WORLD
* Belarusian police detained at least five Russian rights activists in the country’s capital Minsk.
* U.S. President Barack Obama has decided against the release of photos of Osama bin Laden’s body as evidence of his death, CNN quoted an administration official as saying
* Bahrain’s Justice Ministry will try in a military court 47 medical professionals for alleged deadly assault and refusal to help persons in need during the months of unrest in the kingdom, local media said
* Russia has offered NATO a mid-term military cooperation plan for a period of three to five years, chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov said
* Russia is ready to discuss all proposals on the European missile shield, the chief of Russian General Staff, Army Gen. Nikolai Makarov said after a Russia-NATO council meeting
* The European Commission proposed that border controls be temporarily reintroduced in the Schengen free travel zone in exceptional circumstances
* China launched a state Internet censorship watchdog, the Chinese State Council said on its website
* Russia has failed to remove the one remaining obstacle on its path to joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) after Georgia refused to give its approval for Russia’s accession, Kommersant daily reported
RUSSIA
*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev moved to beef up his image as an anti-corruption crusader as he signed off a bill to raise fines for bribery
* Prosecutors have requested a warrant for the arrest in absentia of the embattled former Bank of Moscow president, Andrei Borodin, on fraud charges, a court spokeswoman said
BUSINESS
* The Russian government has shortlisted Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan as potential investment advisers for the sale of 50% minus one share in Russia’s largest shipping company Sovcomflot, an Economic Development Ministry official said
* Glencore, one of the world’s largest mining and commodities trading companies, has set the price range per security ahead of an initial public offering at $7.90-9.60 valuing the company at about $61 billion, the company said