Seoul's talkativeness forced Pyongyang into silence Yesterday, North Korea refused to participate in the six-party talks on the nuclear crisis on the peninsula. "Until South Korea fully explains the true circumstances of its secret nuclear experiments, we cannot discuss our nuclear weapons plans," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said.

CLUBS Opening of the season at the Apshu club. One of the funniest clubs in the city opens the season with a festive theater and circus performance by “Theatre Ax” inside the club and on the street, a performance by the Chattanooga Ska Orchestra , Dixieland by the Variety Theater in the club’s courtyard, and the usual madness for the establishment, like surprises in trash cans. October 17 at 20.00. “Doesn’t come to the house.” Opening of the season at the House.

CMD may have to look for a new leader The Moscow Arbitration Court yesterday did not consider on the merits the application of the chairman of the board of the Central Moscow Depository, Natalia Agafonova, regarding her restoration in the unified register of certified persons. The trial has been postponed to October 1. Thus, the meeting of TsMD shareholders, whose agenda includes personnel issues, will have to think about appointing a new director.

The Russian Code of Corporate Conduct will be shortened and amended The European Union and the Federal Service for Financial Markets announced yesterday the launch of a project aimed at disseminating good corporate governance principles in Russia. The European Union is ready to spend 2 million euros for this good cause. The project will be completed by the end of 2005.

The US national missile defense system may be a bluff The United States recently again postponed a key test in the program to create a national missile defense system. The official explanation is that the interceptor missile did not pass the necessary tests on the ground after changes in the design. In addition, the computer carrying this interceptor continues to malfunction. The tests have been postponed until the end of November at best.

The company criticizes Leonid Kuchma’s decree on the transfer of the Kremenchug oil refinery to Naftogaz of Ukraine Tatneft continues to conflict with the Ukrainian authorities. The company has long been trying to exercise its preemptive right to acquire the state stake in Ukrtatnafta CJSC, which includes the Kremenchug Oil Refinery, and become almost the sole owner of the plant.

The winner of the competition for compiling TV program ratings was supported by the largest channels It took the Media Committee more than nine months to decide which company would determine the ratings of Russian TV channels and thereby influence the distribution of the advertising pie. Yesterday, the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications held its third tender for the right to measure television audiences.

Tax officials will get to every baby From now on, databases about every Russian citizen will be maintained not only by security and law enforcement agencies, but also by tax authorities. As Sergei Dukanov, head of the department of registration and accounting of legal entities and individuals of the Federal Tax Service, said yesterday at a press conference, the agency has begun maintaining its own resource of invalid passports.

In Dagestan, they are looking for saboteurs tracking down intelligence officers Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan officially admitted yesterday that a well-concealed sabotage and terrorist group operates in the republic, specializing in the murders of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB and other security services.

A plan to combat terrorism is being developed in Taimyr In Dudinka, the capital of the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug (one of the northernmost regions of Russia), they decided to take the fight against terrorism seriously.

Frederick Ashton was born 100 years ago He was born in Ecuador - England sent its sons around the globe, one of them was the father of the future choreographer. There was no talk of a normal ballet education - at the beginning of the 20th century, Britain sent all dances to the music hall (there were no ballet theaters, guest performers performed in the music hall), and children from decent families did not dare to dream of such a career.

For Rosbank's money, the defendants responded with prison, housing and dishes The Moscow Meshchansky Court yesterday handed down a verdict in the case of the head of the credit department of Rosbank, Andrei Nurijanyan, and the chairman of the board of directors of the non-ferrous metals processing plant in Nalchik (ZOTsM), Eduard Yemkuzhev, who were accused of embezzling from Rosbank and laundering $9.5 million. Nurijanyan received 8 years, Yemkuzhev - 9 years in prison.

Vnesheconombank will help form the Common Economic Space Vnesheconombank is ready to make a serious contribution to the formation of the Common Economic Space (SES), created by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. The head of the bank, Vladimir Dmitriev, said: “The bank has played a key role in the economic integration of the republics of the former USSR throughout its 80-year history.

The Duma decided to investigate the Beslan tragedy and discuss the introduction of the death penalty for terrorists Yesterday the State Duma held the second meeting of the working group to develop amendments to anti-terrorism legislation. Unlike the first one, it turned out to be sensational.

Americans and British taken hostage The tense security situation in Iraq yesterday prompted UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to make a sensational statement. "From our point of view and from the point of view of the UN Charter, the war in Iraq was illegal," Mr Annan told the BBC World Service. “I hope that we will not see operations like the Iraqi one for a long time - without the approval of the UN and without broad support from the world community.