ST. PETERSBURG, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - A season of music by Rusian
composer Rodion Schedrin will open at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatry
on Tuesday.

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, December 29 (Itar-Tass) - Four people have died in
a ship fire in the Sakhalin port of Korsakov. The fire on a fishing

Moscow, Dec. 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan and Russia on Monday agreed to
continue constructive talks on the four Russian-held islands at the center
of a bilateral territorial dispute.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama)-- No-smoking may be made a condition for
youth and students to receive aid from the Malaysian government.

BEIJING, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- A Chinese cargo vessel and its 25 crew members,
held hostage by Somalian pirates for 71 days, were rescued through a combined

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- Najib Tun Razak has called on
the people to join him in ushering in the new year by making the 1Malaysia
concept a reality.

Jakarta, Dec 28 (ANTARA) - Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng said Indonesian scouts who are to participate in an international scouts event in Australia must be able to act as good repres

Jambi, Dec 28 - (ANTARA) - Sumatran tigers killed a total of eight people in Jambi province in 2009, according to a record kept by Jambi`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

Cirebon, W Java, Dec 28 (ANTARA) - Police have foiled an attempt to circulate fake banknotes worth Rp800 million and arrested six people suspected of circulating and ordering the fake banknotes.

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major South Korean newspapers on Dec. 29.