At least nine people died on Sunday as a result of an explosion in one of the mines in the Donetsk region in Ukraine. 16 victims - hospitalized. According to information agencies, methane exploded in the mine.

In the Egyptian resort city of Taba, a new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations should begin today. It is expected that negotiations will last at least a week. The parties are trying to reach an agreement until February 6, when the elections of the Prime Minister of Israel are held. So far, according to sociological surveys, the leader of the right-wing opposition Ariel Sharon is significantly ahead of the current Prime Minister Ehud Barack.

US President George Bush announced his first working day in the afternoon of a national thanksgiving prayer. On Saturday in Washington at the inauguration ceremony, Bush called the country to unity based on justice and equal opportunities for all citizens. He emphasized that the United States will still strive to protect freedom and democracy around the world.

The US Ambassador to Moscow James Collins said that the detention of the Secretary of State of the Union of Russia and Belarus Pavel Borodin is not a political matter. In an interview with Interfax, Collins noted that this is the case of law enforcement agencies and the American authorities simply "must fulfill all aspects of the contract between Switzerland and the USA." Borodin was detained last Wednesday in New York.

German Foreign Minister Yoshka Fisher expressed on Saturday a decisive protest of the Cuban Office in Germany Marselino Medina in connection with the arrest of two Czech citizens at Cuba. The deputy of the Czech parliament Ivan Pilip and the former leader of the student movement Jan Bubenik were arrested by the Cuban authorities last week. They are suspected of contacts with Cuban dissidents.

As it became known on Saturday, two policemen were killed and two were seriously injured in the vicinity of Argun - after the car where they were, was fired on the Hankala -Argun highway. The incident occurred on Friday evening, when the policemen returned from the meeting, which was held in Hankal by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia Vladimir Rushailo. According to the ITAR-TASS agency, cars with policemen went without protection and were not accompanied by armored personnel carriers.

The leadership of the Afghan movement Taliban rejected the charges of the civilian population today. Last week, numerous certificates of reprisals against residents of the North Afghan city Yakaulang appeared. According to the opposition to the Taliban of the Northern Alliance, more than a hundred Chiite Muslims were killed after the capture of the city with the Taliban troops. Afghan Taliban, for the most part - Muslims -Sunnis.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Beni said today that, most likely, it would not be possible to reach an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians until February 6. On February 6, the election of the Prime Minister will be held in Israel. Today in the Egyptian city of Taba a new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations should begin. It is expected that negotiations will last at least a week.

The authorities of Peru arrested five generals - associates of the former head of the special services Vladimir Motesinos, involved in a number of major political and criminal scandals, led to the resignation of President Alberto Fuhimory. Generals are accused of laundering money and smuggling of drugs and weapons. The daughter, sister and wife of the brother of Montesinos were also detained on charges of coorupsia.

South Korea welcomed the six -day visit of the DPRK leader Kim Chon Ira to China, who had ended yesterday. The South Korean Foreign Ministry described the visit as an important sign that North Korea can follow the path of reforms like Chinese. Kim Chong Ir met with the chairman of the PRC Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders. Observers noted the fact of visiting the North Korean leader of several high -technology and exchange companies in Shanghai - the Center for Chinese Economic Reforms.

Russian officials denied the message of the British newspaper "Daily Telegraph" that Germany implements a secret plan to establish economic domination in Kaliningrad - in exchange for refusing to receive part of Russian debt. According to the newspaper, this issue was discussed during a recent visit to Moscow by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

The Cuban authorities allowed the attorney in the affairs of the Czech Republic in Havana to visit Ivan Pilip and Yana Bubenik, who are in the Cuban prison. The former Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic and a well -known public figure were arrested 10 days ago after a meeting with two independent Cuban journalists. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic stated that Pilip and Bubenik are contained in crowded chambers.

Despite the cooling, a sharp wind and drizzling around the Capitol building in the American capital gathered thousands of people, including numerous protests against the policy of the new government. According to the US Constitution, at noon, the powers of the previous president of the United States Bill Clinton expired, and the newly elected President George Walker Bush was brought to the oath.

On the last day of the US President, Bill Clinton pardoned 140 American citizens convicted or under investigation for various crimes. The order of Clinton, in particular, was removed the criminal record from his brother Roger, who previously convicted for the storage and distribution of drugs. Among the pardoned, the former CIA director John Doich, accused of violating the rules for the treatment of secret government information. Now his business is terminated.

Former US President Ronald Reagan was discharged on Saturday from a hospital in California, where he was placed in connection with a thigh fracture. According to the doctors, Reagan feels normally. Before leaving the hospital, the ex-president watched on TV the inauguration of the new US President George Bush. In February, Ronald Reagan, the oldest head of state in American history, will turn 90 years old.