* Yevgeny Dementyev won the men's 30-km pursuit race in the cross-country skiing at the Turin Winter Olympics, bringing the first gold medal for Russia

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 05:21 GMT

Albert Demtschenko of Russia claimed the silver in the men's luge competition in Turin while Italy's Armin Zoeggeler earned the host country's first gold medal on Sunday.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 06:10 GMT

TOKYO, February 13 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) – Japan's prime minister cautioned against imposing sanctions on North Korea in comments on the country's nuclear programs Monday, saying that taking up this position against the communist country was fraught with unpredictable consequences.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 06:21 GMT

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed skepticism on Sunday about the future of democracy in Russia, but admitted that Russia was "not the Soviet Union" anymore, and relations between Moscow and Washington were "very good".

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 06:31 GMT

BISHKEK, February 13 (RIA Novosti, Yulia Orlova) – The parliament of the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan will debate the speaker's resignation Monday, the parliamentary press service said.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 06:37 GMT

TBILISI, February 13 (RIA Novosti, Marina Kvaratskhelia) – Georgia's parliament is scheduled to gather on Monday to draft a resolution that is likely to recommend expelling Russian peacekeepers from the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia, the parliament's pubic relations office said.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 07:14 GMT

Putin's reason to be proud. Very interesting and well written article, however, I must defend the maligned AP. Tout or boast in Amercian usage are not meant to be ironic. Boast means to speak with pride and tout according to Webster's means to praise or publicize. I don't think anybody saw his "boasting" about the Russian missiles as saber rattling. It's pretty common for heads of states to talk about their mighty arsenals. Certainly, it could be interpreted as a message to the US, "don't bother with missile defense", but I don't think anybody saw it as a threat.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 07:33 GMT

Brilliant move by Putin to invite Hamas....congratulations...I believe you won the match....and about time this catastrophe came o a close in the Middle East.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 07:38 GMT

What Ukraine needs is a country confidently operating under the rule of LAW which can support and reward legitimate and legal investment including the attraction of much needed foreign direct investment (FDI) to develop its huge economic potential for the betterment of its people. Is this election capable of delivering this?

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 07:39 GMT

Thousands took part in nationwide protests by driving in convoy through the cities on Feb. 12 as rights activists voiced concern over the sentencing of a Siberian railway worker found guilty of the death of a regional governor after he had failed to get out of the official's way.

// Feb. 13, 2006 - 07:43 GMT