Russia is trying to convince the DPRK authorities to refuse to develop a nuclear program and start negotiations with Washington. On Saturday, Pyongyang, Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Losyukov, discussed with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK KA KA Kang sec, the plan for the settlement of the crisis around the North Korean nuclear program proposed by Moscow.

In Australia, the strongest forest fires over the past half century have spread to the suburbs of the capital of the country - Kanberra. Thousands of inhabitants are evacuated. Destroyed - according to various sources - from 50 to 100 houses. A state of emergency has been announced in the city. The causes of fires are almost forty -degree heat, drought and strong winds.

In Moscow, the passport regime will be tightened - due to the threat of terrorist attacks. As a member of the capital's government Nikolai Kulikov said on the air of the Echo of Moscow radio station today, the city is also strengthened in the city, all vehicles are checked at the entrance. The Moscow government does not exclude the possibility of a gas attack in the subway.

In Bosnia, the Court of the Muslim-Khorvat Federation sentenced the seven Bosni Muslims to various terms of imprisonment, including the former general and two police officers. They are found guilty of concealing weapons and his smuggling in Kosovo. The convicts were arrested in September 2001 - during the large -scale raid of NATO peacekeepers and the International Police, when hundreds of units of automatic weapons were discovered and seized in Kosovo.

On January 17, the Board of Directors of Gazprom-Media made a unanimous decision to resign the General Director of the company Boris Yordan. His place was taken by Alexander Dybal, who previously held a post, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom-Media. In Gazprom-Media, the reason for the resignation of Yordan calls different points of view on corporate management and business strategy.

The German government denied the message of the magazine "Spiegel" that the country's leadership decided to vote against the UN Security Council resolution allowing a military operation against Iraq. The government spokesman said that Germany’s position has not yet been developed on this issue. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder repeatedly submitted that Germany would not take part in hostilities.

The United States believe that Iraq does not want to disarm. As the representative of the White House Ari Flysher said on Friday, the proof of this is the detection by UN experts in Iraq 12 empty chemical warheads, which were not simplified in a report on military programs previously represented by Baghdad. The head of international inspectors Hans Blix, however, believes that this find is not enough for the final conclusion about the availability of weapons of mass destruction.

Russia criticized Great Britain - for promoting the United States in the creation of a new missile defense system. On Wednesday, the British government has announced that the United States would be given the opportunity to use the FlyingDayles radar base as one of the elements of the future pro.

The influential organization of American Muslims called for the resignation of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein - in the name of preventing the war in Iraq. Yesterday's statement of the Council of Political Interaction of American Muslims calls for the UN and the Islamic Conference organization - to hold free elections in Iraq. According to the authors of the statement, the regime of Saddam Hussein contradicts the spirit of Islam.

The authorities of the Kamchatka region reduce the costs of social programs - to avoid the energy crisis. As the vice-governor of Kamchatka Natalya Parkhomenko said today, Kamchatskenergo is experiencing an acute deficiency of fuel, which is enough to ensure the field of electricity only until the beginning of February. According to Parkhomenko, until January 24, the authorities must find an additional 93 million rubles for fuel purchases.

In many countries of the world, demonstrations of protest against the possible military operation of the United States in Iraq were held yesterday. At an anti -war rally in Washington, tens of thousands of demonstrators demanded that the UN experts make it possible to bring to the end of the inspection of Iraqi military facilities. In Paris, about six thousand manifestants demanded that the US government abandon the plans of the military solution to the Iraqi problem.

In the Czech Republic, the ruling Social Democratic Party nominated a new candidate for the presidency-former Prime Minister Milos Zeman. It is assumed that Zeman will be able to compete with another former head of government - the right centrist Vaclav Klaus - on the upcoming on Friday re -voting in parliament. The first round of elections, in which another representative of the Social Democrats participated, did not bring a result.

Payments to the victims and families who died in the explosion of the Government House in Grozny are delayed. As the Minister for Restoration of Chechnya Stanislav Ilyasov told the Interfax agency, this is due to the lack of full lists of victims. According to the minister, the necessary funds were received from the federal budget, and - after clarifying the lists - payments will be continued.

The program is conducted by Peter Vile. Radio Freedom Semen Mirsky and Oleg Kusov, who is talking with a member of the Memorial Human Rights, Alexander Cherkasov, participate. Peter Vail: The European Court of Human Rights accepted for consideration six claims of Russian citizens, residents of Chechnya, now living in Ingushetia.

In Turkmenistan, a campaign of mass response is unleashed in order to eliminate opponents of President Saparmurat Niyazov, - the Russian deputy factions of Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces say. The statement of the leaders of these factions calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the attempt on Turkmenbashi in November last year.