The number of Afghan refugees who returned to their homeland, according to the UN, exceeded half a million people. The UN representative said that the mass return of refugees testifies to their trust in the new authorities. The UN called on donor countries and international organizations to fulfill the restoration of Afghanistan, allocating $ 4 and a half billion.

The United States and the European Union expressed serious concern in connection with the position of the Likud party, which categorically opposed the creation of the Palestinian state - "ever." The resolution, the initiator of which was the former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, was adopted yesterday at a meeting of the Central Committee of the Party.

The program is conducted by Peter Vile. They participate: the correspondent of the Arab newspaper Al-Hayat in Moscow Jalal al-Mashta and Radio Liberty correspondents: in Tel Aviv-Victoria Munblit, and in Washington-Vladimir Abarinov. Peter Vile: The Israeli Likud party categorically opposed the creation of the Palestinian state - ever.

Fires grow in the forests of Siberia and the Far East. According to the Radio Liberty correspondent, in the Irkutsk region over the past day, the area of fires increased five times - more than 17 thousand hectares of taiga are covered by fire. Local authorities introduced a state of emergency. In the Primorsky Territory, rescuers are preparing to begin the evacuation of several settlements.

The program is conducted by Peter Vile. The host of the Radio Liberty program “Caucasian Chronicles” Oleg Kusov, RS correspondents in the North Caucasus Lada Lada Ladenev and Timur Salimov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Moscow Center of Carnegie Alexei Malashenko were talking with him by Lyubov Chizhova.

Timur Salimov, Dagestan: in the draft resolution of the State Council of Dagestan at the current meeting, this decision was not provided. The idea of an appeal to the president and the State Duma of Russia arose already in the course of work.

In Kazakhstan, at the Baikonur cosmodrome, rescuers of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies removed the six workers who died yesterday, when the roof of the installation and test building collapsed. Under the wreckage of the building there are 2 more people, their fate is unknown. According to representatives of Rosaviacosmos of Russia, the collapsed roof buried the Buran reusable use of reusable use, which visited space only once - in November 1988.

At the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, rescuers of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies removed the body of three workers who died yesterday, when the roof of the installation and test building collapsed. Under the fragments of a building, the height of which reaches 70 meters, five more people remain. Their fate is still unknown.

Russia and the United States have reached consent on a significant reduction in strategic offensive weapons. According to US President George Bush today, the corresponding document will be signed at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 24. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the progress in the negotiations of arms reduction was achieved today in Moscow during the next round of Russian-American consultations.

Victoria Munblit, Tel Aviv: the Israeli party "Likud", which is part of the ruling coalition, categorically opposed the creation of the Palestinian state - "ever." The head of the Israeli government, Ariel Sharon, who tried to prevent voting, said that the resolution causes damage to Israel at this stage.

In the French city of Sherbur today, a farewell ceremony with 11 shipbuilders killed in Pakistan last week took place. At least 10 thousand people gathered at the ceremony. The memory of the victims was honored by members of the French government and President of the country Jacques Shirak, who expressed confidence that the killers would be able to find and punish. The dead were awarded the highest award of France - the Order of the Honorary Legion.

The host of the program "Themes" Peter Vail: the man of the day of Radio Liberty May 13 is the head coach of the Russian hockey team Boris Mikhailov. Under his leadership, the Russian team at the world championship completed in Sweden for the first time in 9 years entered the three winners, having won silver medals. Boris Mikhailov was born in 1944. He played for the Moscow Lokomotiv and CSKA, 11 times the USSR champion, 8-time world champion, 7-time Europe, two-time Olympic.

The former leader of the Croatian Serbs, Milan Martych, will arrive in Gaga on Wednesday to voluntarily appear before the international tribunal. Martich was charged with the fact that in 1995 he ordered the assault on the Croatian capital - Zagreb. Martich opposed the exit of Croatia from the composition of Yugoslavia.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed the confidence that during the May meeting of the Presidents of the United States and Russia - George Bush and Vladimir Putin - an agreement will be signed on a reduction in strategic offensive weapons. Speaking on Sunday during the television, organized by public Russian television, Powell noted that Washington and Moscow have achieved progress in the development of a document.

For the first time in the history of the world hockey champion, the Slovakian team became. In the final match in Gotheborg, the Slovaks won the Russians - 4: 3. Maxim Sokolov (Russia) was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, the best defender is Daniel Chernokvist (Sweden), the best attacker is Niclas Hagman (Finland). Two meetings took place in the Stanley Cup. "Carolina" defeated "Montreal" 5: 1 and led in the series 3: 2.