Анна Пигарёва - Новости из прошлого на английском языке. ВЫПУСК 5 стр 2.

In the remote Siberian settlement of Berezovaya Katun, near Russias border with China, a large crowd of tourists, including some from France and Mongolia, clapped and cheered as organizers released thousands of balloons into the darkened sky.

«It is quite eerie for any thinking person to watch how everything turns into darkness in broad daylight,» the Kremlins top medical adviser, Gennady Onishchenko, told Vesti-24 channel. People have been recording solar eclipses for perhaps 4,000 years, and they typically inspire a combination of dread, fascination and awe.

According to NASA, the next total eclipse will occur July 22, 2009, starting in India and moving across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China and over the Pacific Ocean. (AP, Reuters)2

Palace Made Hiring Mistake

LONDON  Buckingham Palace said an administrative mistake led to a Russian trainee butler working illegally in the royal household.

Buckingham Palace failed to apply for the correct work permit when it hired Igor Golovanov, 32, in 2006, a spokesman for Queen Elizabeths official residence said. Golovanov was fired when the mistake was discovered.

The spokesman said Thursday that Golovanov will be recommended for reemployment if he can obtain the correct permit and it is determined that he represents no security threat.

Golovanov has lived in Britain since 2000 and has a residency permit. (AP)3

French Villa Link to Prokhorov Denied

An official at Mikhail Prokhorovs Onexim Group denied Sunday that the billionaire was close to buying the legendary Villa Leopolda on the French Riviera.

French newspaper Nice-Matin reported Saturday that Prokhorov would soon pay 496 million euros ($729 million) for the villa, which is owned by the widow of banker Edmond Safra. The newspaper did not say where it got the information.

Villa Leopolda is located in Ville-franche-sur-Mer, a French Mediterranean seaside resort between Nice and Monte Carlo, and is named after Belgian King Leopold II, who built the house at the start of the 20th century.

Onexim deputy CEO Sergei Chernitsyn said Sunday that the Nice-Matin report was not true. «The rumors may be connected with the activities of the Onexim division dealing with luxury real estate.» Chernitsyn said by telephone.

He added, «Mr. Prokhorov will not make any business in France until the Courchevel incident is settled and the French authorities give him an official apology.»

Prokhorov, whom Forbes ranks the sixth-richest man in Russia with an estimated fortune of $19.5 billion, last year announced that he was splitting from longtime business partner Vladimir Potanin after he and 25 other people were taken in for questioning at his hotel in the French ski resort of Courchevel over a suspected prostitution ring.

Prokhorov was released without charge after a few days. He has denied any wrongdoing and has demanded that the French authorities close the case.

Villa Leopolda was at one time owned by Fiat magnate Giovanni Agnelli, Agence France Presse reported.

Safra is said to have hosted U.S. President Ronald Reagan and crooner Frank Sinatra at the villa, the BBC reported. (Bloomberg, MT)4

Stampede Kills 145 In India