MOSCOW, December 26 (By Itar-Tass World Service writer Lyudmila
Alexandrova) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has initiated a reform

MOSCOW, December 26 (Itar-Tass) -- The Bank of Russia board of
directors on Friday made a decision to lower the discount rate by 0.25

MOSCOW, December 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's retail savings bank
Sberbank is about to address GM with a request for voluntary compensation

SOCHI, December 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin on Friday took the seat at the wheel of a luxury black Mercedes

TOKYO, December 25 (Itar-Tass) - Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya
Okada during his first visit to Moscow on December 27-28 this year intends

SEOUL, December 25 (Itar-Tass) - North Korea may carry out its third
nuclear test and provoke next year military clashes on the border with the

BANGKOK, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Thai police have prolonged the
arrest of the detained Il-76 crew for 12 days more, a police source said.

.

VATICAN CITY, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Pope Benedict XVI was knocked
down as he was going to begin Christmas eve Mass on Thursday by a woman

.