11.   Earlier, while also downplaying the seriousness of the latest trouble, Russian and U.S. said the generator had been causing problems on and off for the past week.

12.   In the past, government officials have downplayed the seriousness of pipeline disasters.

13.   It was the third computer crash aboard Mir since mid-July, but Russian and American space officials both downplayed its seriousness.

14.   Security experts downplayed the seriousness Wednesdasy of flaw in the most popular software for sending encrypted e-mail.

15.   Still, he downplayed the seriousness of the incident.

16.   While President Boris Yeltsin and other top Russian leaders have sharply condemned such expressions, many minor officials have been downplaying the seriousness of anti-Semitic attacks.

17.   At the time the Kremlin downplayed the seriousness of his illness saying he would be out of hospital within a week.