The European Union and the United States impose sanctions against the leaders of Transnistria. The statement of the EU and the USA says that the Transnistrian leaders stubbornly demonstrate the reluctance to solve the problem of the region that has broken off from Moldova, and block negotiations on the political settlement of the conflict, which threatens the stability of the region. The leaders of Transnistria will be prohibited from entering the EU countries and the USA.

At the UN Security Council - with closed doors - the first discussion of the new resolution on Iraq, represented by the United States, Great Britain and Spain, takes place. The resolution says that Iraq missed the last opportunity to disarm peacefully. The United States is making active attempts to convince regular members of the Security Council - not to use the right to vot in the document. According to Western diplomats, China made it clear that he would not use this right.

Baghdad has not yet made the final decision to disarm, ”said Hans of the UN military inspectors. According to him - although the Iraqi authorities have activated cooperation with international experts - "a breakthrough in this direction has not yet happened." Russia and Germany again advocated a peaceful solution to the Iraqi problem. This was announced after yesterday's negotiations in Moscow by the leaders of the two countries - Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schroeder.

Czech Republic - following many other countries - introduces a ban on advertising tobacco products. The decision was made today by the lower house of parliament. If it is approved by the upper house, the law will enter into force on July 1.

The organization of oil exporting countries (OPEC) said that it compensates for the lack of oil that may occur in world markets in case of war in Iraq. As the Secretary General of OPEC ALVARO SILVA CALDERON assured, the consumer countries will not have to devastate the inviolable fuel reserves. According to Calderon, OPEC countries are not going to use oil supplies as a political instrument. The price of oil in world markets reached the highest level since the Gulf of Persian in 1991.

At the UN Security Council - with closed doors - on Thursday the first discussion of the new Iraq resolution, represented by the United States, Great Britain and Spain, took place. The Associated Agency Press cites the words of diplomats that at the meeting a furious dispute broke out between US supporters, insisting on the use of force against the Saddam Hussein regime, and representatives of other countries who believe that inspections in Iraq were following to continue.

In the Philippines, one of the leaders of the Muslim separatist group "Abu Saiyaf", closely connected with Al-Qaeda, was arrested. According to the authorities, Sali was involved in the abduction of three Americans in 2001. Another Muslim group operating on the Filipino island of Mindanao, last night undermined the power line. 18 million people were left without electricity. In the Philippines there are 200 US intelligence officers who prepare Filipino soldiers for anti -terrorism operations.

Marina Efimova: 100 years ago, in the summer of 1899, a new cadet, the son of a senior general, entered the Military Academy of West Point. This was the usual thing. It was unusual that his mother settled in the West Pointa, a woman with a face of stunning beauty, a spoiled expression of an iron will settled in the West Pointa. She settled in a hotel, in a room, from whose window the window of her son was visible, so she could say with confidence when he was engaged in the evenings and when not.

Today in the program: - The city court of Novocherkassk arrested the property of the editorial office of the newspaper "Evening Novocherkassk". - In Armenia, journalists were injured in the presidential election. - In Uzbekistan, journalists are again judged and arrested. - The new Russian press - tolerance or xenophobia? Comments of the International Director of the Human Rights Bureau and compliance with the legality of Leonid Stonov.

Kurdish rebels operating in the north of Iraq opposed a possible invasion of the Turkish troops on Iraqi territory. The representative of the United Kurdish opposition, opposing the regime of Saddam Hussein, demanded tripartite negotiations on the Kurdish problem - with the participation of the Kurds, Turkey and the USA. The special messenger of the United States Zalmai Halilzod said that any actions of Turkey against Iraq would be agreed with the American command.

Musa Khasanov , North Caucasus: Last night near the district center, the fighters of Chechen armed groups fired at Russian special forces from the units of the United Group of Russian troops, who were thrown among the two army battalins to the Vedensky District to participate in the special operation of the Field of the field commander Abu Al -Valid, the local employee said today commandant's office. According to him, as a result of shelling, one was killed and four Russian troops were injured.

On Wednesday, matches of the 4th round of the 2nd group stage of the Champions Football League ended. In group "A" Italian "Inter and the Spanish" Barcelona "tied 0: 0, and the English" Newcastle "won 3: 1 by the German Bayer. “Barcelona” scored 10 points, “Inter” - 7, “Newcasl” - 6, “Bayer” has no points. In group "B", 6 points were scored by the English "Arsenal" and the Dutch "Ajax", which tied 0: 0.

In the southwest of Afghanistan, the head of the administration of one of the districts was killed in the province of Nimrosis. The authorities believe that the attacks made the Taliban, who, according to some reports, are regrouping in the area. The southern provinces of the country were a stronghold of the Taliban regime, overthrown in 2001.

The chairman of the General Council and the Executive Committee of the United Russia party, Alexander Bespalov, was appointed head of the Gazprom Information Policy Department. It is expected that Bespalov will leave the post of chairman of the Secretary General of the party. Therefore, as one of the leaders of United Russia, Oleg Morozov, said, before the party’s congress on March 29, the leadership of the general council will be collectively.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (Magate) expressed regret in connection with the resumption of the work of the North Korean nuclear reactor in Yonunbon. The fact that the reactor was launched - for the first time since 1994 - yesterday was reported by US official representatives. According to the Magate, the reactor in Yonbon is able to produce weapons plutonium.