Negotiations with the United States of America on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization during the WTO summit in Hong Kong failed to get off the ground. There are four unresolved problems: issues of intellectual property protection, the level of duties on aircraft, veterinary and phytosanitary standards, and the most painful issue - access to the financial services market.

The head of the Bank of Italy was forced to resign The head of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, could not withstand powerful pressure from the government and law enforcement agencies and resigned. He announced his decision yesterday, a few days after the Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica reported that Milan prosecutors suspected the banker of insider trading and had opened a criminal case against him.

US President George W. Bush addressed the nation yesterday with a message justifying his administration's course in Iraq. Bush called his political opponents “defeatists” and said that “some people have concluded” that the war, costing $6 billion a month, “is lost and not worth spending an extra cent or day on.” But neither Bush himself, nor his military leaders, “nor the terrorists” believe this.

The Kurdistan issue has been causing headaches for Middle Eastern governments for nearly a century. The Kurdish dream of their own state directly affects both those countries under whose jurisdiction they now live, and powers located outside the region, but with their own interests there. Decades of conflict with central authorities in Turkey, Iraq and Iran have given the Kurds a poor reputation among local officials and police.

Players from Liberty Island pleased our club coaches The long-awaited debut of Cuban volleyball players in the current Russian championship among men's teams has finally taken place. On Tuesday, eight players from Liberty Island flew to Russia, and in the next round of the Super League last weekend, seven of them took to the court.

Susanne Osthoff faces reckoning with the state German citizen Susanne Osthoff, captured 24 days ago by Iraqi militants, is free again. The German Foreign Ministry does not disclose the details of the rescue of the 43-year-old hostage from captivity. Well-known German terrorism expert Rolf Tophoven claims that a ransom was paid to the kidnappers. For the release of Osthoff, the militants demanded that Germany stop all types of cooperation with the new Iraqi authorities.

On Monday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili became pope for the second time. They decided to name the newborn Nikoloz - in honor of the president's father and maternal grandfather. In addition, Georgia celebrated St. Nicholas Day on December 19. After the Rose Revolution of 2003, Roelofs said that if the presidential family added a boy, he would be called Vardiko (“vardi” is Georgian for “rose”).

On New Year's Eve, the number of parking spaces in the center of Moscow will be reduced The Moscow authorities seem to have decided to use the festive events dedicated to the New Year in order to finally solve the main transport problem of the metropolis - the problem of unhindered passage of city officials to their place of work on Tverskaya Street, and at the same time replenish the capital's budget by increasing the number of paid parking lots in the city center.

Socialist president wins in Bolivia 46-year-old Evo Morales won the presidential election in Bolivia. He won 51% of the vote in Sunday's vote to become the country's first indigenous president. 60% of Bolivians are Indians, but in the past the country was ruled only by the descendants of white settlers from Europe. Evo Morales heads the MAS party (Movement Towards Socialism), as well as the coca growers' union.

Chelsea won away to Arsenal for the first time Arsenal's home stadium is in its final months. From August next year, the Gunners will play in a different arena, and residential areas will rise on the site of the legendary Highbury, built in 1913. But Arsenal said goodbye to its home traditions earlier than the old stadium - for the first time in the Premier League, the Gunners lost to Chelsea at Highbury. Arsene Wenger's team is going through hard times right now.

Zaha Hadid wins German Architecture Prize An authoritative international jury has determined the new winner of the German Architecture Prize 2005, established by the German gas company E.ON Ruhrgas and the German Federal Chamber of Architects. This prestigious award (25 thousand euros) was awarded to a woman for the first time - Zaha Hadid, who lives in London but was born in Baghdad. Last year, Zaha Hadid became the first woman in history to receive the world's most honorable Pritzker Prize.

Far Eastern leaders reassure Khabarovsk residents The toxic stain from China is now located 90 kilometers from Khabarovsk. The speed of its movement is 60 kilometers per day, and as early as December 21, nitrobenzene dissolved in the waters of the Amur will reach the regional center. Yesterday, a meeting of the headquarters for the prevention of large-scale pollution was held at the Institute of Tectonics and Geophysics of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Kaliningrad governor decided to swap the places of the Germans and Russians Governor of the Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos, speaking recently on one of the local television companies, said that he does not like the name “German-Russian House” (a joint institution dedicated to the development of intercultural ties). According to Mr. Boos, for an area cut off from the “mainland” the name “Russian-German House” would be much more correct.

Football fans staged a mass brawl in the center of St. Petersburg Fans of the St. Petersburg football club Zenit, apparently not expecting their idols to take only sixth place in the Russian Championship, decided to loudly celebrate the end of the season. On Monday night, about 300 fans staged a massive brawl in the very center of St. Petersburg. The fight seemed to be specially “timed” to coincide with the purchase of a controlling stake in Zenit by one of Gazprom’s structures.

Once a year, artists and critics switch places Yesterday at the Central House of Writers, for the fourth time, they presented the award named after the famous theater critic Alexander Kugel - an award invented by Oleg Menshikov for modern theater critics. The award does not have a strict concept or nomination system - every year the artists and directors on the jury choose one or more people to receive the award.