The Ministry of Finance held another auction for non-residents Yesterday an auction was held to place repatriated state bonds for non-residents, who could buy them from the so-called “C” type accounts (where the funds frozen during the 1998 default are located). As a result, semi-annual securities were sold at a weighted average price with a small negative yield, and the cut-off price was equal to the par value.

The era of a major renovation of the Accounts Chamber was opened by his resignation from the post of deputy chairman of the joint venture, Yuri Boldyrev, whom the Federation Council officially removed from office yesterday. Following Mr. Boldyrev, six more JV auditors will retire this year - Veniamin Sokolov, Alexander Kushnar, Vladimir Ulyanov, Mikhail Beskhmelnitsyn, Pyotr Chernomord and Alexander Andreev.

A mysterious murder was committed on Wednesday night in the capital of Spain, Madrid. Two unknown assailants killed a certain Nugzar Zhordania, who, according to some information, was once the head of the security service of Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev. His bullet-riddled corpse was discovered in the southern part of the city. Police found Jordania's body thanks to a call from a random witness to the murder, who saw two men shoot a third man.

The deputy head of the Kazansky railway station was caught red-handed on Tuesday by officers of the capital's FSB department while attempting to bribe one of the counterintelligence officers. A few days ago, at the Kazan railway station, security services carried out a routine check of the storage rooms. This was done as part of an operation to identify targets vulnerable to terrorists. During the audit, security officers discovered a number of violations.

Putin signed something very secret Since the beginning of this year, Moscow has embarked on the most ambitious reform of its armed forces in recent Russian history. According to Defense Minister Marshal Igor Sergeev, “in the next three years the army will be reduced from the current 1 million 200 thousand to 850 thousand military personnel.” Paradoxically, this is practically all that is known for certain about plans for military reform today.

And they threaten Yuri Luzhkov’s deputies with subpoenas The largest investigation, in terms of the rank of the individuals and enterprises involved, around the Moscow City Hall was started by employees of the Investigative Committee under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The St. Petersburg prosecutor's office filed charges yesterday afternoon against the well-known businessman Mikhail Mirilashvili, also known as Misha Kutaissky. A week ago he was arrested on suspicion of organizing the kidnapping of two St. Petersburg businessmen. The charge under the article “kidnapping committed by an organized group” was brought against Mirilashvili in the presence of his lawyer.

The Senate took care of governors and prosecutors The Federation Council now resembles the Duma in the first month after the election. The “old” inhabitants of parliament leave their homes and leave the building, and their slightly confused successors get used to their new surroundings.

Estrada interrupts her “vacation” Philippine President Estrada, who was removed from his post on January 20 by a wave of popular uprisings, reminded his compatriots yesterday that he is not a “former”, but a real president. “I left the presidential palace to prevent bloodshed, but I did not renounce the presidency and remain the duly elected head of state,” said Estrada, whose dynamic and confident image gave no indication of his recent defeat.

The head of the Russian Public Fund for Disabled Military Persons (ROFIVS), GRU General Staff Colonel Valery Radchikov, died yesterday morning in the Moscow region in a car accident. From the very first hours after the tragedy, the death of this man began to rapidly become overgrown with scandalous comments and rumors - Mr.

At the tournament in Tokyo (Japan) Toray Pan Pacific Open (WTA Tour) with a prize fund of 1 million 166 thousand dollars, the Russians are performing successfully so far. Elena Likhovtseva advanced to the second round, beating American Corina Morara - 6:3, 6:2. Anna Kournikova advanced to the third round, defeating Japanese tennis player Saori Obata - 7:6, 1:6, 6:4.

Evgeniy Nazdratenko took the energy crisis to heart The hospitalization of Governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko did not prevent the president yesterday from analyzing the situation in Primorye together with the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu and understanding who is to blame.

On the eve of the elections in Israel, which will be held on February 6, the situation in the Palestinian territories has somewhat stabilized. The Palestinians are waiting for the results of the vote, after which the war will either break out with renewed vigor or serious negotiations will begin.

Russian diplomat from the mission to the UN decided to stay in the USA Domestic diplomacy suffered a loss: the first secretary of the UN mission, Sergei Tretyakov, decided not to return to his homeland and, quite likely, even asked to grant him and his wife Elena the status of political refugees in the United States. This information was released on Tuesday in an interview with Western agencies by an anonymous State Department employee.

Lokomotiv does not skimp on expensive acquisitions There is more than a month left before the start of the Russian Football Championship, and already there is no shortage of numerous and contradictory forecasts. But almost all experts agree on one thing: the main fight for the gold medals of the championship will be led by the capital’s Spartak and Lokomotiv. The railway workers are supported not only by the club’s solid budget (about $11 million), but also by the stability of its roster.