* Patriarch Alexy II arrived in the capital of Latvia on a first official visit as head of the Russian Orthodox Church
* Russian steelmaker Severstal's CEO Alexei Mordashov said a synergic effect from the merger of Severstal and world No. 2 Arcelor would be substantially more than $750 million
* The board of directors of German carmaker Volkswagen AG said the decision to build a car-making plant in Russia was a strategic step
* A Russian delegation led by Igor Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, arrived in Tehran on a two-day visit to discuss ways to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem
* The Moscow police said some 120 people had been detained during an unsanctioned gay pride parade in downtown Moscow
* Georgia's Foreign Ministry expressed protest over Thursday's alleged violation by Russia of the country's airspace
* Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ said its 2005 net profit had nosedived by 75% to 1.4 billion rubles ($51.8 million)
