PHOTO:European Protests and Presidential Elections

While dissatisfied Estonians and Turks protested, French presidential candidates collected final votes.

Protests in two European countries have continued: Estonia and Turkey. Russian minority in Estonia, dissatisfied with the government’s decision to move the monument dedicated to Soviet soldiers, took to the streets. In the worst disarray since the Russian revolution, the police brought in around 1,000 persons, and several days earlier a 20-year-old Russian died and 156 persons were injured. The two countries tried to find a solution to this crisis in a diplomatic manner, but failed.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered in Turkey, struggling for the preservation of the secular state which became endangered after the presidential candidacy of Islamist Abdullah Gul. Minister Gul has the support of the prime minister. Constitutional court cancelled the first round of the parliamentary elections where Gul did not obtain the necessary majority and a new election date was set for July 22.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was proud to announce the return of Fidel Castro to the head of Cuba. Namely, Castro withdrew nine months ago due to medical reasons, and he entrusted his brother Raul with running the country.

American President George Bush vetoed the Congress` provision on financing and withdrawing US troops from the Iraqi war.

This weekend, 200residents gathered in Krusevac with the goal to establish the Guard of Saint Emperor Lasarus, which would protect vital interests of Serbia in case of Kosovo`s independence. Police have arrested 27 people who were wearing T-shirts with a symbol of the Red Berets.

For the past few weeks, the struggle for the Elysee Palace has been getting intense. Two presidential candidates, right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal, did everything in order to obtain votes of extreme rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen and centrist Francois Bayrou in the final days of the campaign. First unofficial results are expected tonight.

See the description of last week`s events in the PHOTOGALLERY.