Germany is ready to help Russia restructure debts that make up about $ 16 billion by investing in Russian energy and the oil-gas industry. This was announced today by Chancellor Germany Gerhard Schroeder in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station.

The head of the Media Most Vladimir Gusinsky said that the information widespread by Russian President Vladimir Putin about loans that were not bought by his holding is not true. In an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station, Gusinsky noted that NTV is a profitable company that makes a profit and paying taxes to the budget.

President of Bashkiria Murtaza Rakhimov today suggested to the heads of Russian regions to redeem the share of shares of the NTV television company necessary to participate in decision -making about the fate of the channel. This was announced today by the press service of Rakhimova. The Bashkir leader believes that the independence of NTV should be ensured by domestic investors, and the rights of foreigners in the information market should be limited.

The European Commission today has decided to allocate Serbia $ 135 million - as part of a assistance program for the current year. Funds will be aimed at developing energy, agriculture and healthcare, as well as to support entrepreneurship in Serbia.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Western countries are trying to recruit citizens of his country - in order to receive information about the Belarusian army. As Lukashenko said, the West is concerned about the plans of military reform, as a result of which the Belarusian army will become twice as powerful than in the Soviet period.

Israel and the Palestinian autonomy agreed to resume safety negotiations, the representative of the US State Department Richard Bucher said on Monday. According to him, US Secretary of State Paowell held telephone conversations on Monday with Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the head of the Palestinian autonomy Yasir Arafat.

Economist Alejandro Toledo and former President Alan Garcia entered the second round of the presidential election in Peru. According to preliminary data, in the first round, in which 8 candidates ran for the post of head of state, Toledo scored 36 percent of the vote, Garcia - 26 percent. Observers do not exclude that in the second round of Garcia, who was president of Peru in the late 80s, it will be possible to get ahead of Toledo.

In Rostov-on-Don, it is expected that today the court hearing in the case of Colonel Yuri Budanov will continue, who is accused of killing a Chechen girl. Previous meetings were postponed due to failure to appear in the court of relatives of the deceased and illness of the accused.

In the Oktyabrsky district of Grozny, in the basement of the destroyed house in the territory of the internal affairs department, corpses of 17 killed Chechens were discovered. According to Radio Liberty correspondent, most of the dead are middle -aged men. Their personalities have not yet been established. Presumably, they were killed about six months ago.

Today we read weekly and magazines from the regions. We listen to voices from the province about the events around the NTV and the media-bridge. Etymologically, "media" means "mediation". Media play the role of a bridge between those who make events and those who perceive and evaluate what is happening. Mediator-journalist, mediator-gazeta, intermediary or radio station can connect-or disconnect-these two sides, connect or disconnect the state and society.

About a thousand Chechen refugees from the Consent tent camp in Ingushetia went to the rally today, demanding to resume the distribution of bread and hot food. According to refugees, private organizations that supply them with food have not been supplied for two weeks. According to the representative of the leadership of Ingushetia, the suppliers refuse to resume work if the Russian authorities do not return to them a debt amounting to almost 140 million rubles.

In the Netherlands, euthanasia is legalized. The upper house of the parliament approved today a law allowing doctors to help hopeless patients to die with their consent. The law legalized the practice that has existed in some Dutch hospitals for several years. The law does not apply to people who do not live in the Netherlands. Thousands of opponents of the law held a protest rally at the parliament building.

Russian film director Andrei Osipov received a prize for the best directing at the "Unified World" International Film Film in Prague, which was presented with films dedicated to human rights subjects. The award was awarded to Osipov for the documentary "ET Seter" - about the wars that Russia waged in the 20th century, and the roles of violence in Russian history.

The head of one of the world's largest media holdings - Rupert Murdok - is not interested in buying a NTV television company, the Faynenshnl Times said today. The rivals of the American media Magnate Ted Turner tried to attract Murdok to negotiations on the acquisition of NTV. The newspaper also reported the details of Turner's proposal to buy NTV shares. Turner plans to purchase 11 percent of the shares of the television company from the founder of NTV, Vladimir Gusinsky.

Pavel Borodin was transferred from prison to the hospital with contact with complaints of chest pain, - representatives of the Swiss authorities said today. Borodin, transferred by the US authorities, was in Geneva prison since Saturday. The Swiss prosecutor’s office accuses Borodin, the manager of cases under the first President of Russia, and now the Secretary of State of the Union of Russia and Belarus - in receiving millions of bribes from two Swiss firms and laundering this money.