In the Voronezh Zoo, due to hypothermia, two pythons died, who lived here for more than six years. As the manager of the zoosad Svetlana Nefedova said on Thursday, for normal life, pythons need a constant temperature plus 28 degrees Celsius. Strong cold wind and frosts led to a decrease in temperature in the terrarium up to 10 degrees of heat, Interfax reports.

Iran and Syria intend to oppose the United States as a united front. This was stated by Vice President of Iran Mohammed Reza Aref. “In the light of the special problems that Syria faced, Iran will provide her with all kinds of support. This is especially relevant in the light of threats to impose sanctions on this country,” the Aref said after a meeting with Syria Prime Minister Naja Otari.

Islamists from the Chechen network prepared a terrorist attack on the Eiffel Tower, writes the French newspaper Le Parisien with reference to sources in the investigating authorities. According to the newspaper publication, the preparation of this and other terrorist attacks was told in interrogations by immigrants from Algeria - two brothers Haled and Muammar Wazan and Hassan Hubbar. They were detained on January 11 in Paris on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities.

One hundred representatives of the Norwegian embassy in the Canadian capital set a new record for the Gines Book. According to RIA Novosti with reference to the Norway Post , one hundred people drove one hundred meters in one pair of skis, which is the highest achievement. Thus, employees of the Norwegian embassy celebrated the 100th anniversary of Norway's independence.

Investors began to directly announce the "Yukos case" as a factor that influenced their promising investment projects. Two largest companies - Nornickel and the largest mining company in the world of BHP Billiton reported that political risks in modern Russia forced them to revise investment plans.

In January 2005, dollar deposits in banks were the least unprofitable. Last year, it was they who brought the largest losses to the depositors, but with the beginning of 2005 the situation changed radically: the dollar began to strengthen relative to the euro, and at the same time, the real benefit from contributions to American currency began to grow.

In Altai, three officials are accused of embezzlement of more than a million rubles, which were intended for the maintenance of orphans. According to the prosecutor's office of the Altai Republic, the case of the Social Assistance Department of the Municipal Education of the Maiminsky district hosts the case.

In the UK, a street actor was arrested for depicting a Formula 1 car near the supermarket. 32-year-old David Honen mixed the audience, running down the street in the red uniform of the Ferrari team and holding the steering wheel. However, he was arrested in York for "making interference with road traffic." Honena was searched and kept in a police station for more than two hours. After which he was an official warning, although he could face a fine of 1 thousand pounds, Ananova.com reports.

The Russian women's team was left without medals in a sprint race of 7.5 kilometers, held on Thursday as part of the eighth stage of the Biathlon World Cup in Slovenian Popard. The victory in the race was won by the Frenchwoman Sandrin Bayi, the second place was taken by the Chinese woman Inchao Kun, who lost 14 seconds to the leader. The third finished the General of Cristianis from Norway. Olga Zaitseva, who showed the fourth result, was the best of the Russians. Natalia Guseva - ninth.

Two scientists from NASA claim that there is life on Mars. They reported this on Sunday at a closed meeting with the agency’s leadership. Scientists argue that living organisms exist next to tiny ponds in deep caves of the Red Planet. Scientists Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke from the Eims Research Center in Silicon Valley intend to publish their opening in Nature magazine in May of this year.

The leaders of the Yukos and Group Menatep were invited on Thursday to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in order to tell American senators about what happened to Yukos in Russia. According to Mike Lake, an official representative of Yukos in the United States, the chairman of the board of Yukos Stephen Tidi and Group Menatep Tim Osbourne will perform in the first part of the Senate hearings.

Witnesses who testify to trials in civil cases will receive compensation, "based on the actual time and 5-fold minimum wages." This was announced on Thursday at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation, the head of the Ministry of Justice of Russia, Yuri Chaika, commenting on the corresponding changes to the current Civil Code introduced by the Cabinet.

More than 70 people were injured as a result of a clash of the Hong Kong ferry with a Chinese dry cargo. The clash occurred on Thursday morning due to poor visibility in the Hong Kong water area, the RTHK-3 Hong Kong Radio reports. The accident, in which more than 70 people suffered, occurred in the South China Sea near the Hong Kong district of Tsini. Three people were seriously injured, RIA Novosti reports. In total, about 150 people were on the ferry heading to the islands of Nansha (Svtli).

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II will head the church and public forum dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Victory. “The conference is designed to identify the true role of the Church in the history of the Great Patriotic War and its exceptional contribution to the Victory,” RIA Novosti said at the church -Holder Center of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Orthodox Encyclopedia .

11 states, including Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania, ratified the Convention on Wednesday on the protection of intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO CEO Koitiro Matsuuro welcomed this step taken only 16 months after the adoption of the document, which was signed at the UNESCO General Conference in 2003.