Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf began an eight-day visit to Europe yesterday - his first since his re-election as president in October. According to Musharraf, the main purpose of the trip is “to clarify misunderstandings about the latest events in Pakistan.” In November, he introduced a state of emergency in the country (it was lifted on December 16), and on December 27, opposition leader Benazir Bhutto became the victim of a terrorist attack.

Chronicle of sporting events The French national team, one of the main contenders for victory in Euro 2008, which starts next weekend, played its last test match, in which it defeated Colombia 1:0. The only goal came in the 23rd minute. Franck Ribery scored from the penalty spot awarded for a foul on Terry Henry, who was playing his 100th match for the national team. Despite the modest score, the French had an overwhelming advantage, entering the field with the optimal lineup.

Latvia expelled Russian diplomat The short period of thaw in relations between Riga and Moscow ended abruptly and unexpectedly. The Latvian Foreign Ministry demanded the expulsion of the Russian diplomat, saying that his activities are incompatible with his diplomatic status and pose a threat to national security.

Yesterday the preliminary results of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Cuba were published. Despite the bad weather, more than 95% of voters went to the polls to vote for candidates for the National Assembly of People's Power (NAPA) and provincial assemblies. There are no opposition movements in the country; the constitution enshrines the leading role of the Communist Party.

The results of urine tests of the leader of the Georgian opposition, 43-year-old Levan Gachechiladze, became the main topic of discussion in the Georgian media. To obtain a deputy mandate, a candidate must obtain a certificate stating that he does not use drugs. But Mr. Gachechiladze’s tests showed a minimal content of an opium group alkaloid - codeine. The politician explained that the day before he took the drug solpadeine for headaches, which contains codeine.

Vladimir Putin held the first party meeting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as you know, is also the chairman of the United Russia party. True, he himself prefers to remain non-partisan. And yesterday, in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence that remained to him from presidential times, Mr. Putin decided to work as party chairman almost two months after he was elected leader of United Russia at the party congress on April 15.

The Ministry of Industry asked to postpone the trade law A bill on state regulation of trade activities will not appear until the end of the year. According to the Interfax agency, the Ministry of Industry and Trade , recently created less than a month ago within the government of Vladimir Putin, sent a letter to the government with a request to postpone the preparation of the law to the fourth quarter of this year.

The famous St. Petersburg actor exchanged the administration of Valentina Matvienko for Isaac A “cult” appointment took place in St. Petersburg. People's Artist of Russia, actor Nikolai Burov, voluntarily leaving the position of chairman of the St. Petersburg Culture Committee, which he had held for the last three and a half years, moved to the chair of director of the State Museum-Monument (GMP) "St. Isaac's Cathedral".

The Mariinsky Ballet has a new director The name of Yuri Fateev is still known only to specialists. He is 44 years old, he has danced at the Mariinsky Theater for twenty years (parts of jesters, inserted pas de deux in “Giselle” - the repertoire of a corypheus or second soloist).

Arto Paasilinna. Gentle poisoner . Per. E. Khokhlova. - M.: Olga Morozova Publishing House, 2008. Arto Paasilinna is a Finnish writer, the author of three brilliant novels translated into Russian - “The Forest of Hanged Foxes”, “Charming Suicide among Friends” and “The Year of the Hare”. “The Tender Poisoner” is the fourth story, where absurdity and black humor grow from the very depths of the northern Chukhon depression.

CONCERTS Garou (Canada). Five tours in France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Poland brought him European fame. In 2004, Garou went on a ten-month tour of France, Quebec, Lebanon, Tunisia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia. As part of the tour, the singer visited Moscow for the first time, where he performed with the artists of the Russian version of Notre Dame de Paris, arousing admiration from the capital's public and the press. Kremlin Palace , 19.00. PJ Harvey (UK), Autolux (USA).

Television critics sum up May This time, everyone is almost unanimous - May turned out to be a month of victories, which, of course, pleases, but the way these victories are celebrated still upsets critics. One project ended on “First” - Posner and Urgant traveled around America, and immediately a new one began - a humorous quartet with good jokes about the main thing. So far, most critics like the show.

Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros At the French Open tennis championship yesterday, all participants in the women's semi-finals were determined. The first pair was made up of Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina, the second - Serbian tennis players Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.

May, despite the first ten days of holidays, turned out to be surprisingly eventful on television. The main TV event is the premiere of the unusual humorous program “ProjectorParisHilton” (“Channel One”). To bring into the frame such forces as Tsekalo, Urgant, Martirosyan and Svetlakov from “Our Russia” is something! You can listen to such a command for hours, like nightingales.

Five people died in hospitals in the Gaza Strip due to Israel cutting off fuel supplies for the only local thermal power plant, Palestinian media reported yesterday. Israel has cut fuel supplies to Gaza by about a quarter and closed all checkpoints through which food, medicine and other humanitarian aid entered the strip. This is the Jewish state's response to the constant attacks by Palestinian militants on its territory with homemade Qassam rockets.