WORLD
*The European Commission urged Russia to lift its ban on the import of raw vegetables from EU nations over a deadly E.coli outbreak
*Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac categorically denied allegations that former Bosnian Serb army chief and suspected war criminal Ratko Mladic was treated at a military hospital in Belgrade while on the run
*Governments should consider legalizing some drugs such as marijuana to curb global drug trafficking as steps taken so far have not prevented the spread of drug use, a group of international figures said in a report published on Thursday
*The NATO-led military campaign against Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi has in fact turned into ground operation, Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said
*Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, voted to make Andris Berzins the country’s new president, RIA Novosti correspondent reported
*A deal for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will be finalized soon, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Fayed Mustafa said
*Russia urged its citizens to leave Yemen in the wake of the growing tensions in the capital, Sanaa
*China rejected accusations of involvement in hacking attacks against Google, saying such allegations were unacceptable
*The implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Libya shows that “anyone’s word cannot be taken,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
*Pakistan and the United States intend to create a joint reconnaissance element, which will deal with the search of terrorist leaders hiding in Pakistan, Geo-TV said citing official sources
*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano discussed bilateral cooperation and international problems, including the situation in the Middle East and the North Africa
RUSSIA
*Russia has extended the deadline for complete destruction of its chemical weapons arsenal until December 31, 2015, a senior Russian lawmaker said
*Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed setting up a new flexible copyright scheme on the Runet, as the Russian-language part of the internet is known
*Russia will help Abkhazia develop contacts with its closest neighbors, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said
*Ex-Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky dismissed allegations that former Yukos executive Antonio Valdes-Garcia could have stolen oil from Khodorkovsky’s firm and launder the proceeds, at a court session
*Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Sukhumi to pay his last respects to the late Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh
*The Chief of the Main Military Medical Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry General Alexander Belevitin was detained under suspicion of corruption, a Defense Ministry spokesman said
*A man suspected of shooting Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006 has been formally charged with murder, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said
*Russia and the United States will set up a maintenance center for Mil Mi-17 helicopters bought by Washington for the Afghan armed forces, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Vyacheslav Dzirkaln said
*A criminal case has been opened against a 22-year-old mother who was attempting to sell her two babies for 200,000 rubles ($7,154) in Grozny, a local police source said
*A Mercedes burned in Moscow’s northwest, becoming the eighth car that caught fire in the Russian capital in the past week under unknown circumstances
SPORT
*Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was defeated by China’s Li Na at the French Open semifinals, again missing her shot at a career Grand Slam