* Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a constitutional law establishing the Trans-Baikal Territory as the country's new constituent region, the Kremlin's press service said
* President Putin signed a federal law to establish a state nanotechnology corporation, a Kremlin spokesman said
* Vladimir Putin signed a law on ratifying two agreements regulating the ITER project, an experimental reactor in France being built with Russia's involvement, aimed at eventually generating power by nuclear fusion
* Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Moscow recognized only one China and stood against Taiwan's independence
* Deputy Russian Prosecutor General Alexander Zvyagintsev said:
- The U.K. should request that Russia launch criminal proceedings against businessman Andrei Lugovoi, the key suspect in the murder of former Russian security service officer Alexander Litvinenko
- Britain's response to Moscow's refusal to Lugovoi was ungrounded
- Boris Berezovsky, wanted in Russia on several charges including fraud, was granted asylum in Britain without a court decision to this effect
* The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty could still be "reanimated" if NATO countries agree to ratify its adopted version before the December 2007 deadline, a Russian parliament member said
* Russia's delegation will begin a new round of bilateral and multilateral talks on accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, and continue negotiations until July 27
* Russian-speaking Harry Potter fans will have to wait until November to read the seventh and final installment in the adventures of the boy-magician, a spokesman for the book's Russian publisher said
WORLD
* Iran's ambassador to Iraq confirmed that talks between his country and the United States on security issues in Iraq would begin Tuesday in Baghdad
* A meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels approved sending up to 3,000 troops to Chad and the Central African Republic to help a UN peacekeeping mission restore security in a war-torn region bordering Darfur
* Pakistan said no nation would be permitted to conduct military operations on its territory in response to remarks made by senior U.S. officials that such an option is being contemplated in Washington
* The leader of the radical Lebanon-based Shiite movement Hezbollah said it can strike anywhere in Israel at any time
* Turkey's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AK Party) retained power following a convincing victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections, despite opposition from the secularist president and the army
* One of the two German engineers taken hostage in Afghanistan July 18 is alive but in a critical condition, German ZDF TV channel reported
* Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said he will soon submit to parliament a bill allowing the president to be re-elected an unlimited number of times
* Iraq's environment minister blamed the use of depleted uranium weapons by U.S. forces during the 2003 Operation Shock and Awe for the current surge in cancer cases across the country
* Two crew members of the International Space Station began a spacewalk that includes the removal of an outdated ammonia reservoir, a NASA Houston mission control spokesperson said
* A total of 174 kilograms of heroin was seized near the southwest port of Odessa, Ukraine, in the largest drug bust this year, the country's security service said
ECONOMY
* Russia's oil output increased 3% and gas production expanded 0.1% in January-June 2007, year-on-year, the industry and energy ministry said
* The board of directors of Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot approved the purchase of two new long-range Airbus 350XWB passenger planes and 22 long-distance Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets
* Andrei Sharonov, a former Russian deputy economic minister, was officially appointed as board chairman of a leading Russian brokerage, Troika Dialog
* Estimated economic losses caused by last week's powerful earthquake in northwestern Japan could total $12.5 billion, local authorities said
* Leading Japanese carmakers Toyota and Mazda announced they would partially resume production, after a key auto parts plant restarted operations following a July 16 earthquake in Japan, Kyodo news agency said
* Deutsche Bank will grant 12 billion rubles (about $470 million) to Russian developer STT Group for the implementation of property projects, the bank's Russia division said
