Israel arrests UN staff Israel's fight against terrorism has extended to UN structures. On Tuesday, the chief of operations of the Israel Defense Forces, Major General Israel Ziv, announced the arrest of 13 UN employees on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. According to Ziv, all the detainees confessed to collaborating with terrorist organizations, and charges will be brought against them in the near future.

Dick Cheney and John Edwards split amicably The first and only debate of US vice-presidential candidates, held at Cleveland University, was surprisingly peaceful yesterday. Republican Dick Cheney and Democrat George Edwards refrained from harsh language, aggressive attacks and ambiguous gestures. Although something like that was expected from them.

The government invites investors to take the high road Today, at a meeting of the Russian Cabinet of Ministers, the first item will be the issue of financing the country's transport infrastructure.

The President and hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church discuss a unified plan for the development of society Excommunicated by the Constitution from the state and the school, the Russian Orthodox Church seems to have finally managed to regain its long-lost positions.

Alu Alkhanov made his debut in Europe The new President of Chechnya, Alu Alkhanov, yesterday opened the eyes of European parliamentarians to the true state of affairs in his republic. Although he will still speak today, the night before Mr. Alkhanov had already passed his first political exam abroad, having withstood interrogation at an open meeting of the PACE political commission on Chechnya. European MPs bombarded the president with unpleasant questions. Mr.

Bailiffs demand expansion of their powers Information about the life of a citizen or the financial affairs of a company seems to be becoming available to an increasing number of government agencies. The circle of departments that declared the need to have more extensive information about Russians was expanded by the bailiff service.

Yesterday in Faizabad, the capital of the Afghan province of Badakhshan, an attempt was made on the life of the Afghan Ambassador to Moscow, Ahmad Zia Masud. The younger brother of the legendary Afghan Mujahideen, former leader of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed in an assassination attempt on October 9, 2001, was speaking at an election rally when a radio-controlled landmine exploded next to the podium.

The incompetent president of Abkhazia regained power Yesterday evening, the President of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, who had been retired for several years due to a serious illness, unexpectedly intervened in the almost stalemate situation that had developed in the self-proclaimed republic as a result of the presidential elections there on October 3.

Candidates for the Best Novel Award have been announced The current six Booker candidates make a pleasant and, I would like to say, invigorating impression. The jury, headed by Vladimir Voinovich (director-animator Harry Bardin, prose writer Andrei Dmitriev, critics Nikita Eliseev, St. Petersburg, and Leonid Bykov, Yekaterinburg), did their job perfectly, managing to combine reasonable thoroughness and spectacular unpredictability.

Premiere at the Classical Ballet Theater Anyone interested in the history of ballet in our country should watch this “Sleeping Beauty” without fail. There are such books, films, performances that are not great and in terms of artistry are not even particularly significant, but time looks in them, makes faces, and it is this series of grimaces that speaks about it more accurately than a ceremonial portrait.

Nobel laureates contributed to the development of cancer drugs The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences once again confirmed that discoveries related to human health are most important for world science. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as in recent years, was awarded for research related to medicine.

The Moscow tennis tournament starts for the 15th time Yesterday there was a presentation of the XV tennis tournament - the Kremlin Cup, which will be held in the capital's Olimpiysky sports complex from October 9 to 17. According to established tradition, women's and men's competitions start at the same time. The total prize fund of the tournament remained unchanged - $2.3 million, of which the prize fund of the women's tournament is $1.3 million, the men's - $1 million.

The law on mayors can be adopted simultaneously with the law on governors The head of the Sverdlovsk regional electoral commission, Vladimir Mostovshchikov, telling reporters about the results of his trip to Khanty-Mansiysk for a meeting with the head of the Central Election Commission of Russia Alexander Veshnyakov, made sensational statements. According to him, a law on the appointment of mayors may be adopted before the end of the year.

Today in Strasbourg, at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Russia Day is scheduled - three reports will be heard on the situation in Chechnya, and a separate discussion will be held on relations between Russia and Georgia. Is the Russian side ready for today's debate? The head of the Russian delegation, head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, Konstantin KOSACHEV, told Vremya Novostey about this.

Art critic Semyon MIKHAILOVSKY talks with the author of the idea, producer, curator of the project Viktor BONDARENKO. — What made you, a collector of Russian icon painting, today act as a producer of a project related to contemporary art? - Nothing happens by chance. At one time, in that Soviet life, I was what is called an art dealer. Then in New York he headed a gallery of Russian art for several years.