* The Swiss government gave its permission for the arrested paintings from the Moscow-based Pushkin Fine Arts Museum to be returned to Russia
* Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze accused Russia of having an unsound policy in the Caucasus Wednesday after Russia allegedly denied a visa to a Georgian MP
* Central Bank head Sergei Ignatyev said inflation would stand at 11% and the real effective ruble rate would grow by 10% in 2005
* The Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography ordered all Russian museums to suspend talks on future exhibitions in Switzerland after a $1-billion collection of paintings from Moscow's Pushkin Fine Arts Museum was seized in the country
* Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov urged the economic, natural resources and industry and energy ministries to unite their efforts to solve the oil sector's problems
* The Economic Development and Trade Ministry submitted a raft of anti-inflation measures to the government
* Foreign and trade ministers at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum said Russia should conclude bilateral negotiations on its accession to the World Trade Organization at the earliest possible date
* International rating agency Standard & Poor's said in a report the Russian electric power sector needs reform to maintain its credit status
