*Russian economics minister German Gref:

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 05:26 GMT

How nice of you to wait for any sort of investigation or even some basic facts before publishing an article asserting that the US submarine captain was responsible for a collision with a Japanese ship.  Wouldn't some facts help even your vaunted Russian "expert"?  I think you have diminished your already limited credibility a great deal with this silly article.  The American sub captain may be at fault, and you can be sure that in our system, we will know it, and he will be ridden out on a rail if he is.  But, you have to wait for some facts to draw a conclusion, don't you?

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 05:29 GMT

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale struck near the southeastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, the regional emergencies ministry office said Wednesday.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 06:10 GMT

MOSCOW, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – Credit institutions' balances on deposit accounts with the Russian Central Bank totaled 163.3 billion rubles ($6.2 billion at the current exchange rates) at the beginning of the business day, up 66.5% (65.2 billion rubles/$2.5 billion) from Tuesday, the CBR said Wednesday.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 06:35 GMT

MOSCOW, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's investment index will open Wednesday at 724.19 points, down 3.38% on the previous day's trading, following Tuesday evening's sessions on major world trading floors.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 06:39 GMT

GROZNY, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – One militant was killed in a firefight with federal troops in southeast Chechnya, while four suspected militants surrendered to authorities in various districts of Russia's troubled North Caucasus region, local police said Wednesday.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 06:51 GMT

NASA is willing to buy four Russian spacecrafts from the Russian Federal Space Agency. The price and delivery dates have been already agreed.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 08:37 GMT

Russian tennis-player – world No 3 Nikolay Davydenko has suddenly quit during his match at the Sydney International.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 08:38 GMT

MOSCOW, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – Evraz Group [LSE: EVR] has extended its offer to purchase shares of U.S.-based Oregon Steel Mills until January 12, the Russian metals giant said Wednesday.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 08:41 GMT

BAKU, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan's foreign minister will participate in the next round of negotiations with the Armenian foreign minister on the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.

// Jan. 10, 2007 - 08:53 GMT