While Vladimir Putin claims that he is not afraid of the oligarchs expelled from Russia, the Kremlin still fears that they can still join his efforts in an attempt to return to the political scene, writes Financial Times .

The Masters tennis series in 2009 will be reduced from nine to eight tournaments, and its final will move from Asia to Europe. Such a decision was made in Monte Carlo at the headquarters of the International Association of Professional tennis players. For two years now (2005, 2006) the final "Masters Cup" was held in Shanghai (China). There he will be held in 2007 and 2008. Then he will move to one of the European capitals, most likely it will be London.

By the morning of Saturday morning, the heat was fully fed in 188 residential buildings of the city of Elektrostal, where the accident occurred on the eve, the press service of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Russian Federation told Interfax. "In the remaining houses, the forces of emergency brigades are undergoing work on lifting heating systems.

In the 28th round of the English Premier League, the leader of the championship "Manchester United" in the guest match was won by Fulham with a score of 2: 1 and increased the gap from the London Chelsea to nine points. The start of the meeting was better held by the owners who opened the score of the balls: McBride took advantage of the mistake of the goalkeeper "Mu" Van der Sara, who was recklessly leaving the gate.

The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov made personnel appointments in the power structures of the republic. Berdymukhammedov on Saturday appointed Minister of Defense - Agageldy Mammetgeldyev, Minister of National Security - Geldymukhammet Ashirmukhammedov, chairman of the State Border Service, commander of the border troops - Bayram Alovov.

The United States confirm their commitment to the use of cassette bombs for military purposes and reject the call to the ban on their use, reports Associated Press. “We hold the position that this type of weapons may take place and be used for military purposes,” said Shan McKormak, official representative of the US Department of State.

The 65th anniversary of the feat of Zoe Kosmodemyanskaya was celebrated today by its countrymen, residents of the Tambov region. In February 1942, a decree was published on the assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to a young partisan. The triumph in memory of this event took place at the Museum-Exhibition Complex of the Tambov Higher Military Aviation School.

The Olympic Game Champion in Sapporo Lyubov Mukhachev, who is an honorary guest of the 47th world championship in ski sports, considers incomplete composition of the Russian national team in the male duatlon, primarily the missing of the coaching staff. This was announced by Lyubov Mukhacheva himself about this to the Sports Information Agency.

Spring migration of birds does not pose a serious threat to the massive spread of "bird flu" in the country, said Viktor Zubakin, President of the Birds of Russian Poultry Union. “It’s no sense to sound the alarm that the birds will fly now, and there is no sense in the“ bird flu ”, and ornithologists do not see any grounds for this,” Zubakin told Interfax on Saturday. He noted that the first birds will fly to the Moscow region from wintering at the end of March.

Law enforcement officers conduct an operation to destroy a group of militants in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan, a source in the republic’s law enforcement agencies told RIA Novosti . According to him, the militants are blocked in the village of First Kizlyarsky, 15 kilometers north of Kizlyar. Details of the operation are not given.

Oleg Deripaska, the head of the Basic Element Holding, denied the message that he became the richest man in Russia, overtaking Roman Abramovich. In an interview with the British newspaper Guardian published on Saturday, he called the “mistake” of the Russian weekly “Finance” that his condition is $ 21.2 billion .

The most popular donor of the Center for Reproduction and Reproduction of California in the USA Jeffrey Harrison turned out to be a bum and a “man with oddities”, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the American media. On the eve of St. Valentine's Day, Donor 150 took off his anonymity and called for his surrogate children to respond. “Blue -eyed blond, interested in music, drama and philosophy,” as it was in his business, turned out to be a man without a certain kind of occupation.

At the World Sports Championship in Sapporo in Duatlon, the best of Russian skiers, Alexander Perevkov took sixth place, although he could be in medals, if not for the fall on the last rise. This was stated by Alexander Perevkov himself about this to the Sports Information Agency. “They filled up on the rise, what can be said here. Either the German, or the Italian, I can’t say for sure. We stepped on a ski, and the opponents literally went for me.

The Japanese Sumo Association and 17 fighters of this traditional and very popular sport in Japan filed a civil lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court in the amount of 480 million yen (about $ 4 million). The defendants are the publishing house "Kodan", as well as his two responsible employees and the author of the controversial material in the magazine "Sukan Gandai".

In Samara, unknown attackers killed two Turkey citizens, RIA Novosti was told on Saturday in law enforcement agencies of the city. According to law enforcement agencies, the crime was committed the day before in one of the houses on Clinical Street. "In the rented apartment with numerous stab wounds, the bodies of two citizens of Turkey were found," the agency’s interlocutor said.