* Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia and Iran will push for the resumption of international talks on Tehran's nuclear program
* Transport ministers and officials from the Asia-Pacific region signed a trans-Asian railroad agreement in South Korea to address the region's growing transport needs, Russia's Foreign Ministry said
* Russia's Chechnya may have come a step closer to the rule of law as a newly-formed constitutional court held its first session in the troubled Caucasus republic, Acting Chairman Sheikh-Ahmed Abdurakhmanov said
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko appointed ex-Justice Minister Roman Zvarych to represent him in parliament, the presidential press office said
* Georgia's prime minister introduced a new economics minister, Irakly Okruashvili, who was dismissed as defense minister Friday, to the Cabinet, Novosti-Georgia news agency reported
* Russia's Maria Sharapova failed to advance into the WTA Championships finals and secure the No. 1 spot on year-end international rankings after losing a semifinal match with Belgium's tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne in Madrid
