In Russia, 4 million people use drugs. This was announced by Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev, Interfax reports. "According to expert estimates, in Russia 4 million people are abused by drugs and psychotropic substances, among them women and children," Nurgaliev said on Wednesday, speaking in the State Duma. The minister noted that the spread of drug addiction requires decisive measures.

In 2004, the FSB of Russia stopped the activities of 18 personnel employees of special services of foreign states. This was announced at a meeting with the leaders of the leading Russian media by the director of the FSB of Russia Nikolai Patrushev, RIA Novosti reports. "The FSB of Russia in 2004 stopped the activities of 18 personnel employees of the special services of foreign states. Of these, six were captured, and two people were subsequently prosecuted," Patrushev said.

One of the two daughters of George Bush - 22 -year -old Jenna will work as a school teacher for the poor in Washington. This was reported to reporters on Wednesday, the official representative of the press service of the White House. According to him, Father Jenna is glad that his daughter "will engage in life in life that she likes." This year, Jenna received a diploma of higher education with a degree in English and literature.

A vessel with a load of coal villages is aground in the Kaliningrad Sea Canal, but the movement of vessels through the channel is not interrupted. “According to preliminary information, there are no victims and damage during the incident. The ship is so“ successfully ”in the village that the movement along the channel of other vessels is not blocked,” the source in the port complex of Kaliningrad told Interfax on Wednesday.

In the Moscow metro on Wednesday morning, an emergency occurred. At the Sviblovo metro station, the Kaluga-Riga line, the man, by negligence, fell under the train, but survived. According to sources in the law enforcement agencies of the capital, at 08:28 at the Sviblovo station, the man fell in the way and was under the train following the center, Interfax reports. To extract it, the movement was stopped, voltage was removed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Wednesday visiting the famous actress Alice Freindlich, who celebrates the anniversary this year . The meeting of Vladimir Putin and Alice Freindlich was held in a warm atmosphere, contrary to the unrest of the hostess, who, in anticipation of the guest, was noticeably nervous, smoked and even drank sedative pills. Putin arrived at about half past half of the first, Alice Freindlich herself opened the door to the President of Russia.

In Russia today, journalists who died in the performance of professional duty are remembered. On this special day for the Media Community, relatives, friends and colleagues will honor the memory of talented reporters, photographers, television operators who gave their lives in hot spots and in peacetime in the struggle for honest and operational information, ITAR-TASS reports.

In the United States, a small aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing right on the Road of the American state of Indiana, after the only engine refused. There were three passengers and two crew members on board, no one was injured. When landing, the device passed half a meter from the roofs of cars, and when braking, the aircraft wing crashed into a pillar, reports Interfax. The police praised the skill and courage of the pilot.

The basis of demographic difficulties are moral problems. Such an opinion Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II expressed in a video message to the participants of the first church-public forum "Spiritual and moral foundations of the demographic development of Russia", which takes place in Nizhny Novgorod. The Patriarch noted that the causes of the demographic crisis lie not only in economic instability, but also in moral.

In Washington, an exhibition of Russian art opens on Wednesday, at which the famous picture of Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin will be presented, as well as the work of Soviet artists Tair Salakhov, Alexander Deineki, Zinaida Serebryakova. An exhibition from the Assembly of the State Tretyakov Gallery entitled "In the traditions of Russian art. Historical collection of Russian artists" will be held in the center of S. Dillon Ripley, which is part of the Washington Museum Complex Smifsonian.

Although Christians around the world on the eve of the Nativity of Christ turn to the events in Bethlehem, which took place there two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of a small village of Tokyo prefer a different version. The English newspaper The Independent talks about it today (the translation can be read on the website inopressa.ru ). The village of Singo was on a piece of land in a mountainous area.

Two OMON employees at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Chechnya died during the shelling of the police checkpoint in Grozny, a source in the republic’s law enforcement agencies said on Wednesday. The police checkpoint was fired at about 11:15 Moscow time on Tuesday at the intersection of Lisitsyna and Musorov streets from the passing car VAZ-2102.

As the repeated elections of the Ukrainian president , scheduled for December 26, are approaching, many political and economic groups, which initially supported Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, go over to the side of his opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, writes Financial Times (translation on the website inopressa.ru ). But Viktor Medvedchuk, a 50-year-old head of the presidential administration and one of the richest businessmen of the country, remains Verny Yanukovych.

On the eve of the New Year and Christmas holidays, which this year promise to become especially long for Russians, the author of the article published today on the pages of NG religions , asks for the question of what will celebrate the population of our country - the New Year or Christmas of Christ ? According to the newspaper, the tradition of celebrating Christmas, forcibly interrupted by the Bolsheviks, cannot yet be reborn and occupy an appropriate place in the life of Russians.

Russia needs a more direct dialogue between the authorities and the people, and the created Public Chamber will contribute to the establishment of this dialogue. This opinion was expressed today by the Deputy Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPC MP) Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, RIA Novosti reports.