The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, arrived in Israel on a two-day visit. Although the visit is official, it was not announced in advance, and the guest's program does not include any press events. Israeli President Shimon Peres, Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon and Minister of Intelligence Dan Meridor will meet with the head of the IAEA.

The number of American troops in Iraq has been reduced to 49.7 thousand people, the commander of US forces in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, told reporters yesterday. This means that the American plan agreed upon with the Iraqi authorities, which provided for a reduction of the American contingent by September 1 to 50 thousand people, was carried out ahead of schedule. The final withdrawal of American soldiers from Iraq is scheduled for the end of 2011.

European criticism influenced Romanian senators The extraordinary session of parliament, convened at the proposal of Romanian President Traian Basescu, entered its final stage yesterday - the plenary session of the Senate began. The main task of the upper house was to amend the law on the National Integrity Agency. This department was created in 2007 to combat corruption at the top, in particular to make decisions regarding the unjustified acquisition of property by government officials.

US President in 1977-1981 Jimmy Carter flies to Pyongyang to rescue 30-year-old compatriot Aijalon Mali Gomez from a North Korean prison. However, “no other topics will be discussed,” said the Washington weekly Foreign Policy, as well as two State Department officials. The latter, on condition of anonymity, said that 85-year-old Carter will travel to North Korea unaccompanied by officials and hopes to return to the United States with Gomez tomorrow.

Can't go to another airport Yesterday, the director of this airport complex, Vyacheslav Nekrasov, called the situation at the entrances to Domodedovo a “transport collapse.” He used a strong expression in an open letter to the Minister of Transport of Russia Igor Levitin and the head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) Igor Artemyev, posted on the airport’s website.

Global automakers will present new products at the MIAS 2010 motor show The Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS-2010) opens today in Moscow at the Crocus Expo exhibition center. The event will be held at Crocus for the third time, and, as usual, visitors will see world and European premieres, as well as new products from the domestic automobile industry. An area equal to eight football fields will accommodate about 80 companies and more than 600 cars.

Sabotage of fund reform by Europeans forced Washington to act The activities of the International Monetary Fund may be paralyzed from November 1. Everything is heading towards the fact that on this day the IMF will be left without a legitimate board of directors - a body that today has very broad powers in the day-to-day work of the fund. This is the result of the decision of US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, which the fund regards as a declaration of nuclear war.

The Georgian public will help the opposition This fall, the Georgian opposition is preparing another offensive, which will be facilitated by growing economic discontent in society. After Russia suspended grain exports in mid-August, bread prices in Georgia increased by 15-20%, and people have to pay more for other food products.

The investigation into the tragic fire in Perm has been completed Yesterday, the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office (ICP) of the Russian Federation sent a criminal case into the fire that occurred on the night of December 5, 2009 in the Perm cafe "Lame Horse" to the Prosecutor General's Office for approval of the indictment. In total, 156 people became victims of this tragedy, and another 64 visitors to the establishment were seriously injured.

On December 12, 2009, my best friend purchased 3 thousand rubles each through a well-known Internet portal. (plus 300 rubles commission) two tickets - for yourself and your wife - to the U2 concert, which will take place on August 25. That is today. That is, eight months after purchasing the tickets.

Rubin signed a contract with the Brazilian national team player The current Russian football champion Rubin Kazan has signed a four-year contract with Brazilian midfielder Carlos Eduardo. According to some reports, the transfer amount paid to the German Hoffenheim amounted to 20 million euros. Carlos Eduardo will become the tenth Brazilian to join Rubin in the team's history. The Kazan newcomer turned 23 in July. His first professional club was Gremio.

CPC shareholders will borrow a billion to expand the pipeline Of the $4.6 billion that shareholders of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) plan to spend on expanding the pipeline's capacity, about a billion can be raised from external sources. This was announced yesterday by the general director of the consortium, Alexander Tarakanov. According to him, the invested funds and borrowings made must be returned within the next eight years.

The Rossini Festival ends in Pesaro The famous opera festival was held for the 31st time and, as always, was very interesting.

The Moscow government approved the 2011 budget Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov approved the capital's budget for next year. Yesterday, at its meeting, the metropolitan government adopted as a basis a draft law designed to determine the income and expenses of the metropolis in 2011. In September, the project will be submitted to the Moscow City Duma for consideration. It is possible that on September 29 the document will be adopted by the capital’s parliament in its final reading.

Watch from August 26 on Moscow screens "Avatar: Special Edition" (USA, 2009, James Cameron). All competitors have long been blue with envy, but here it is again - great! Less than a year after its premiere, “Avatar” again usurps the world’s movie screens (not excluding IMAX theaters) – in an updated version. However, one cannot count on a radical change in the meaning of the main blockbuster of all times due to the appearance of a “special version”. Tea, not Blade Runner!