- Russia could take retaliatory steps against Washington's missile shield plans in Europe
- he believes extending the presidential term in Russia from four to five/seven years was acceptable, but added that the number of consecutive terms should be limited
- Moscow was willing to negotiate with Tokyo over the four Kuril Islands that the Soviet Union took from Japan after World War II
* Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said objective monitoring data showed that last week's tests of the new Iskander SS-26 Stone missile were successful
* Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said allegations by the United States that extending Washington's air defense shield to Europe was needed to counter possible strikes from Iran could not be taken seriously
* Russia's nuclear chief, Sergei Kiriyenko, said Russia could complete the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant promptly if Iran ensured uninterrupted funding
* France's Foreign Ministry called for in-depth consultations with Russia to dispel concerns over the planned deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in Central and Eastern Europe
* German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will host a summit of leading industrialized nations later this week, said Russia was a partner for the West and the Cold War was history
* Six Russian nationals abducted in Nigeria are alive and feeling well, the Russian Embassy in the African state said
* Police in Estonia detained three Russian females over protests at the recent site of the dismantled Soviet-era memorial in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and plan to deport one and are considering the fate of the other two
* The committee assessing the Russian resort city of Sochi's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics said in its findings released that the location of the city's Olympic facilities was "very good"
* Two pilots, one Russian and the other Moldovan, were killed and the Russian crew commander gravely injured in a helicopter crash in Sierra Leone, the Russian Embassy in nearby Guinea said
* Reactor No. 2 of a nuclear power plant near St. Petersburg was automatically shut down, Russia's nuclear watchdog said
* Ukraine may join the international uranium enrichment center being established by Russia and Kazakhstan, the press service of Russia's nuclear power agency said
* The son-in-law of Kazakhstan's president, wanted in his country on abduction charges, was released on bail in Vienna, but will remain in Austria to face extradition proceedings
* At least 82 people died in a new upsurge of separatist violence in the north of Sri Lanka, Indian UNI news agency said
* Raging storms that started over the weekend killed three people and injured 52, including three children, in Russian regions from the Volga to the Urals, a local emergencies spokesman said
* The crash of a civilian helicopter near Moscow Sunday killed one person and injured two others, among them a vice president of the Russian mobile telephone operator MTS, a law enforcement spokesman said
* Georgia was given the right to subscribe to European Union political statements in a move signaling tremendous progress in the South Caucasus nation's drive to gain EU membership, diplomats said
* Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom paid $625 million to Belarus, the first 12.5% stake in gas pipeline operator Beltransgaz ahead of schedule, Belarusian state news agency BELTA said
* The German foreign minister said the European Union plans to start negotiations with Turkey on its accession into the European Union in late June and urged Turkey to continue with its reform process
* Former Liberian ruler Charles Taylor, facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, defied an international UN-sponsored tribunal, calling into question its impartiality and boycotting the first day of hearings of his case
* Russia's Audit Chamber started a check into the financial and economic activities of the Russian Central Bank (CBR), a source close to the CBR said
* Estermina Ltd representing Prof-Media bought a 100% stake in Wayfarer Media Limited, a holding company for MTV Russia and VH1 Russia, for $360 million, Prof-Media said in a press release
* Russian wholesale power generating group WGC-1 said its IFRS net profit soared 4,860% year-on-year in 2006 to 5.83 billion rubles (about $226 million)
* Evraz Group S.A. said it had made an offer to buy the shares of South Africa's Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation (Highveld) at $11.4 per share
* International naval and military exercise Baltops-2007 (Baltic Operations) started in the Baltic Sea and will run through June 15, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry press service said
