WORLD
*A new report on ethical standards of British police officers that was unveiled on Wednesday, warns them against “flirting” and having “secret conversations” with journalists, the author of the report, the former parliamentary commissioner for standards, Elizabeth Filkin said
*Damascus blamed Washington on Wednesday over “the rude interference” in the Arab League’s monitoring mission in Syria, following the State Department spokeswoman’s criticism of Syrian authorities, RIA Novosti reported
*The Nowy Sacz district court in Poland issued on Wednesday a 40-day arrest for a former Russian prosecutor, Alexander Ignatenko, detained in Poland on Russia’s request amidst illegal gambling scandal, the court’s spokeswoman said
*Moscow welcomes the relaunch of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, Russian Foreign Ministry said
*Uzbekistan cut supplies of natural gas to Tajikistan, Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Davlat Nazriev said
*The United States dismissed Iran’s warning to keep the U.S. aircraft carrier, which recently left the area, away from the Gulf
RUSSIA
*A leader of Russia’s opposition movement, the Leftist Front, Sergei Udaltsov was released on Wednesday from jail after serving a 25-day detention term, a police source said
*A British rock band, Smokie performed in front of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and several hundred top guests at the Kremlin New Year party on December 30, The Guardian reported
*A tiger at a roadside zoo Liger attacked a three year old child on Wednesday in the Far Eastern Amur Region. The child was taken to hospital, regional EMERCOM representative Raisa Kopyrina said
*All 19 sailors on board the Irina refrigerator vessel in distress in the Russian Far East have been lifted on board the Tatarstan refrigerator