The State Duma today approved, in an agreed upon version, an amendment to Article 37 of the law “On the status of a member of the Federation Council and the status of a State Duma deputy.” The number of assistants to State Duma deputies and assistants to members of the Federation Council is increased to 40 people. In accordance with the previous version of the article, each parliamentarian had the right to 30 assistants.

The Meshchansky Intermunicipal Court of Moscow today announced the verdict in the criminal case of the former head of the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant, Anatoly Bykov. Sentence: 6.5 years suspended imprisonment. Anatoly Bykov was released from custody in the courtroom. Anatoly Bykov has been in custody since October 4, 2000 and was kept in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. The investigation was led by the prosecutor's office of the North-Western District of Moscow.

The Swiss company Noga has announced its readiness to seek the arrest in the United States of Su-30 aircraft, on which Russian pilots intend to repeat Chkalov’s legendary flight over the North Pole. The flight includes a landing in the United States. However, the state department of this country cannot guarantee the safety of Russian aircraft. At the moment, the Russian and American sides are trying to solve the sudden problem.

The motor-car fleet of the Kaliningrad Railway has been replenished with a fundamentally new type of rolling stock - the RA 1-0002 rail bus. The bus was built by order of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation at the Mytishchi Metrovagonmash plant and is designed to transport passengers on non-electrified and low-volume suburban routes. It is an all-metal four-door carriage with a total capacity of 180 people with 74 seats and two control cabins.

Damage caused by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York is estimated at $20.3 billion in insurance claims. This figure is $3.7 billion higher than the initial loss estimates made by the Insurance Services Office immediately after the action. Thus, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, carried out by Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization Al Qaeda, became the "costliest disaster" in the history of the United States.

On Wednesday, the State Duma adopted the bill “On Alternative Civil Service” in the second reading. During the discussion, at the proposal of the Minister of Labor and Social Development Alexander Pochinok, who represented the government, deputies rejected most of the amendments that the relevant legislative committee had previously recommended supporting.

Today, in connection with the announced strike of aviation specialists in a number of European countries, the Aeroflot - Russian Airlines company is forced to make changes to the current flight schedule to France and Greece, as well as flights to Spain. According to the press center of Aeroflot OJSC, flight SU-251 Moscow-Paris (scheduled departure from Moscow at 14:00) and return flight SU-252 Paris-Moscow (scheduled departure from Paris at 17:00) have been cancelled.

In response to yesterday's terrorist attack in Jerusalem, which killed 19 people and wounded 70, Israel has launched a "series of military operations" in the Palestinian territories. This decision was made by the so-called “narrow cabinet” of Israeli security, Israeli public radio reports. At the end of the meeting, a cabinet spokesman said that "Israel's response to bloody acts of terror will include a change in tactics.

The Moscow apartments of the Russian national team players will be placed under tight security. According to the Ekho Moskvy radio station, law enforcement agencies are talking about this. In particular, it is alleged that telephone messages signed by one of the deputy heads of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Moscow were sent to the police departments at the place of residence of the athletes. The telephone message allegedly contains a demand to ensure the safety of the players.

Football fans in the German city of Munich are now prohibited, under pain of a fine, from loudly expressing their delight at the victories of their favorite teams by honking car horns. The police strongly recommend using this device only for its intended purpose - that is, to prevent possible incidents on the road. The success of your favorite team at the championship is, of course, happiness for the football soul, which this soul simply cannot survive alone.

The exchange rate of the single European currency continues to rise against the US dollar. During today's trading on the Frankfurt Currency Exchange, the euro exchange rate reached 0.9564 euros/dollar, which is the highest level since January 19, 2001, when the euro exchange rate against the US currency was 0.9540 euros/dollar. Analysts remain optimistic about the position of the European currency.

Southwest Airlines (USA) intends to oblige excessively fat passengers to buy two tickets for one flight. According to the American press, this rule will come into force in a week. It is currently being determined whether the seat belt will cover the stomach of “extremely fat” passengers without additional lengthening and whether the armrest will be able to lower.

Non-smoking flight attendant Lynn French has won a lawsuit against tobacco companies Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, Brown & Williamson Tobacco and Lorillard over allegations that tobacco smoke harmed her health. The 56-year-old flight attendant had to be a “passive smoker” for 14 years before the ban on smoking in aircraft cabins was introduced. This situation led to the development of chronic sinusitis (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses).

The capital's Meshchansky Court found the former chairman of the board of directors of the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant, Anatoly Bykov, guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code - organizing a contract murder and illegal possession of weapons. However, as already reported, sentencing the accused to 6.5 years in prison, the court decided on a suspended sentence.

The European Union may not grant Russia the status of a market economy country in the fall of 2002. This point of view was expressed today by Deputy General Director of the Russian Aluminum company Alexander Livshits, speaking at the VI St. Petersburg Economic Forum. Now most EU countries are ready to give Russia the status of a country with a market economy, but by the fall the situation may change, the former Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation clarified.