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Main News of December 21

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A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours 21.12.2013, Sputnik International

2013-12-21T20:01+0000

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Main News of December 21

20:01 GMT 21.12.2013

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Kiev will sign an association agreement with the European Union if favorable terms are offered, Ukraine’s prime minister said.

* Georgia’s foreign minister welcomed the Russian president’s statement that Moscow could return to visa free regime with Tbilisi.

* Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili will give lectures as a senior statesman at the famous US school for diplomats in Boston starting from January.

* Egypt's prosecutors referred ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to a third trial, on charges of organizing prison breaks during the 2011 uprising and abducting policemen in collaboration with foreign militants.

* NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins ventured outside the International Space Station and completed a series of tasks to repair a broken equipment cooling system.

RUSSIA

* Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has flown to Germany after being released from prison on a presidential pardon, has met with members of his family in Berlin, his eldest son said.

* Secret negotiations between the Russian president and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on his release from jail lasted for years and involved senior German politicians, Russian TV channel Dozhd reported.

* Moscow and Minsk agreed the delivery of 11.5 million metric tons of Russian oil to Belarus in the first half of next year, the Russian government said.

* Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said it had increased its current foreign orders portfolio to over $74 billion after signing a contract to build a nuclear power plant in Finland.

* Russia’s Aviakor aircraft plant announced plans to begin assembly of An-140 light cargo planes for the Russian military in 2017.

SPORTS

* Domestic abuse charges against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov have been dropped by US prosecutors, the Denver Post reported.

* Two late goals brought Finland a 3-2 win over Russia on the Euro Hockey Tour in Sochi, the last warm-up event ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.