Main news of January 1

RUSSIA

* Russia's energy giant Gazprom will supply natural gas to Belarus in the first quarter of 2008 at the price of $119 per 1,000 cubic meters, despite an increase in the price of Turkmenistan's gas, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said

* A new constituent member of the Russian Federation, the enlarged Irkutsk Region, came into existence on January 1, following the merger of two Siberian regions

* Russia's flagship air carrier Aeroflot [RTS: AFLT] said it had completed the operation of Tu-134 aircraft, which would be replaced with modern planes

* Russian customs officers seized a total of 895 kilograms of heroin in 2007, the Federal Customs Service said

WORLD

* The Pakistani electoral commission decided in principle to delay a January 8 parliamentary poll, after Benazir Bhutto's assassination last week plunged the country into turmoil, local TV channels said

* Vandals burned down 372 cars in France, or about the same number as last year, French news radio France Info said, citing police sources