News Medvedev, Chavez sign cooperation agreements CARACAS (RIA Novosti) - Talks in Caracas between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Vene­zuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez have yielded a host of bilateral agreements.

News MP accuses West of double standards in relations with Russia RIGA, Latvia (RIA Novosti) - European countries are guilty of double standards in their relations with Russia, an Italian member of the European Parliament said on Tues­day.

News Medvedev to US: Drop missile plans LIMA (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday urged Barack Obama to drop US plans to install a missile defense shield in countries Moscow considers to be within its sphere.

News In Brief - Russia test-fires new ballistic missile Russia test-fires new ballistic missile, Six Russian TV channels face bans in Ukraine, US Troops Rammed Russian Diplomatic Car In Iraq - Moscow

News Mayor of North Ossetia capital assassinated VLADIKAVKAZ (RIA Novosti) - The mayor of a city in Russia's volatile North Caucasus was killed as he left for work on Wednesday morning, local police and health officials said.

News Georgian politics heat up TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Before this summer's Georgia-Russia war, President Mikhail Saakashvili was itching to do battle and authorities mistook messages from the United States as encouragement to use force, Georgia's former am­bassador to Russia said Wed­nesday.

News Crime Briefs - Dog owner finds heroin stash in woods near Moscow Dog owner finds heroin stash in woods near Moscow, Russian ‘vampire' drinks blood of murder victim, Russia Says US, European Mercenaries Fought For Georgia

News Foreign adoptions down in Russia as foster care grows By Anna Arutunyan Fewer Russian children are being adopted abroad, although the number of total adoptions in Russia is declining, figures show. The statistics point to a complex future for the country's orphans as the government struggles to implement additional means of foster care even as it tries to encourage more Russians to adopt.

News MN readership nears 80,000 – Gallup poll MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - The average one-issue readership of the English-language weekly Moscow News has been estimated at around 80,000 readers by a Russian media research company, TNS Gallup Media.

News Russian Parliament approves 6-years presidency Combined report RIA Novosti, AP, MN On November 26 the upper house of the Russian parliament approved amendments to the Constitution extending the presidential term from four to six years and the lower house term from four to five years.

Local Cut a vintage look this season By Anna Laletina Moscow's vast shopping centers, crammed with clothes stores, should make it easy to pick up a new outfit any time you like. But with so many malls housing the same boutiques, and selling the same designs, how can you be sure that you won't see the same gear on someone else?

Local Better BRRR than fur? By Andy Potts Not everyone is happy to wear fur: two PETA activists stripped off in Moscow this weekend to show their support for animal rights.

Local Winter warmers By Andy Potts It might be a bit late, but the Moscow winter has begun to bite at last. Stepping out of the metro into a sub-zero street last week came as a bit of a shock, and left me thinking about upgrading my wardrobe in time for the icy onslaught ahead. Even a ‘warming' shot of vodka isn't going to be enough - it's time for a new coat.

Local Three new stations on track for 2009 opening MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - A 15-year delay on the metro is set to come to an end as three half-finished stations are due to be completed next year. The trio, at the south-eastern end of the light green line, were initially proposed in the mid-90s, and will connect the Lyublino branch with the Krasno­gvardeiskaya end of the dark green Zamoskvorechnaya line.

Local Memories of Mandelstam MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Celeb­rated poet Osip Mandelstam, famous for his 1930s satires of Stalin's regime, is to be commemorated by a new monument in the centre of Moscow.