The official representative of the US State Department James Rubin made a very tough statement about Andrei Babitsky. The State Department requires the Russian authorities explanations where the journalist is located, and the punishment of the perpetrators.

The deputy chief of the General Staff Valery Manilov in an interview with ORT stated that the group will operate in the mountainous part of Chechnya "within 50 thousand bayonets along with officers, warrant officers, soldiers and sergeants." "The withdrawal of troops from Chechnya will be carried out only after the specific tasks that are facing the troops, and reduce the scope of tasks to eliminate illegal armed groups." Meanwhile, the NTV reports that the day before yesterday in the Argun

The Prime Minister of Japan Caidzo School accepted the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov, who arrived in Tokyo from North Korea.

The Vice Speaker of the Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky shared his views on the future of Russia with journalists. The next president of Russia, in his opinion, "will be in power 11 years - two terms and amendments to the Constitution with the extension of authority." After the election, the period of stagnation will begin: "All physical conflicts in Russia will be discontinued. Life will be boring.

The price of Russian oil "Urals" with the delivery to the ports of the Mediterranean on Wednesday increased to $ 27.07 per barrel, which is $ 0.50 higher than the price of one -time transactions of Tuesday. Oil prices in Europe rose due to a decrease in reserves in the United States - the largest consumer of oil products in the world.

Io of the president departed from Moscow to Krasnodar to take part in the All -Russian meeting on the problems of the agro -industrial complex that opened there. Putin plans to meet with the heads of the subjects of the Federation of the North Caucasus region to discuss the details of the regional development program for the period until 2005.

Today at about 6:30 Moscow time, the terrorists holding the Afghan Airlines plane freed a large group of hostages. According to preliminary data, 85 people left the plane, including several children. A peaceful resolution to the problem, which the British intelligence services had hoped for from the very beginning, is becoming increasingly likely.

The head of the IMF Michelle Campessu made a farewell statement. “On the morning of February 15, I will become anyone, and you will not hear about me anymore,” he said.

Morning newspapers write about the dangers of uncontrolled investments in the Russian economy. Foreign investors are currently again interested in the Russian market, risky, but profitable, some Western experts predict the growth of the RTS index by the end of the year to 300 points.

Anatoly Chubais, responding to the recent remarks of the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Viktor Kalyuzhny addressed to RAO UES, summed up some results of the holding’s work over the past year. So, according to him, in 1999, RAO exceeded the planned task for transferring taxes to the federal budget: 5.39 billion rubles were introduced. Instead of 4.625 billion, stipulated by the agreement between the holding and the Ministry of Railways.

In the Tambov region, officials will experience a whole year before the final appointment; The Governor of the Altai Territory Alexander Surikov discussed with Vladimir Putin the program of socio-economic development of the Altai Territory for 2001-2004; Details and other news - in the press review of the Interregional Information Agency "All Russia" .

Mikhail Kozyrev writes that "the military-technical friendship of Moscow and Minsk is stronger on the basis of an increasingly converging position in foreign policy. Once Belarusian leaders acted with bold statements about the possibility of supplying air defense systems Belgrade, and now the Kremlin began to rattle weapons." And Olga Romanova says that "there is no need to unfold Vladimir Vladimirovich anywhere, he stands very well - facing Tverskaya, with his back to the Beijing Hotel.

The Council of the Duma ended. Speaker Seleznev confirmed that tomorrow Boos, Nemtsov and Lukin (therefore, Lukin chose Lukin’s faction between Lukin and Ivanenko), most likely, will be approved by vice-sopies: today three factions presented their “applications”. This, apparently, means that, in particular, the issue with the anti -corruption commission led by Stepashin is resolved, in particular.

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov is satisfied with the results of the meeting with IO Vladimir Putin yesterday. According to Luzhkov, the conversation was about preferential customs duties for SP "Autoframos", which produces Renault cars in Moscow. The issues related to the size of pensions were discussed. It was also a question of problems related to the interaction of the metropolitan authorities with the Ministry of Economics and the Minhgsimunsmostity.

The Spaniards monitor their neighbors: if you inform the state that someone died without leaving the heirs, you will receive 10% of the property of the deceased, and the Americans invented an hour out of 64 minutes - in abroad .