In Israel, the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Party, Shas today signed an agreement on joining the government, the formation of which was entrusted to the leader of Lida Benjamin Netanyahu. This is the second, after the right party of Israel Beighten, Avigdor Lieberman (Blok “Our House -Israil”), which officially entered the Netanyahu coalition. The leader of Lida, thus, has already provided himself with the support of 53 deputies of the Knesset out of 120.

The President of the United States Barack Obama and US Vice President Joseph Biden met in the White House with Mikhail Gorbachev. Their conversation took place on Friday and lasted more than an hour. This was announced by the assistant to the President of Gorbachev-Fund, who accompanied him on a trip. Former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Russian politician adopted by the new head of the United States in Washington.

At least 25 people died during the explosion in the province of Diala in the west of Iraq. At least 30 people are injured. It is reported that the suicide bomber blew up the bomb at the funeral in the area where, mainly, Kurds live.

Representatives of Renault in Russia today said that they did not intend to provide financial assistance to the Volga Automobile Plant in Togliatti, with whom they are working together on the project of a new car, Radio Liberty correspondent Sergei Khazov reports. The CEO of Renault in Russia Christian Estev told reporters today that Renault does not intend to provide AvtoVAZ with direct financial support.

In Makhachkala, two explosive devices worked on Monday evening. The victims are not reported. According to Interfax with reference to the press service of the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs, the explosions occurred at the building of the Republican Office for the Combating of Organized Crime (AGP). Investigators work at the scene.

None of the seven candidates for President Macedonia did not gain more than fifty percent of the votes necessary for victory in the first round, Radio Liberty correspondent in the Balkans Aiya Kuga. Therefore, in two weeks, the second round of elections will be organized.

Belarus is ready to help Abkhazia in solving economic problems. This was stated by President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with Abkhazia President Sergei Bagapsh in Sochi. The Abkhaz leader, in turn, expressed interest in acquiring a large batch of Belarusian MAZ cars. According to Bagapsha, Abkhazia is ready to spend a billion Russian rubles on the purchase of this equipment.

The program is conducted by Kirill Kobrin. The radio observer of Radio Liberty Alexander GOSTEV takes part. Kirill Kobrin: US President Barack Obama stated that the White House is preparing to publish a new "comprehensive" strategy of actions in Afghanistan. Obama emphasized that the United States should develop a “exit strategy” from Afghanistan, despite plans to send additional American troops to fight the Taliban to this country.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in Baghdad with an official two -day visit. It is expected that he will negotiate with President Iraq Jalyal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri Al-Malika. The problems of the Kurdish minority and trade relations between the two countries will be discussed. The head of the Turkish state is visited by Iraq for the first time in the last three decades.

On March 26, American billionaire Charles Simony will go to the International Space Station for the second time, AFP reports. Simoni in the past working in Microsoft is one of the main developers of popular applications as Word and Excel. Most likely, he will be the last space tourist who visited the ISS. In the future, the crew of the station will be expanded to six people and there is no place for tourists on it. Charles Simoni paid 35 million dollars for his second trip.

Yuri Zhigalkin : The implementation of the "American dream" is dangerous, economists warn. Perestroika is an American film by a Russian director. These are the topics of the weekend under the heading "Today in America". Own roof over your head, its own house is a concept in the imagination of many Americans is so associated with an American dream that even the American government considered a decent goal to help its citizens in its implementation.

Kristina Romer - chief adviser to US President Barack Obama on economic issues - is sure that the rise of the American economy will begin at the end of this year. In an interview with CNN, Romer said that, according to its forecasts, during this year the fall of the US economy will reach a lower point, and then a gradual growth will begin.

Alexander Genis: Classics only seem dead. In fact, they continue to live a tense and often vain life, participating in the posthumous fair of vanity. Some authors are pushed to dusty regiments, others revive a new approach, a new biography, a new edition and a new wave of attention. It is such a fate - to return to us, to this day - the writer John Chiver prepared the book of Black Bailey that caused a hot response.