The European Union said that the recent parliamentary elections in Ukraine have passed with serious violations of democratic norms. Nevertheless, a certain progress achieved by Ukraine on the way to compliance with international standards is noted in the EU report. The European Union expressed the hope that the new Ukrainian parliament would pursue a policy of democratic reforms. The Ukrainian opposition accuses the supporters of President Leonid Kuchma of falsification of the elections.

A meeting of countries and organizations providing financial assistance to Afghanistan is opening in Kabul today. A special group, created after the conference of donor countries in Tokyo, will discuss projects in the field of restoration of the economy and infrastructure of Afghanistan, which were promised to allocate $ 4 and a half billion over the next 5 years. Among the participants are representatives of the UN, the World Bank and the Asian Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The upper house of the Yugoslav parliament approved today the bill on cooperation with the International Tribunal on Military Crimes. The lower house still continues to consider this document. At the insistence of Montenegro, adjustments were made to the bill. Belgrade agrees to transfer only those suspects against whom the charges have already officially made.

Natalya Golitsyna, London: Today, for the first time after Easter holidays, the British parliament gathered for its session. The statement on the Middle Eastern issue was made by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who met a serious opposition to his Middle Eastern policy. Even before the session of the House of Commons, a meeting of the parliamentary faction of the Labor Party, convened by the British Prime Minister, took place.

Israeli armored vehicles entered the gas sector, thus expanding the military operation, which still took place on the western coast of the Jordan. According to the Palestinian official sources, Israeli tanks and bulldozers demolished a number of houses in the northern and central part of the Gaza sector.

In Magadan, residents of 29 houses will receive electricity only 7 hours a day - in the morning and evening. Thus, the city authorities punish malicious non -payers, who owed up to 170 thousand rubles. Under these sanctions, however, those who pay for electricity in time are falling. In general, the population of Magadan owed the local authorities for the consumed energy of 4 million rubles.

The Queen -Mother, which died on March 30 at the age of 101, was buried on Tuesday in the chapel of St. George in the Windsor Castle - next to her husband George the sixth and recently deceased daughter Princess Margaret. The burial ceremony was closed, only members of the British royal family were attended by it.

The court in New York issued on Tuesday four defendants the charge of supporting the Islamic Group terrorist organization. In particular, they are charged with the transfer of messages from the sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. Among the mentioned documents is the Decree of Sheikh, calling for Muslim clergymen to fight Jews.

US President George Bush again stated that he supports NATO expansion plans. Bush made this statement in Washington after negotiations with NATO Secretary General George Robertson. According to Bush, the NATO Union should develop new, flexible mechanisms to counteract threats of the 21st century. The American president did not specify whether an offer would be made to join NATO to new countries during the November summit of this organization in Prague.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell continues negotiations on the ways of resolving the Middle East conflict. Today in Madrid, he discussed these issues with the UN Secretary General of Cofu Annan, a member of the leadership of the European Union Havier Solanna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain Jose Pick and the head of the foreign policy of Russia Igor Ivanov.

One of the creators of the opposition association “Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan” Galymzhan Zhakiyanov was taken into custody today. At 8 hours 30 in the morning, the police officers, accompanied by the OMON unit, appeared in the apartment of Zhakiyanov and announced the decision to transfer him to Pavlodar, the Center of the North-Western District of Kazakhstan. Galymzhan Zhakiyanov until mid -November last year was the head of the administration of the Pavlodar region.

The Parliament of Yugoslavia today is discussing the bill on cooperation with the International Tribunal on Military Crimes. Observers believe that the document will be adopted. Yesterday he was unanimously approved by the Yugoslav government. According to the bill, Yugoslavia will transfer only persons who are charged with war crimes, but not those who are just suspected of committing them.

13 Israeli troops were killed and 9 were injured on Tuesday as a result of an explosion in a refugee camp near the city of Jenin on the western coast of Jordan. The bomb, laid down by the Palestinians, exploded at the moment when the Israeli soldiers who had a raid in search of terrorists and weapons entered one of the buildings. According to the Radio Liberty correspondent, the Palestinians opened fire, finishing the wounded under the debris.

"All people are born free and equal in their dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and should act in relation to each other in the spirit of the brotherhood." Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this issue: The film of French journalists "Entertainment on Russia" on the explosions of 1999 residential buildings, despite opposition, in Russia nevertheless saw and continue to watch.

The State Duma of Russia adopted in the second reading the bill "On a temporary ban on human cloning." According to the document, for the next five years, any work on cloning a person and his embryo, as well as the import of cloned embryos into the country, has been prohibited. The ban does not apply to cloning human organs. The validity of the law may be extended.