The head of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, announced the need to develop a unified policy of the European Union and states claiming to join the EU. Speaking yesterday in Macedonia, Prodi noted that Candidate countries cannot rely on the EU in the field of economics, and in the field of security to give preference to the United States.

The International Monetary Fund believes that this year the rate of economic growth in Western Europe will be 1 and 3 tenths of percent - almost half as much as it was predicted earlier. The IMF connects this with international instability. The application is dedicated to the meeting of the Ministers of Finance and the heads of the Central Bank of the seven industrialized countries of the world that opened in Paris.

In Slovakia, a group of criminals high in the mountains laid their own road across the border - to establish the smuggling of cars to Ukraine. According to the Slovak newspaper "People's Rate", the smugglers decided that the Stallion of the road would cost cheaper than the bribery of customs officers. Dear all -wheel drive cars were stolen and transported to Ukraine by order of a large criminal group.

The court in Denmark on Friday extended the term of detention of Iraqi General Nizar al-Khazraji, accused of war crimes. Al -Khazraji, the former chief of the General Staff of the Iraqi Army, is suspected of organizing a chemical attack in the Kurds in the north of Iraq in 1988. As a result of the action, more than five thousand people died. Al-Khazraji rejects the accusations. General - Hero of the Iran -Iraq war of the 80s - considers himself a political opponent of Saddam Hussein.

Three subjects of Saudi Arabia were sentenced yesterday in Morocco to 10 years in prison - for preparing terrorist attacks on American and British ships. The Moroccan authorities said that the convicts were members of Al-Qaeda. Three Saudis were arrested in May last year. According to the investigation, they planned to send boats loaded with explosives to the warships of the United States and Great Britain in the Gibraltar Strait.

The flu epidemic has already covered 45 regions of Russia. 16 people died from the disease and its complications. Recently, the number of sick in the Orenburg, Saratov and Vologda regions has been growing. According to doctors, the flu is still threatened by the inhabitants of Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Volga region, the Urals, Southern and Western Siberia. Most patients are children.

Indian airlines are taking measures to evacuate to their homeland - in the event of a war against Iraq - three million Indians working in the Gulf zone. This was announced by the Minister of Civil Aviation of India, Sayed Khussein. The authorities of Great Britain also prehronrate similar measures in connection with the growing possibility of war.

Andrei Sharry: Publishers and editors of the Saines magazine (Science) joined the decision of publishers and editors than 30 other American scientific journals on the introduction of self -censorship for materials that directly or indirectly affect the interests of national security. The editors said they do not intend to turn a blind eye to the danger of publications containing information that can help terrorists in the production of chemical and biological weapons.

US Secretary of State Paulin Powell discussed today in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Junyitiro Koizumi Iraqi crisis and an increase in tension on the Korean peninsula. Koizumi spoke highly about Washington's efforts aimed at resolving the Iraq problem through the UN Security Council.

Tokyo opens an international conference on the problems of Afghanistan. Representatives of 45 countries and international organizations take part in the forum. The focus is the disarmament of the warring Afghan military leaders and the expansion of the influence of the Provisional Government of the country under the leadership of Hamid Karzay, which now controls only the capital - Kabul. As expected, at a conference to Afghanistan, additional financial assistance will be promised.

In Paris, the Ministers of Finance "Big Seven" - the seven of the most developed countries of the world - are discussing measures today to revive the global economy. One of the central topics of the meeting is how to prevent severe consequences of an increase in oil prices in the event of a war in Iraq. US Finance Minister John Snow is expected to present a plan developed by the Presidential Administration - as stimulating economic growth in the United States and the rest of the world.

Andrei Shariya is leading the program: correspondents of Radio Liberty Natalya Golitsyna, Semyon Mirsky and Igor Pomerantsev take part. Andrei Shary: The final day of the London Fashion Week was marked on Thursday by the next action of the International Organization “People for Ethical Treatment with Animals” - abbreviated as Petes.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the international community to help disarm the detachments of warring Afghan military leaders. Speaking at a conference in Tokyo, Karzai emphasized that the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan depend on whether tens of thousands of fighters will be disarmed, whether they will become normal members of society. According to Karzai, the disarmament of the detachments of numerous Afghan military leaders should be completed before the 2004 elections.

US Secretary of State Paulin Powell discussed today in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Junyitiro Koizumi an increase in tension on the Korean peninsula. Japan is the first point of the Powell route, making a trip to the countries of Asia. Today, the conference of the non-aligned countries in Kuala Lumpur rejected the proposal of North Korea to impose responsibility for the conflict around the nuclear program of Pyongyang to the United States.

The Armed Forces of Armenia declared readiness to intervene in a civil conflict if the planned opposition rally was held on Sunday. The statement of the General Staff of the Armenian Army says that the preparing demonstration of the opposition in Yerevan threatens the constitutional order and security in Armenia. The mayor of Yerevan also stated that he did not provide sanctions on the rally, since the opposition leader - Stepan Demirchan - did not apply for his implementation.