Heat-stricken Pushkin museum closes part of exposition to visitors.

MOSCOW, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
has closed part of its exposition to visitors because of abnormal heat.
"Only two grand halls in our big building which is soon turning a
hundred years have air conditioning. We couldn't install air conditioning
in other halls because the museum's interior structure makes it impossible
to control its climatic state from the inside," Irina Antonova, the museum'
s director, said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station on
Sunday.
"The first floor is working normally. All the halls are open. An
exhibition 'From Rafael to Goya' is open on the second floor but all the
other expositions there are temporary closed because of high temperatures
- plus 34 degrees Celsius approximately," Antonova went on to say.
Antonova said the smoke hadn't affected the exhibits so far.
"The restorers are carefully watching the state of pictures and
sculptures in the halls, and they haven't noticed any changes," Antonova
went on to say.
Antonova said that the Museum of Private Collections and the Gallery
of European and American art of the 19th and 20th centuries work normally
from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. These buildings are relatively new and have good
air conditioning.

.Russians believe chocolate is good source of energy-opinion poll.

MOSCOW, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russians consider chocolate to be a
good source of energy and an anti-depressant and don't believe that it's
harmful for human health.
A survey carried out by the all-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
in July showed that 84% of the respondents believe that chocolate is a
good energizer. Another 84% said chocolate stimulated their mental
activity and 76% percent replied that chocolate was a good anti-depressant.
Besides, 47% of those polled believe that this delicacy prolongs
human life. Most respondents (65%) deny that chocolate is harmful for
heart and that it causes addiction (48%). However, 62% of the Russians
agree that chocolate causes tooth decay.
Respondents are divided, almost equally (46% for and 41% against),
over whether this sweet dainty is fattening. They also hesitate over
whether it increases the level of cholesterol in human blood (35% for and
31 against) and be a source of skin problems (33% for and 39% against,
respectively).
The poll covered 1,600 people in 140 populated localities in 42
regions, territories and republics. The statistical discrepancy is below
3.4%.

. The Vigilant Eagle exercise kicks off.

WASHINGTON, August 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russian and U.S. fighter jets,
refuelling aircraft and civilian air traffic control services are taking
part in the first ever Russia-U.S anti-terror exercise, nicknamed the
Vigilant Eagle.
During the Vigilant Eagle, the cooperative actions of combat units
dealing with acts of terrorism will be simulated, the North American
Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Russian officials have said.
An American commercial plane bound for the Russian Far East will take
off from Alaska and then make a return flight back. It will lose all
contacts with the outside world after being hijacked by terrorists. The
Russian A-50 reconnaissance planes, an American AWACS and refuelling
aircraft from both countries will have to detect and track the target.
Russian and US Air Force personnel will focus on the cooperative
hand-off of the monitored aircraft between the fighters and refuelling
aircraft from both countries. The training will involve airborne warning
and control aircraft from Russia and the US. Civilian air control
agencies, Russia's Federal Air Navigational Service and the US Federal
Aviation Administration will also take part in the exercise.
The main headquarters of the exercise will be based in Russia's
Khabarovsk and Colorado Springs in the US.
The event is authorized under a cooperative military agreement between
the Russian and US presidents. Its results will be analysed in September
when representatives of the Russian and US armed forces meet in Colorado
Springs.

. Record shipment of heroin seized on Serbian-Bulgarian border.

BELGRADE, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - Serbian customs officers seized more
than 50 kilograms of heroin at the Gradina passage on the border with
Bulgaria late on Sunday.
The local customs department chief Vladimir Stojanovic said the drugs
had been hidden in a Turkish-owned car. He added that the market price of
the confiscated narcotic herb was worth three and a half million dollars.
An important drug transit route from the Middle East to Europe lies
through Serbia's border with Bulgaria.

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