In the United States, a set of tests has been developed to identify a tendency to Parkinson's disease. The study of motor reactions, the ability to distinguish smells, as well as mood changes - quite reliably determine the belonging to the risk group. If one of the parents or blood brothers and sisters is sick with parkinsonism, then the probability of the disease of the rest of the family is two and a half times higher than the average.

In Berlin, the great violinist Jehudi Menukhin died. He was 82 years old. Menukhin was born in New York in 1916 in a Jewish family. Already at the age of seven, he at his first violin concert amazed the San Francisian public. At the age of 11 he performed at Carnegie Hall with conductor Fritz Bush.

Leading Sergey Seninsky - Can a Parisian club write off part of Russia's external debt or exchange it for debts of developing countries? - Japanese industrial conglomerates - "Keirets": take -off and fall of the company "Mitsubishi". - And also - an overview of publications of the next issue of the British weekly "Economist".

The State Duma of Russia adopted a law on reducing income tax of enterprises up to 30 percent - instead of the current 35. The deputies also voted for reducing the value rate of value added tax - from 20 to 15 percent (from July 1, 1999) and for the preferential rate of VAT (in the amount of 10 percent), the bill provides for the unified VAT rate - 10 percent.

In Moscow, negotiations of the mission of the International Monetary Fund with the Russian leadership began. The delegation of the fund is headed by Deputy Director of the Second European Department Gerard Belanus. Russian - Deputy Minister of Finance Oleg Vyugin. Prime Minister Primakov - before the start of negotiations - emphasized the need to reach an agreement with the IMF as soon as possible.

NATO Secretary General Javier Solan said that admission to the Union of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic marks the end of the violent section of Europe and will serve the creation of a new European security system. Czech President Vaclav Gavel named the republic’s entry into NATO - the most important event in its history. Russia simultaneously stated that the expansion of NATO could lead to a new section of Europe.

Since March 11, all freight and passenger trains to the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia go through Dagestan, bypassing Chechnya, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Railways said on Friday. In addition, the Federal Aviation Service of Russia decided not to plan flights to Grozny in the near future, since the administration of the Grozny airport is not able to ensure the safety of passengers.

- Can a Parisian club write off part of Russia's external debt or exchange it for debts of developing countries? - Japanese industrial conglomerates - "Keirets": take -off and fall of the company "Mitsubishi". - And also - an overview of publications of the next issue of the British weekly "Economist".