Main news of January 18

RUSSIA

* The prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine announced they had reached a deal allowing for the resumption of gas supplies to Europe

* Russian energy giant Gazprom and Ukraine's national gas company Naftogaz are preparing documents to restart gas supplies to Europe, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said

* Gazprom is preparing documents on gas supplies to Ukraine and gas transit to Europe for signing on Monday, the Russian energy giant said

* Russia's Foreign Ministry welcomed Israel's ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and said Russia intended to continue its efforts to help settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

* A total of 471 servicemen were killed in the Russian Armed Forces during the performance of their duties and in other non-combat-related incidents in 2008 or 29 more compared with 2007, the Defense Ministry said

* Oleg Deripaska, the owner of United Company RusAl, the world's largest aluminum producer, was elected as the company's chief executive

* One person was injured after a home-made bomb went off in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia, the republic's interior ministry said

WORLD

* Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets into southern Israel, despite the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Jewish state hours earlier

* Roman Abramovich, the Russian tycoon owner of Chelsea FC, could sell the London club to an Arab country in the Persian Gulf, The Sunday Times reported

* Georgia accused Abkhazia of shelling a police post in the border area, while the breakaway republic rejected the accusations