This letter came on Christmas. “Hello, Anatoly Ivanovich! I went to the temple, returned, expanded with dumplings, I read the spiritual text. Interview with Archpriest Maxim Kozlov. He is asked a question: “There is a thesis: faith, prayer, going to church are able to extend a person’s life, rid him of some external hardships, terrible diseases.” The response of the Archpriest: “From nothing! There is not a word about this in the Gospel!

Special Messenger of the United States Mark Grossman The US special envoy Mark Grossman arrived today in Kabul for negotiations with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on the beginning of a peaceful dialogue with the Taliban. Previously, the Taliban announced their intention to open a political representative office in Qatar for dialogue with Washington.

Representative of the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin The investigating authorities of Russia are working to verify applications for violations in the December elections to the State Duma. As the official representative of the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin told Interfax, 26 criminal cases were instituted in connection with the falsification of electoral documents and voting results. According to Markin, the Investigative Committee received more than 350 statements of citizens.

New Gingrich In the US state of South Carolina, a preliminary vote of supporters of the Republican Party began, who determine the opponent of Barack Obama in the November elections of the president of the country. Four candidates are fighting for the nomination. The favorite of the race is the former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romny, who recently won the “primaries” in New Hampshire.

In Los Angeles, a little girl was discharged from the hospital, born 16 weeks ahead of time with a weight of less than 300 grams. Little Melinda Star Guido is considered the third of the smallest babies who managed to save the doctors. Melinda was born in August last year as a result of a cesarean section, which her mother was made according to medical reasons. She spent the next five months in the incubator for newborns. Now she weighs 2 kilograms.

Ali Abdalla Saleh The parliament of Yemen approved the provision of Ali Abdalle Saleh, who officially leaves the president of the country in February, full immunity from criminal prosecution. It also follows from the decision of the legislators that several closest assistants to Salekh, including two of his sons, can only count on partial immunity.

More than 20 people could become victims of terrorist attacks in the Nigerian city of Kano, in the north of the country. This is stated by local residents, according to whom, they saw on the streets a much larger number of dead than the one reported by the authorities. So far, the death of at least seven people has been officially confirmed. Several police sections, passport and visa departments, as well as the main building of the State Security Service, were subjected to attacks on Friday.

Football. Championship of England. 22nd round "Bolton" - "Liverpool" 3: 1 "Everton" - "Blackburn" 1: 1 "Fulham" - "Newcasl" 5: 2 "Norwich" - "Chelsea" 0: 0 "Kuins Park Rangers" - "Wigan" 3: 1 "Stock City" - "West Bromvich" 1: 2 "Sunderland" - "Swanxi" 2: 0 "Wolly Supreme Empton" - "Aston Villa" 2: 3

In Moscow, several thousand people went today for an authorized rally under the slogan "For honest elections and a decent life." Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Left Front movement joined the action on Manezhnaya Square, organized by the Communist Party. The Communists conduct rallies in several cities today. About 200 people participated in Barnaul in the action, almost 250 in Novosibirsk, about 400 in Kazan.

The authorities of South Ossetia regard the latest statements by the ex-candidate of the presidency from the opposition Alla Dzhioeva as an attempt to destabilize the situation in the self-proclaimed republic. This was reported by Interfax with reference to the press service of the head of South Ossetia. Earlier today, Gioeva said that she would not participate in the new elections scheduled for March 25, as she considers them illegitimate.

Biathlon. World Cup. 6th stage. Antholz-Anterselva, Italy Women. Relay. 4x6 km 1. France (Marie Lor Bruna, Sofia Boyer, Anais Beskon, Marie Doren Aber) 2. Belorussia (Nadezhda Scardino, Lyudmila Kalinchik, Anastasia Duborezova, Daria Domracheva) 3. Russia (Ekaterina Glazyrina, Svetlana Sleptsova, Olga Zaitseva, Olga Vilukhina)

On Friday, the Taliban movement, which was introduced into the Afghan army, killed French military personnel in Afghanistan. Confidence in this was expressed by the Minister of Defense of France Gerard Long after negotiations, which he held with one of the Afghan military at the main military base of French troops in the east of the country.

A resident of one of the suburbs of Chicago Dante Otullo safely underwent surgery to extract a nail more than eight centimeters in his head. By negligence, the American drove into his head a nail with a pneumatic hammer during work in the workshop. The man and his friend, who processed the wound, did not immediately understand what happened.