Afghanistan has requested observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). this to RIA Novosti Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated . This issue, among a number of others, will be considered at the organization’s anniversary summit, which will be held on June 15 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The draft agenda for the June summit was agreed today at the SCO summit in Almaty by the heads of the Foreign Ministries of the countries included in the organization.

Representatives of some opposition movements agreed to hold protests in December this year, on the day of parliamentary elections in Russia. This decision was made on Saturday at the conference of the Strategy-31 movement, Interfax reports . The Saturday conference in Moscow was attended by representatives of more than 30 regions of Russia, where actions are taking place within the framework of Strategy-31.

The Moscow metro turns 76 years old. The capital’s “subway” will celebrate this significant date with a concert of the Kremlin chamber orchestra under the direction of Misha Rakhlevsky, which will take place on Sunday night on the platform of the Kropotkinskaya station. 500 guests are invited to the concert in honor of the metro's birthday, most of whom are winners of a competition organized by the Moscow metro. The chamber orchestra's performance will begin at two o'clock in the morning.

There are 1000 days left until the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi. In this regard, a number of events will be held in Russia, Interfax reports . At noon, on the square of the Sochi Marine Station, the Swiss company Omega launched a countdown clock. They show how many days, hours, minutes and seconds remain until the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi are declared open.

On May 14, the fifth annual cultural and educational event “Night at the Museum” will take place in Moscow. This year it will take place from 18:00 to 24:00, Interfax reports . 160 organizations will take part in the event: 24 museums of federal significance, 18 departmental museums, as well as 34 non-state sites - private museums and galleries.

Information on the income and property of civil servants of the Cabinet Office for 2010 was published on the official website of the Government of the Russian Federation, reports RIA Novosti . The highest income is from the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Government, Anna Popova. In 2010, she earned 18,741,839 rubles. Popova owns a land plot of 1,595 sq.m., a house with a total area of ​​280.2 sq.m., an apartment with an area of ​​38 sq.m. and a Ford Focus car.

The results of the green card drawing, which gives the right to live and work in the United States, were canceled due to a failure in the computer system. The BBC reports this with reference to the US State Department. This year there are 50,000 immigrant visas up for grabs in the lottery. However, as stated in the State Department, the drawing was disrupted due to a computer glitch, and therefore the current results must be canceled and the drawing must be re-held.

On May 14, the “Day of Wrath” took place in Kyiv. The action, which was attended by representatives of dozens of associations, organizations and public initiatives in Ukraine, was supposed to demonstrate the unanimity of the opposition forces, dictated by the common understanding that the socio-economic situation in Ukraine is catastrophic. reports this Interfax .

In Washington, a meeting was held between US Presidential National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and representative of the National Council of Libya Mahmoud Jibril, representing the Libyan opposition. Donilon voiced the position of the United States, which views the council as a legitimate and trustworthy representation of the Libyan people, and stated the White House's desire to provide it with support, including financial support.

The Board of JSC JSB Belarusbank approved the procedure for selling foreign currency to citizens of Belarus for socially significant needs. The bank's press service reported that as part of this decision, four main reasons have been established why people can contact the bank to purchase foreign currency for social needs. This includes the death of a close relative abroad, accompanying disabled people, as well as study or treatment in a foreign country.

The Parliament of Pakistan issued a statement in which it demanded that the country's government reconsider relations with the United States of America. reports this The BBC . Parliamentarians demand that the authorities consider the possibility of NATO refusing to transit goods through Pakistan, as well as conduct an independent investigation into the raid of American special forces in the north of the country.

In Japan, a man who participated in the work to eliminate the consequences of the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant has died. He felt ill while clearing rubble at the station less than an hour into his work shift. The liquidator was taken to a hospital in Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture, where he died without regaining consciousness. This was reported by Kyodo. The deceased man, about 60 years old, was not a full-time employee of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

How the limit on foreign players contributes to the wage race of Russian hockey players Monopoly of Russian players While the hockey players of the Russian national team were fighting for medals at the World Championship, the public was amazed by the news about new contracts of our hockey players with the clubs of the “home” league - the KHL.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported an increase in tourism in most regions of the world with the exception of North Africa and the Middle East. reports this Interfax . On average, the growth in the number of tourists in the world in January-February 2011 was 5%. The total number of tourists in the world in the first two months of 2011 exceeded 124 million people; for the same period a year earlier there were 119 million.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a message to the heads of member states of the Russia-NATO Council (NRC), in which he outlined Russia’s position in relation to the European missile defense system (ABM). “The message notes that the European missile defense system can become truly effective and viable only if Russia participates in it on an equal basis.