* Russia held bilateral consultations in Beijing with the other parties to the six-nation talks on the North Korea nuclear problem, a source close to the Russian delegation said

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 05:30 GMT

Concerning your article "Polonium incident: a rehearsal for a dirty bomb?"  The writer of the article makes some very valid points. My opinion: AQ is getting more sophisticated as time goes on. IC-MI5 and their counterparts in Russia would do well to look into this case with a little more sagacity than what appears close up at first glance.  Did AQ use this incident as an exercise to facilitate what some are calling a practice drill into further terrorist attacks? Was this some cover by AQ to turn societies against one another by using the polonium incident, to cause mistrust and suspicion among heads of state – a prelude to further terrorism?

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 06:24 GMT

BEIJING, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – The six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program resumed in the Chinese capital Monday after a 13-month standoff.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 06:34 GMT

A handful of political opposition stage a march in Moscow. Here, our western media present it as if a major revolution is taking place against the government. The story is given the status of major civil unrest. The west is on the move, ready to invest untold millions in ensuring unrest does occur, thus destabilising Russia and freeing up it's natural resources for plunder. Hold firm Mr Putin, evil and dark forces are at work to bring you and Russia down.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 06:40 GMT

MOSCOW, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's investment index will open Monday at 763.22 points, up 0.44% on the previous day's trading, following Friday evening's sessions on major world trading floors.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 06:45 GMT

Turkey is covering its gas deficit with deliveries of Russian fuel because the country's second natural gas supplier, Iran, has shipped only one-fourth of the required natural gas in two weeks.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 07:03 GMT

MOSCOW, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – Credit institutions' balances on correspondent accounts with the Russian Central Bank totaled 499.7 billion rubles ($19 billion at the current exchange rates) at the beginning of the business day, up 13.6% (59.8 billion rubles/$2.3 billion) from Friday, the CBR said Monday.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 07:05 GMT

VLADIVOSTOK, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – Three minor earthquakes have been registered over the past 24 hours in the Pacific Ocean near Russia's Kuril Islands, the regional emergencies ministry center said Monday.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 07:10 GMT

MOSCOW, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – Five people have died and another six have been injured in a road accident in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Monday.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 07:26 GMT

Shares in Peter Hambro Mining bounced back by more than 12 percent in late Thursday trading, after Russian government officials indicated that the gold producer's main mining licenses were not under threat.

// Dec. 18, 2006 - 07:40 GMT