* An official said almost 800,000 birds in southern Russia had died of bird flu or been culled in January
* A military judge said a court martial in southern Russia had convicted a soldier of driving a subordinate to commit suicide and sentenced him to three and half years in prison
* The Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani soldiers had opened fire on Armenian troops Thursday night
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the country would consider the recommendations of the Council of Europe on non-governmental organizations
* Roseximbank, a bank supporting government export operations, said it had attracted its first syndicated loan from Western banks as part of a government program to support Russia's exports
* A Boeing official said the U.S. aircraft major was looking to sell its next-generation 787 planes to two Russian airlines
* A Moscow court postponed hearings in a $13 billion lawsuit by embattled oil company Yukos over the forced sale of a former production arm
* A Russian rocket filled with garbage from the International Space Station was deorbited and sunk in the Pacific at 4:53 p.m. Moscow time (1:53 GMT).
