* Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmonov discussed bilateral issues at a working meeting on the sidelines of the informal CIS summit
* In an ongoing operation to evacuate citizens of Russia and other ex-Soviet republics from Lebanon, three planes landed in Moscow during the night carrying more than 250 people, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said
* The first plane sent by the Russian Emergencies Ministry carrying humanitarian aid for Lebanon will leave for Cyprus on July 24, from where the goods will be taken to Lebanon, deputy foreign minister Alexander Yakovenko said
* Russia urges Israel to ensure that humanitarian aid for war-torn Lebanon is allowed to reach the country safely and without hindrance, the Foreign Ministry said
* The Russian Foreign Ministry proposed an emergency meeting on the escalating conflict in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, to be held in Beirut or Rome with representatives of key countries and international organizations
* Russia is convinced that there is no military solution to Israel's conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its official Web site
* Russia and its European Union neighbor Estonia signed a preliminary protocol on cooperation in building a new border bridge across the Narva River, the Estonian Economics Ministry said; the project will receive joint funding from the two countries and the EU
