The chief forensic medical expert of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Viktor Kolkutin, confirmed that the sailors who were in the ninth compartment of the Kursk nuclear submarine lived no more than 8 hours after the disaster. The tragedy occurred in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000. A submarine participating in Northern Fleet exercises sank as a result of two powerful explosions. All 118 people aboard the Kursk were killed.

In the summer of 2003, after a 14-year break, reconstruction of the Pashkov House, the historical building of the Russian State Library (RSL), will begin, Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy announced today at a press conference. It is planned to allocate 170 million rubles for the reconstruction of the building only within the framework of the investment program.

At the largest Italian ski resort, unknown persons blew up and burned a ski lift. Several explosions destroyed the lift's support pillars and motor on Tuesday, the AP reported. After the explosions, the elevator cabins caught fire and were completely destroyed by fire. According to preliminary data, no victims. The Italian authorities have already accused environmentalists protesting against the development of the ski sector in the country of committing a crime.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze most likely will not extend the mandate of peacekeepers in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. This opinion was expressed today at a press conference in Moscow by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze. She noted that the peacekeepers' mandate has exhausted itself and cannot contribute to resolving the conflict.

Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kasyanov instructed Gosstroy and a number of other government bodies to consider the possibility of using and introducing new heat supply technologies in Russia. Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kasyanov instructed Gosstroy and a number of other government bodies to consider the possibility of using and introducing new heat supply technologies in Russia.

The Georgian side has complaints about the activities of Russian peacekeepers in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze told reporters in Moscow about this after meetings with the leadership of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

In Bulgarian schools, the most interesting discipline for students was introduced - sex education. The remarkable thing about these classes is that students will acquire the necessary knowledge in this area on their own. And the lessons will also be taught themselves, under the strict guidance of teachers. In Bulgarian schools, the most interesting discipline for students was introduced - sex education.

The European Union must form a united voice on the Iraq crisis. The corresponding statement was announced today by Christos Protopapas, the press secretary of the Greek government, which acts as head of the EU. “The time has come for Europe to demonstrate a unified position on this important issue. War is not necessary, it can be avoided, and we must make every effort for this,” K. Protopapas emphasized.

Last night a crime was committed in the Russian capital that had signs of a contract murder. As RBC was informed by the Moscow Main Department of Internal Affairs, in the Severnoye Chertanovo microdistrict, an unknown person shot an Audi A8 car with an automatic weapon. The driver and the passenger inside the car were hospitalized; the passenger later died. The victim of the criminals was the vice-rector of the Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technologies, Viktor Frantsuzov.

The NTV Board of Directors today appointed an acting General Director of the television company. This was Nikolai Senkevich, deputy head of the information department of OAO Gazprom. As NTV reports, he will be officially confirmed as CEO at the next meeting of the company’s board of directors. The decision to terminate the powers of Boris Jordan, General Director of OJSC Gazprom-Media, was made on January 17 at a meeting of the board of directors of the joint-stock company.

The earthquake in central and western Mexico killed 21 people and injured more than 40 people. According to the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs, most died under the rubble of their own homes. The earthquake occurred around 8 pm (5:09 Moscow time). According to American meteorologists, the strength of the tremors reached 7.8 on the Richter scale. Many houses were destroyed, with particularly severe damage in Mexico City, the country's capital.

Iraq says it shot down an American Predator unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that intruded into the country's airspace from Kuwait, the AP reports, citing the official Iraqi News Agency. This is the second such incident in the past month. The last time an American spy plane was shot down by Iraqi air defenses was on December 23, 2002.

Washington police are putting forward several versions of the robbery of the house of the head of the US Federal Reserve System, Alan Greenspan. Criminals broke into the home of the head of the Federal Reserve early in the morning of January 16 and stole jewelry belonging to Alan Greenspan's wife, NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell. The robbery took place when the family's housekeeper went out to buy groceries.

India has decided to expel four Pakistani embassy employees. As the press service of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, these representatives of the diplomatic mission "were engaged in activities incompatible with their status." Of the four Pakistanis declared persona non grata, two are diplomats: Embassy Counselor Mansoor Saeed Sheikh and Embassy First Secretary Miyan Mohammad Esif. The other two, Mohammad Tasneem Khan and Sher Mohammad, are ordinary embassy employees.

Surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix (Arizona, USA) performed a unique operation, sewing back the almost completely severed head of an 18-year-old patient. Surgeons at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix (Arizona, USA) performed a unique operation, sewing back the almost completely severed head of an 18-year-old patient.