According to the Chechen command, about 15 thousand Russian troops were thrown to the south of Chechnya. Russian troops are preparing for special operations to search for basic detachments bases in hard-to-reach mountainous areas of Vedena and Nozha-Yurt districts. According to Radio Liberty correspondent, shelling and air strikes were surrounded by the surroundings of the villages of Dzhani-Vedino, Belgota and Tazien Kala.

Presenter of the Liberty Live program Vladimir Baburin: Every day the number of Russian and international commissions and organizations that deal with Chechen problems is increasing. The State Duma on Friday approved the composition of the commission to promote the normalization of the socio-political and socio-economic situation and the observance of human rights in the Chechen Republic. Its chairman was approved by the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities Alexander Tkachev.

The program is conducted by Tengiz Gudava. It is attended by: Uzbek independent political scientist and publicist Lerman Usmanov, Radio Liberty correspondent in Washington Irina Lagunina, American expert Marta Brill Olcott, an employee of the Kazakh Radio Liberty Merhad Sharipjan and the leader of the Kazakhstan opposition party "Orleu" Seydamed Kuttykadam.

- Competitiveness of Russia. - Models of economic reforms: Latin America and East Asia. - shares of the "new" economy. - A review of the publications of the next issue of the British weekly "Economist". Sergey Seninsky: The International Institute of Management, or IMD, located in Lausanne, published the next annual rating of 47 leading countries in the level of competitiveness of national economies last week.

Yuri Bagrov, Ingushetia: The program of the EU delegation is extensive. The ambassadors of the EU intend to visit Znamenskoye, Grozny, Argun, and possibly other settlements. A meeting of the delegation with the representative of the Russian government in Chechnya Nikolai Koshman, as well as a number of other meetings with military and civil prosecutors, spiritual leaders of Chechnya and civilians, is planned.

The Moscow Arbitration Court on Friday decided to recover $ 3.5 million debt on a loan from the Moscow Region in favor of Gutan-Bank from the Moscow Region. On November 3, 1999, Guta -Bank issued a loan of the Moscow Region in the amount of about $ 6 million with a loan repayment period - May 4, 2000. The condition of the contract provided for the possibility of early recovery of debt on a loan in case of violation of the payment schedule.

Andrey Babitsky about the situation in Chechnya. The host of the Liberty Live program, Vladimir Baburin, is talking with a special Radio Radio Liberty in the North Caucasus Andrei Babitsky with a special correspondent for well -known reasons in Moscow. Vladimir Baburin: Andrei, today the newspaper Kommersant Daily received an official warning from the Ministry of Press for publishing an interview with the President of Chechnya Aslan Maskhadov.

In Kurgan, a tense situation is preserved in connection with a flood on the Tobol River - they said on Friday in the Main Directorate for Civil Defense and Extraordinary Situations of the Kurgan Region. Over the past day, the water level in the Tobol River rose by more than one meter, and the total rise in water was 6 meters 30 centimeters. On weekends, it is expected to increase the water level to 8 meters.

On April 22, in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the premiere of the oratorio of the Christos leaf oratorio will be held. Conductor - Evgeny Svetlanov. The three -hour concert participates a combined choir running Viktor Popov, the orchestra of the large hall of the conservatory and Russian vocalists.

On the football fields of France and England, the finalists of the UEFA Cup were determined . On May 17, in Copenhagen, the struggle for the trophy will be waged by the London Arsenal and Istanbul Galatasaray - two clubs that fell into the UEFA Cup after an unsuccessful performance at the first stage of the Champions League. Arsenal, who previously won the French "Lance" in his field - 1: 0, on Thursday achieved success and at a party - 2: 1.

The program is conducted by Elena Kolomiychenko. It participates in it: Viennese journalist Elena Kharitonova, Radio Liberty correspondent in Paris Semyon Mirsky, Radio Liberty correspondent in Rome Irina Studov. Elena Kolomiychenko: Italy has a government crisis. The 57th after the 2nd World War, the Left-centric government of Italy, led by Prime Minister Massimo d'ALEM-ex-communist, in the evening on Wednesday resigned.

At the conference of the Society of Experimental Biology in San Diego, the results of experiments were presented that demonstrate the fundamental possibility of curing liver diseases using hematopoietic stem cells . Employees of the biotechnological company STEMCELLS California Incorporated has identified a pure culture of such cells from the blood and bone marrow of mice and planted them animals with artificially caused liver damage.

Hasin Raduev, Ingushetia: Units of Russian motorized rifles and paratroopers, transferred to the south of Chechnya the day before, are not taking active actions. They are digging, creating engineering structures, mining approaches to places of their deployment. This was reported with reference to the head of the headquarters of the Chechen armed groups of Mumadi Saidaev Chechen sources.

Mikhail Sokolov, Moscow: At a closed meeting of the State Duma of Russia, an agreement on the vivimated prohibition of nuclear tests has been ratified. For - 294, against - 74 deputies, three abstained. On urgent ratification, I.O. President Vladimir Putin, who proposed to consider the document signed by Russia in 1996, immediately. He relied on most of the right and pro -government fractions. In the opposition were the left - the Communists.

Presenter of the Liberty Live program Vladimir Baburin: The FSB of Russia said that an US citizen arrested on April 5 on charges of espionage, an employee of the University of Pennsylvania Edmond Puping tried to get information about the new Russian underwater rocket. Together with him, a citizen of Russia was arrested, who was charged with disclosing state secrets.