Five Afghan troops died on Saturday and four more - were injured when the minibus in which they were was blown up by a mine in the southwestern province of Afghanistan Nimrosis. In another province, Kandahar in the south of the country, eight people were arrested, who are accused of organizing such an explosion on Friday on the road near the city of Kandahar, as a result of which nine people were killed according to updated data.

In the village of Ust -Midekan of the Magadan region - a mass outbreak of dysentery. About 60 people fell ill, most of them are children. In the village there are brigades of doctors from Magadan. The source of dysentery has not yet been identified.

From today, new transit travel rules through the territory of Lithuania are introduced for Russians. From February 1 to July 1, passengers of direct communication trains Kaliningrad-Moscow and Kaliningrad-Sank-Petersburg must have a passport certifying Russian citizenship. Servicians from now on cannot travel on official certificates and military IDs. Citizens of the CIS countries for a trip through Lithuanian territory should receive a visa.

In the UK there is a 48 -hour strike of firefighters - the fifth in recent months. 55 thousand people take part in it. Firefighters require a 40 percent increase in wages. The British government threatens to take court measures against the striking. In the event of emergency situations, army units and equipment are mobilized.

In this issue: - Marita Nasimova from Grozny still does not have a roof over his head; - why in North Ossetia they do not like refugees; - The day when all the victims of the Second World War will be buried in the Lipetsk region, it will not come soon; - President of Kalmykia against vodka; - Is it easy to get free medicines in Khabarovsk; - Ivanovo: Instead of the park there will be a monastery; -Rostov-on-Don: disputes around the monument to Kirov; - Kirov: there are more and more taxes; -

In the gas sector on the outskirts of the city of Rafach, a Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops. During the raid in Rafach and Dair-El-Balah, Israeli soldiers destroyed three houses belonging to the Palestinian militants. On the western bank of the Jordan in the city of Jenin, an armed Palestinian was killed during an anti -terrorist operation. In Hebron, searches continue.

On the Neva embankment at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg today - the second time in the history of the city - an ice house opens. Such a gift was made to St. Petersburg in honor of the 300th anniversary of the city of the Swedish province of Norbotten. The area of the tent built of ice blocks is 600 square meters. Inside it will maintain low temperature. The structure will stand up until March.

The head of the UN Military Inspectors Hans Blix and the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed El Baradey will hold new negotiations in Baghdad on February 8-9. This information was confirmed on Saturday by a representative of the IAEA.

In Russia today the new Civil Procedure Code adopted last year has entered into force. He, in particular, prohibits representatives of the prosecutor's office to participate in the resolution of civil disputes on the side of the defendant or plaintiff. The Institute of People's Assembly was liquidated, the procedure for preliminary consideration of the case has been changed.

The program is being conducted by Andrei Shari. Radio Liberty correspondents Andrei Sharogradsky, who is talking with an employee of the University of Herzen in St. Petersburg, a specialist in China Pavel Lenkov, Marina Persanova, talked with the president of the Russian astrological school Alexander Zhaev.

On Friday, the White House met President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, at which the two closest allies discussed the Iraq disarmament strategy. George Bush and Tony Blair agreed that Iraq was not ready to abandon weapons of mass defeat and hope that diplomatic efforts could work. Says our New York correspondent Yuri Zhigalkin.

An armed clash occurred in the Shalinsky district of Chechnya. Several Chechen fighters were killed. The losses of the Russian side are not reported. An explosive device installed on the path of military columns is neutralized in the Grozny district. In the Dagestan city of Khasawyrt, another suspect was detained in involvement in the terrorist attack on May 9 last year in Kaspiysk. Then 45 people were killed, more than 100 were injured.

In Russia, pensions are increasing from today - due to inflation growth. The basic part of labor pensions increases by six percent. The minimum surcharge will be 33 rubles 60 kopecks. Indexation of the insurance part of pensions is not provided. From today, in some regions of Russia, utilities for utility services have been increasing. The most sharply tariffs grew in Khabarovsk - an average of 30 percent.

In the south of Ukraine, the power supply of more than 360 settlements was interrupted - a strong wind and snowfall were disabled. Most of all, residents of the Nikolaev, Odessa and Kherson regions suffered. The work of railway and aviation transport is not violated.

US President George Bush said the problem of disarmament of Iraq will be resolved over the next weeks. At a press conference in Washington, after negotiations with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair Bush, the regime of Saddam Hussein refuses to voluntarily disarm, and the patience of the United States and their allies is drying out.