Main news of December 9

RUSSIA

* Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner arrived in the Russian capital as part of a two-day visit at the invitation of her Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev

* Patriarch Alexy II was laid to rest in Moscow after a grand funeral ceremony attended by top Orthodox figures, political leaders, and thousands of ordinary people

* A police officer and a local resident were wounded in an armed attack in Nazran, the largest town in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, local investigators said

* A Tajik national was decapitated near Moscow in what is believed to have been a race-hate murder, Russia media reported

WORLD

* Police and protestors clashed again across Greece as the teenager whose shooting by police in Athens sparked the confrontations was laid to rest

* The newly-elected speaker of the Ukrainian parliament announced the revival of the country's pro-Western "orange" coalition after months of political turmoil caused by its collapse

* Israel opened at least two border crossings to allow trucks with humanitarian cargo to enter Gaza, said Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian official who coordinates supplies into the territory

BUSINESS

* Standard & Poor's said it had lowered long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings for a number of Russian-based banks to BBB/A-3 from BBB+/A2 with negative outlook

* Russia's Novolipetsk Steel said it had agreed to sell its 69.4% stake in the Black Sea port of Tuapse to Netherlands-based Universal Cargo Logistics Holding B.V. for around $254 million

* Russia's state-controlled VTB Bank, the country's second-largest banking institution, said it had sealed a deal to buy a 51% stake in Azerbaijan-based AF Bank

* Russian crude producer RussNeft will have its licenses for three West Siberian oil fields revoked from December 10, a business daily said citing a Rosnedra spokesman