All contenders for the chess throne gathered in Linares The first three rounds of the world's most prestigious round-robin tournament of the XX FIDE category were played in Linares. According to a long-standing tradition, its organizers assemble not only a powerful, but also an intriguing lineup, which includes not only the strongest chess players in the world, but also the brightest representatives of youth.

Lawyer for former Nord-Ost hostages is in no hurry to file new lawsuits Lawyer Igor Trunov, who represents the interests of the victims of the terrorist attack on Dubrovka in court, no longer believes in the success of the ongoing process. According to Mr. Trunov, the decision of the Tver Intermunicipal Court, which refused to satisfy the first three claims from among those currently pending, can be regarded solely as political.

Hockey. NHL. Regular season. "Washington" -- "Montreal" -- 4:1, "Detroit" -- "Los Angeles" -- 5:4 - - Larionov "D" (1+1), Fedorov "D" (1+1) , “Florida” - “Buffalo” - 2:2 - Vic. Kozlov “F” (0+1), Afinogenov “B” (1+0), Kalinin “B” (0+1) , “San Jose” - “Calgary” - 5:2. For the sixth game in a row, Florida forward Viktor Kozlov did not leave the court. However, the Panthers can hardly count the last match as an asset.

Yesterday, a statement by Shamil Basayev appeared on one of the websites of Chechen separatists, in which he took responsibility for organizing a terrorist attack in the Government House of Chechnya on December 27. The site also posted video footage of the explosion, which, apparently, was simultaneously recorded by accomplices of the terrorists. The statement indicates that the bombing of the Government House was carried out by members of the Riyadus Salihiin group, led by Basayev.

A new war in the Persian Gulf will once again bring to mind the “war of civilizations.” It is the “white people” who consider Saddam Hussein an outcast and a bloody dictator. For the Arab street, as for much of the Third World, the Iraqi leader is a symbol of resistance to the attempts of the rich to enslave the poor. At the same time, its fans are not interested in the essence of the Baghdad regime. It is enough that he opposes America, no matter for what reasons.

The Ministry of Natural Resources wants to replace taxes on forest use with rent payments The existing customs, tariff and tax policies in Russia stimulate mismanagement in forest management: in Siberia and the Far East, forests are being deplanted, and in the European part, immature trees are being cut down. The cheapness of forest resources and poorly controlled logging lead not only to theft, but also to deliberate arson of forests (for the sake of concealing illegal logging).

America is preparing to jump on Baghdad With the advent of the Anglo-American-Spanish draft of a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, the pace of humanity's approach to a new war in the Gulf has accelerated even more. America is convincing the world that a blow to Iraq is inevitable. And the countdown of time to it has already begun in days. On March 1, the inspectors will present a report to the Security Council. On March 7, Hans Blix will appear at the UN to answer questions.

At the ATP men's tournament with a prize fund of $1 million yesterday, three Russian tennis players entered the fight. Yevgeny Kafelnikov beat the representative of the Netherlands, John van Lottum, in three sets - 6:2, 4:6, 6:3. In another Russian-Dutch match, Mikhail Youzhny lost to Sjeng Schalken - 5:7, 0:6. Late in the evening, Moscow time, Marat Safin, seeded number two in the tournament, met with German Alexander Vaske.

A lieutenant general must replace an entire department of the presidential administration The protracted intrigue with the appointment of Gennady Troshev ended successfully yesterday - on the recommendation of Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, the president appointed the general who disobeyed the order as his adviser. Mr. Troshev will now coordinate the activities of Cossack societies, remaining, however, in the cadres of the armed forces.

Petr Aven bets on retail Alfa Bank shareholders have found a way to significantly increase the capitalization of their credit institution without attracting new investors. It is planned to “fundamentally increase” the bank’s capital through the development of its retail business, Alfa Bank President Petr Aven said yesterday. “Therefore, for the next two years we are not interested in the arrival of Western partners, including through an IPO,” he said.

A maniac killer who committed several robberies against women was detained in Khabarovsk. The operation to detain him was carried out by operatives of the regional criminal investigation department. Over the course of several days, attacks occurred mainly against women in the southern district of Khabarovsk. The criminal beat those who tried to resist with a knife. His first victim, a 39-year-old teacher, was killed, and his second, a conductor, was seriously wounded.

You can go to jail for crimes in the stock market It will soon be possible to go to jail for financial crimes on the Russian stock market. By the end of March, the Federal Commission for the Securities Market (FCSM) intends to introduce amendments to the Criminal Code to the government, providing for criminal liability for violations of legislation on the securities market.

VimpelCom, the operator of the Bee Line cellular network, yesterday sent a request to the Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy and Entrepreneurship Support (MAP) and its territorial department in Tatarstan regarding the actions of the largest cellular operator TAIF-Telcom (Santel brand), which on February 5 unilaterally blocked communications between Bee Line subscribers and TAIF-Telcom subscribers.

Novikov showed absolutely the best seconds, but the Russians were left without awards The men's 4x10 km relay race ended dramatically yesterday at the World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme (Italy). Two gold medal winners of the current competition in individual races reached the finish line together - German Axel Teichmann, who had previously won at a distance of 15 km, and Norwegian Thomas Olsgaard, who excelled at the 30-kilometer mass start.

A life-saving injection could cost the career of our best biathlete Albina Akhatova, a world champion, winner of two Olympics and the best biathlete in Russia today (following the results of nine stages of the World Cup, she takes second place and really claims to win the Crystal Globe), is currently under threat of disqualification due to the discovery in her analyzes of a prohibited drug.