,” Powell said. The DPRK officially confirmed the fact of the explosion, which occurred on April 22 at the Yonchon station.

The accusation of intentional murder was brought by the Sergeant of the American army, James Pitts, who recently returned home from Iraq. He is charged with the fact that he drowned his wife in the bath. The 31-year-old Pitts himself gave himself to the hands of justice. A day after the murder, he came to the place of his registration to the military base of Fort Lyuis (Washington) and told military investigators what and how happened, ITAR-TASS reports.

Michael Jackson unexpectedly parted for many with his two main lawyers - Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brephman. Nothing concrete is reported about the reasons for the gap, both lawyers refused to comment on this event. “Mark and I decided to leave,” Brephman said. “There were many difficult legal and practical issues that we do not consider it necessary to discuss.” For his part, Brephman wished Jackson all the best and expressed the hope that he would be justified.

A few kilometers from the majestic palace, from where the royal governor once ruled Georgia, in the dirty industrial area of ​​Tbilisi, an office building that is not amenable to description is not lendering to description. Inexpressive in appearance, for many Georgians, it symbolizes new Russian domination over their country, which Moscow is ruled for two centuries before, in 1991, Georgia became independent after the collapse of the USSR.

In Israel, on Monday, they celebrate the day of memory of soldiers who died in wars for the Jewish state. The memorial ceremonies began on the eve of 20:00 local time with a minute of silence, which was announced by the sounds of sirens. From November 29, 1947 to April 4, 2004, more than 20 thousand Israeli soldiers died in battles. Over the past year, 184 troops were killed, ITAR-TASS reports.

In Indonesia in the province of Maluku, 12 people were killed as a result of collisions and about 98 were injured. Skiing began last Sunday between Christians - supporters of the "front for the sovereignty of Malyuk" and militants of the Islamist armed group "Lascar Jihad". Contrary to the ban on the authorities in the city, the flags of the so -called Republic of Southern Molucca Islands appeared, which was proclaimed by separatists 54 years ago.

The UN is going to use nuclear technologies to combat mosquitoes, which are the source of the spread of malaria in Africa. According to experts, millions of people die annually in Africa from malaria, and African states lose up to $ 12 billion due to the spread of this disease. Bart Knolls, an expert at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), read that from 3 to 5 billion people are infected around the world annually all over the world, and 90% of them are residents of Africa.