Israeli troops are completely withdrawn from Bethlehem. The withdrawal of troops, as planned, began after the siege of the Church of the Nativity of Christ, which lasted five and a half weeks. On Friday, the temple was left by everyone who found a shelter there, including 39 Palestinians, whom Israel accuses of terrorism.

Vladimir Abarinov, Washington: On the eve of Washington in the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress, hearings were held on the situation in Chechnya, in which the Radio Liberty correspondent Andrei Babitsky took part. As the chairman of the commission, Senator Ben Nighthors-Kampbell, said in his entrance word, the hearings are confined to the upcoming visit by President Bush to Russia.

The ice mash on the Lena River in the Irkutsk region was destroyed and the water began to subside. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the ice cork was eliminated, dropping toLo -coat from helicopters. As a result of the formation of a jam, the water level in Lena rose 7 meters and in the village of Petropavlovsk in the north of the region last night hundreds of houses were flooded.

Israeli troops leave Bethlehem. The withdrawal of troops, as planned, began after the siege of the Church of the Nativity of Christ, which lasted five and a half weeks. Today, the temple was left by everyone who found a shelter there, including 39 Palestinians, whom Israel accuses of terrorism.

Israel pulls the troops and armored vehicles to the border of the gas sector, preparing for a possible new operation against Palestinian militants. There were no reports of the start of the operation. Yesterday, the Israeli government approved the holding of new raids in the Palestinian territories - in response to a terrorist attack in the Rishon Lights, where 15 Israelis were killed as a result of the explosion. In Israel, the mobilization of reservists has been declared.

In Columbia, the head of the police department for combating drugs, General Gustavo Sochu was removed from his post and transferred to another job in connection with a financial scandal. The scandal erupted when the local press reported that about $ 2 million, which the United States allocated Columbia to fight drug trafficking, disappeared without a trace. The newspapers claimed that the money was assigned to the department’s employees, who led the ook.

Huuman Raits Uchch international human rights organization said that in Afghanistan, even after the overthrow of the Taliban regime, the situation of women is still unsafe. The organization’s report says, in particular, cases of group rape in the city of Mazari-Sharif in the north of the country. At the same time, the document notes that since November last year, women gained access to education and medical care, the ban on work for them has been canceled.

The national teams of Russia and Slovakia will meet on Saturday in the final match of the World Hockey Championship, held in Sweden. Yesterday in the semifinals, the Russians defeated the Finns, and the Slovaks - the Swedes. In both games, the main time ended in a draw-2: 2, appointed in accordance with the regulations, 10-minute overtime did not bring any success to anyone, and the teams of the Russian and Slovakia won with the same score 2: 0.

Foreign Ministers of the Five Arab States discussed today in Cairo the ways to implement a plan for peaceful settlement in the Middle East proposed by Saudi Arabia. According to the head of the foreign policy department of Egypt Ahmed Maer, it also was about what measures would take the Arab countries in case of Israeli attack on the gas sector. He did not give details. Ministers from Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia took part in the negotiations.

In the Stavropol Territory, three fraudsters were detained with red-handed, who stole the Order of Lenin in 33 veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The detainees, posing as employees of social security departments or activists of the Communist Party, entered the houses to veterans, asked to show awards supposedly for the reconciliation of numbers and replaced them with fakes. The gang acted in the Stavropol region and in the Rostov region.

Yuri Bagrov, North Caucasus: four terrorist acts occurred in the markets of the capital of North Ossetia over the past three years. The latter happened on April 28 - a homemade explosive device, stuffed with pieces of finely chopped hard metal wire, was laid in a pipe that served as a fence. As a result of the explosion, seven people died, about 50 were injured.

In the village of Petropavlovsk in the north of the Irkutsk region on Friday night, hundreds of houses were flooded - as a result of the formation of an ice incinerator on the Lena River. The water level in the river rose to 7 meters. Cattle was taken to a safe place. The issue of evacuation of residents is being resolved.

Cuban human rights defenders today transferred a petition to parliament with a demand to hold a referendum on the democratization of the political system. The document was signed by more than 11 thousand people. According to Cuba Constitution, the National Assembly may be announced by a referendum if it is required by more than 10 thousand voters. The reaction of the Cuban authorities to the petition is still unknown.

The Church of the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, who was under the siege of the Israeli troops for five and a half weeks, left 39 Palestinians, whom Israel accuses of terrorism. 13 of them, according to an agreement reached through the mediation of the European Union, are temporarily deported to Cyprus, another 26 will be placed in prison in the gas sector. Dozens of people hiding in the temple along with terrorists will be released after checking.

The number of victims of the attack in Kaspiysk continues to grow. According to the latest data, 41 people died, every third is a child. More than a hundred wounded are in hospitals, many are in serious condition. Today in Dagestan is a day of mourning. The director of the FSB of Russia Nikolai Patrushev said that several people have already been detained on suspicion of involvement in the terrorist attack. Their surnames are not called. A few more people are wanted.