* The U.S. State Department affirmed the OSCE's finding that Azerbaijani elections fell short of international standards
* The head of the Commonwealth of Independent States' (CIS) observer mission to Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections said there were no major violations at the polls
*The Russian Foreign Ministry cautioned international observers against jumping to conclusions about the latest parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan and described as rash the statements by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that the vote had failed to meet democratic standards
* The Moscow City Court upheld a decision to extend the custody period for Moscow notary Fail Sadretdinov, accused of masterminding and committing the murder of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov
* Russia and the European Union have failed to reach an agreement on renewing the legal foundation of their partnership beyond 2007, when the current accord expires, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman said
* Azerbaijani ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan (new Azerbaijan) gained a majority in the country's parliament, the Milli Majlis, taking 63 seats out of 125, with 96.39% of the ballots counted, the head of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission said
* The annual inflation rate in Russia for 2005 could be 11-11.5%, Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref said
* Alfa Bank, Russia's largest private bank, signed an agreement to secure a $275 million syndicated loan, the bank's press service said
* The use of Russia's Stabilization Fund for investment projects is ineffective and investment should be financed with funds other than surplus oil revenues, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told a popular Russian daily
* A new wave of bird flu has hit the Chelyabinsk region, the southern Urals, the local center of the Emergency Situations Ministry said
