* Siberian scientists have dismissed the idea that a radioactive isotope allegedly used to poison a Russian ex-FSB officer in the UK could have originated in the Krasnoyarsk Territory
* Irish police have launched an investigation into the mysterious poisoning of a Russian ex-premier, Yegor Gaidar
* Sergei Ivanov, Russia's defense minister, proposed that the post-Soviet Collective Security Treaty Organization and NATO delimit their spheres of responsibility
* Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said:
- Estonia's decision to prohibit Soviet symbols is a disgrace, and could cause artificial problems
- The six mediating countries in the nuclear dispute with Iran could meet early next week to discuss a draft UN resolution on sanctions against Tehran
- Russia may support some sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining sensitive technologies and nuclear materials
* Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk and Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, and replaced the latter with Vasiliy Tsushko, head of the Socialist Party faction in the Supreme Rada
* All of Tajikistan's key ministers, except the foreign minister, have been re-appointed to the new Cabinet following the re-election of President Emomali Rakhmonov
* President Vladimir Putin said Russia and Indonesia can and should double bilateral trade to $1 billion
* Russia and Indonesia have signed an agreement on civilian nuclear power cooperation, the Russian Federal Nuclear Power Agency said
* Russia's state-run arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, said it concluded contracts with several countries on deliveries of flight simulators, worth $230 million, in the first 10 months of 2006
* A Moscow Region court has dismissed the jury in the case of an explosion that derailed a train en route from Grozny to Moscow in June 2005
* The Russian Finance Ministry said it has finished exchanging Russia's Soviet-era commercial debt for Eurobonds maturing in 2010 and 2030, in a total of $1.075 billion
* Russia has set the export duty on crude oil at $180.7 per metric ton (7 barrels) as of December 1, down from $237.6
* Russia's Stabilization Fund, established in 2004 to accrue surplus revenues from high world oil prices, rose 6.8% over the last month, to almost 2,190 billion rubles ($83.21 billion) as of December 1, 2006, the Finance Ministry said
* Russia's anti-monopoly service has launched an inquiry into factoring operations to sell accounts receivable, conducted by hypermarket chain Auchan and Finansbank, a service representative said
* Russia's Central Bank said it had registered an additional private share issue by Gazprombank, a subsidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom [RTS: GAZP], worth $1.3 billion at the asking price
* Russia's Mission Control Center will not make an additional correction to the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) following Thursday's abortive attempt, a Federal Space Agency spokesman said
* The December issue of Forbes Russia magazine, previously withdrawn under pressure from representatives of the Moscow mayor's wife, will be released in its original form, the editor said
* Russia and Argentina tied 1-1 on the first day of the three-day Davis Cup final in Moscow
