NABEREZHNYE CHELNY, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's prime minister demanded on Friday that natural monopolies and state-run companies buy only Russian-made cars, and recommended private companies to do likewise. "I'd like to say straight off that budget money, the

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) -- Russia's Admiral Levchenko destroyer has called at the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Friday. The Udaloy-class destroyer is part of a task force from Russia's Northern Fleet led by the

HAVANA, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Three ships from Russia's Northern Fleet arrived in Havana Bay on Friday as part of the Russian Navy's first visit to Cuba since the Cold War. On arrival the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer fired a

BRUSSELS, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russia-NATO Council will hold an informal meeting at ambassadorial level in mid-January, the Russian envoy to the North Atlantic alliance said on Friday. "We have agreed that an informal meeting of the Russia-NATO

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Northern Fleet Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate is escorting a group of commercial ships off the Somali coast, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Friday. Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said the Neustrashimy was

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - A regular missile regiment, armed with the Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin) ICBMs, will go on combat duty in the Ivanovo Region on December 24, the Russian Strategic Missile Forces said Friday. "A regular missile regiment,

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Border guards have seized 500 parrots from two Kazakh nationals in the Kurgansk Region of Russia's Urals, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Security Service said on Friday. The incident occurred on Thursday in

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Ground Forces command is suspected of diverting over 100 million rubles ($3.6 million) of state funds, the chief military prosecutor said Friday. "We have carried out an investigation in the office of the

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has urged the radical Palestinian movement Hamas to reverse its decision to end its ceasefire with Israel, declared on June 19, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, Hamas

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - A woman from the central Russian town of Sudislavl has confessed to strangling her 10-year-old son, who was an obstacle in her private life, a Russian newspaper said on Friday. In mid-September the woman

VELIKY NOVGOROD, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - A total of 38 European cities have already applied to take part in the XXIX Hansa Convention in the northwestern Russian city of Veliky Novgorod next summer, a source in the city administration

MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - The average annual price for Russian Urals oil in 2008 will be $94.6 per barrel, up 37% from the 2007 figure, the Russian Economic Development Ministry forecast on Friday. The ministry said benchmark Urals

Russia's first Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine will start sea trials by the end of 2008, a defense industry source said on Thursday.

The Faina, a Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates in September, may be released by Christmas, a Ukrainian news agency reported on Thursday.