* Russia and Japan have agreed to simplify visa formalities for some categories of citizens from both countries, a source in the Japanese Foreign Ministry said

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 05:28 GMT

MOSCOW, December 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia leads the Davis Cup Nations Ranking for the first time, after Marat Safin clinched Russia's second Davis Cup victory, defeating Argentina's Jose Acasuso in front of a Moscow crowd.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:29 GMT

MOSCOW, December 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's investment index will open Monday at 754.12 points, up 0.38% on the previous day's trading, following Friday evening's sessions on major world trading floors.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:33 GMT

India plans to invest $5 billion in various projects in Russia to source one billion barrels of oil and oil-equivalent gas from the country as part of measures to diversify its energy sources.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:40 GMT

A Dubai-based developer announced on Sunday, Dec. 3, that it plans to build a new Russian city on 18,000 hectares near Moscow. The project, dubbed Great Domodedovo, calls for $11 billion in investment.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:40 GMT

PERM, December 4 (RIA Novosti) – Pro-presidential party United Russia is set to win elections to the regional legislature in the Perm Territory in the Urals, the local election commission said Monday.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:48 GMT

Russia leads the Davis Cup Nations Ranking for the first time, after Marat Safin clinched Russia's second Davis Cup victory, defeating Argentina's Jose Acasuso in front of a Moscow crowd.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:52 GMT

MOSCOW, December 4 (RIA Novosti) – Credit institutions' balances on correspondent accounts with the Russian Central Bank totaled 419.3 billion rubles ($15.97 billion at the current exchange rates) at the beginning of the business day, down 3.3% (14.3 billion rubles/$544.76 million) from Friday, the CBR said Monday.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 06:54 GMT

Azerbaijan may cut the volume of its oil exports to Russia via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline due to natural gas price hikes suggested by natural gas monopoly Gazprom, the country's President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday, Dec. 3.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 07:43 GMT

MISSION CONTROL (Moscow Region), December 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's Mission Control will adjust the International Space Station's orbit on NASA's request, to prepare for the docking of a U.S. space shuttle, a space agency official said Friday.

// Dec. 04, 2006 - 07:52 GMT