* The European Union has failed to convince its member Poland to lift a veto on the launch of talks on a new Russia-EU treaty, the Finnish ambassador to the EU said

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 05:26 GMT

LONDON, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy and defector allegedly poisoned three weeks ago in London, died early Friday Moscow time, hospital officials said.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 05:47 GMT

Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital on Thursday night, doctors said, three weeks after being mysteriously poisoned in what critics alleged was a Soviet-style sting by Moscow's secret services. The Kremlin dismissed the charge as "sheer nonsense".

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 05:47 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Thursday to reduce bureaucracy and upgrade connections between his country and Finland to smooth the flow of cross-border trade, as he and his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen spoke to journalists after bi-lateral talks held ahead of the Russia-EU summit due Friday.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 05:53 GMT

Russia's suicide rate is the second worst in the world after Lithuania, the director of a leading Russian social and psychiatric research center has said.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 06:55 GMT

MINSK, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Belarusian opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich has been detained over his alleged involvement in a fatal car accident, his press secretary said Friday.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 06:59 GMT

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's investment index will open Friday at 717.31 points, up 0.8% on the previous day's trading, following Thursday evening's sessions on major world trading floors.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 07:07 GMT

TASHKENT, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Uzbekistan has condemned a U.S. State Department decision to include it on a list of so-called Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) for Severe Violations of Religious Freedom, the Uzbek foreign ministry said Friday.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 07:07 GMT

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – Credit institutions' balances on correspondent accounts with the Russian Central Bank totaled 342.6 billion rubles ($12.9 billion at the current exchange rates) at the beginning of the business day, down 3.3% (11.4 billion rubles/$429.2 million) from Thursday, the CBR said Friday.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 07:29 GMT

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) – No one was injured when a Russian passenger jet with 62 people on board made a forced landing in Rostov-on-Don following an engine failure, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Friday.

// Nov. 24, 2006 - 07:49 GMT