In September, the Russian government approved the federal program “Comprehensive measures to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking for 2005-2009.” According to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Rashid Nurgaliev, there are currently 4 million drug addicts in Russia. According to unofficial data from all-Russian monitoring, their number is much larger and amounts to about 6 million people. Of these, 1.87 million are teenagers and young people under 24 years of age.

In Nigeria in areas, which are affected by a hazardous virus of bird flu H5N1, farmers continue to actively sell chickens, including for export to neighboring countries.

Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva, who won silver in the 15 km race, is accused of doping after both doping tests returned positive results. This was stated by one of the IOC representatives, AFP reports. Plyova’s tests show that she used the stimulant kaphedron. Pyleva had already been withdrawn from today's sprint race at the last minute and will now have to appear before the IOC disciplinary commission.

On Thursday morning, a girl was born on a plane flying Moscow-Yakutsk. As Yakutia Airlines reported, 25-year-old passenger Anna Kolodeznikova began having contractions in the air. As fate would have it, among the 98 passengers there was a whole team of doctors: a cardiac surgeon, a vascular surgeon and a pediatrician. The plane that took off from Vnukovo was supposed to land in Yakutsk, but due to the birth, the aircraft had to land in another Yakut city - Mirny.

Anna Smirnova, editor-in-chief of the Vologda Regional newspaper Has Region, was called to the Prosecutor's Office of the Vologda Oblast in connection with the fact of publication in the newspaper of caricatures on the Prophet Muhammad, because of which the “caricature war” has erupted in the last weeks, Gazeta.Ru reports with reference to Interfax. The newspaper "Hash Region" became the second edition in Russia, reprinting the caricatures.

** What to expect in the coming hours. Announcement of events ** In Moscow: A meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation will be held. It is planned to consider the development strategy for the financial market of the Russian Federation for 2006-2008, as well as the concept of the development of corporate legislation. In addition, the government will consider the Regulation on the Federal Air Navigation Service. The plenary meeting of the State Duma will be held.

The Union of Right Forces in the presidential election in Belarus will support the unified candidate from the democratic forces of Alexander Milinkevich, RIA Novosti reports. This was announced today at a press conference, the leader of the ATP Nikita Belykh officially stated. He recalled that Milinkevich was elected a single candidate at the Congress of the Democratic Forces of Belarus, which was held in Minsk in October last year.

The Russian team in hockey with a large account replayed rivals from Sweden, into the gates of which five unrequited goals flew. The authors of these very goals: Kovalev, Ovechkin, Sushinsky, Kozlov, Athenogens. Our team improved its position (and raised the mood of its fans) after yesterday's defeat from the Slovakian team with a score of 3: 5. Today, the Czech team - one of the favorites for “gold” - suddenly defeated from rivals from Switzerland with a score of 2: 3.

In Volgograd, the municipal institution "Volgograd -Inform" - the founder of the newspaper Gorodskoye Vesti is liquidated. This newspaper, we recall, published a drawing with the image of the founders of the main religions, which became a logical continuation of the international caricature scandal. In the illustration of the article “The Racists is not a place in power”, Christ, Moses, Buddha and Muhammad, watching TV, on the screen of which are two people ready for a fight.

A “salt rush” hit Russia. In a number of regions of Russia - Bryansk, Tula, Tambov, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh - in recent days the population has been buying up salt, sugar, matches and cereals in huge quantities, while in the wake of rush demand the price of a kilogram of salt has increased tenfold. Formally, the hysteria around the permanent Russian commodity reserve during wars and crises arose like this.

The hostage is released, both criminals are dead - these are the results of the operation in Yekaterinburg. On Wednesday evening, two criminals - Vladimir Slovov and Maxim Shilkov, who were in a car carrier near the building of the Lenin federal court, captured a conviora woman. Threatening the murder of a woman, they began to demand liberation. Both criminals were convicted of robbery.

The farewell ceremony with hockey player Gennady Tsygankov in St. Petersburg will be held on February 18. According to the REGNUM IA in the SKA hockey club in St. Petersburg, the civilian memorial service will be held at the Yubileiny Sports Palace. The funeral service will be held in the church at the Serafimovsky cemetery, where the athlete will be buried. The legendary hockey player died today, February 16.

The watercolor of the English artist William Turner "Mount Riga: View of Lake Lake at Visit" estimated at $ 3.5 million. It will be exhibited at Christie's New York Bidding in June 2006, reports Lenta.ru. Turner wrote a landscape with a view of the famous mountain of Riga in 1842 after returning from Switzerland. The picture received the highest rating from the leading British critic of the era of John Rustin and was almost immediately bought by one of Turner's talent admirers.

The ABC News TV channel received at its disposal a 12-hour audio recording of Saddam Hussein meetings with his associates, made in the 1990s in one of the palaces of the former Iraqi president. It is reported that the TV channel received a film from the former UN inspector Bill Tyreni, who previously transmitted the same FBI records.

The provision of Russian citizenship residents of Abkhazia and the Tskhinval region is legally and on a voluntary basis, Mikhail Babich, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Defense of State Duma, said at a press conference in Tbilisi, RIA Novosti reports. “I just can’t imagine who could have appropriated any citizenship against these people against their will,” Babich emphasized after visiting Tskhinvali and meetings with the local population.