The dollar exchange rate at the beginning of the week added 4 kopecks, rising to 28 rubles 53 kopecks. Trading this morning was quite calm with relatively low activity of players (by 11:30 a little more than $146 million was sold on the market), however, in the afternoon trading session, the trend towards an increase in the dollar exchange rate prevailed on the market. However, so far the increase in the exchange rate value of the American currency is most likely local in nature.

According to RIA Novosti, an initiative group created in support of the self -nomination of Vladimir Putin for the second presidential term, presented 2 million 499 thousand 937 voter signatures to his support to the Central Election Commission. Among them, 6 thousand 971 signatures were recognized unreliable. That is, the amount of marriage did not exceed a third of the percent.

The failure in the parliamentary elections on December 7 forced the Union of Right Forces to carefully think about the causes of what happened. It was decided to think about it - with the creation of a special commission led by Konstantin Remchukov. In the course of the work of the commission, various rumors arose: about the identified plunder of funds and so on. The delegates of the Congress of the ATP on January 24 - 25 were familiarized with the report of the commission.

On Tuesday, one of the largest Israeli newspapers Ha'aretz will publish an interview with journalist Joel Marcus with the country's prime minister, but on Monday, a scandal erupted around this interview. The immediate reason for the scandal - Ariel Sharon ordered to prepare a plan for evacuation of 17 Jewish settlements from the Gaza sector. This is described in the announcement of an invoice interview, published on Monday issue of the newspaper.

Today, the Prosecutor General’s Office charged the former general director of Nizhnevartovskneftegaz OJSC, deputy of the Tyumen Regional Duma Viktor Pali in the assignment of $ 16 million. Currently, the preliminary investigation is completed. RIA Novosti reported today that the accused together with lawyers has been getting acquainted with the materials of his criminal case for two weeks.

In the coming days, George Bush will announce the consent of the White House to create an independent commission to clarify the validity of the US intelligence services on the availability of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

In the hospitals of Magadan and Kamchatka there are 45 draftees from the Moscow region with a diagnosis of pneumonia and SARS, RIA Novosti reports. Now the Military Medical Commission is evaluating the possibility of undergoing the further service of each sick person who arrived for service in the SVRPU. The conclusions of military doctors will be checked by a group of doctors who will arrive from Moscow in mid -February.

In the hospitals of Magadan and military hospitals of the North-Eastern regional border administration of the FSB there are 45 draftees. Their condition is stable and does not cause fears of doctors. One of the sick draftees was sent for treatment to Moscow due to serious complications that arose as a result of pneumonia, ITAR-TASS reports. All recruits that completed treatment undergo a thorough medical examination for the suitability for further service.

US President George Bush will not object to an independent investigation on the presence of mass destruction weapons in Iraq (OU). Earlier, the US presidential administration objected to such an investigation. The Washington Post reports that Bush has changed his opinion under the pressure of representatives of both the republican and democratic parties.

In the area of ​​the northern smoking for violation of the state border, the aquarius-1 vessel was detained under the flag of Beliz (state in Central America). This was announced on Monday by the commander of the North-Eastern regional border administration of the FSB of the Russian Federation (SVRPU), Lieutenant General Valery Putov, RIA Novosti reports. For several hours on Sunday, border guards tried to detain the Aquarius-1, trying to hide from the guard ship.

Inopressa.ru One of the most famous stars of the film Bridget Bardo and Vladimir Putin formed an unusual alliance in order to save animals from operations without anesthesia. According to The Guardian in the material, the translation of which is published by Inopressa.ru , after personal appeal, Bridget Bardo, Putin canceled the law prohibiting veterinarians to apply ketamine during operations.

35 Chinese citizens intend to sue the Japanese government for poisoning with mustard gas. The Japanese warehouse of chemical weapons from the Second World War was discovered during construction work in the city of Tsitsikar in the northeast of China. As a result of poisoning, one of the workers died, another 43 people were hospitalized, reports Kyodo News.

If the prosecutor’s office does not engage in public policy on our own, then it is its instrument. This potential, so useful in the parliamentary elections, continues to be used. President Putin, who was going for a second term, called on prosecutors to “show his own activity more”, thus helping people.

The High Council of the Rodina Bloc decided to take measures to maintain his unity of his faction in the State Duma, reports Interfax. According to the employee of the apparatus of the faction, Olga Sagareva, the Council decided to "confirm the unity of the faction ... and focus on the preparation of legislative initiatives." In order to confirm the unity, it was decided to “refrain from actions and statements that damage the authority of the“ homeland ”,” said Sagareva.

The Supreme Court postponed the consideration of a complaint of presidential candidate Viktor Gerashchenko on the refusal of the CEC in registration until February 6, 2004. The court demanded, until this date, to provide a decision of the Central Election Commission of the Central Election Commission with respect to the special opinion of the CEC of Elena Dubrovina, who did not object to the receipt of documents from the candidate Gerashchenko without signatures.