Main news of April 20

RUSSIA

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said:

- Moscow expects a response from NATO to Russian troop cuts in its Kaliningrad exclave

- A new Russian-U.S. arms reduction deal to replace the START-1 treaty that expires in December should also cover delivery systems

- he proposes a forum of Euro-Atlantic states and international organizations to address a new European security treaty

* Russia has not supplied new shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems to Venezuela, a Russian defense industry expert said

* A French businessman died along with his wife and their two-year-old daughter in a suspected arson attack at their central Moscow apartment early on Monday, investigators said

* Unemployment figures soared to over 7.1 million in the first quarter of this year amid the ongoing economic crisis, state statistics body Rosstat said

WORLD

* Israel recalled its ambassador to Switzerland for consultations after the Swiss and Iranian presidents had a dinner meeting before the start of the UN World Conference Against Racism in Geneva

* Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the recent shift in Washington's stance toward Tehran was necessary, but that the Islamic Republic was waiting for "concrete changes."

* Finland hopes environmental concerns around the Nord Stream gas pipeline will be tackled by June, the Baltic state's president said

* Armenia has reached an agreement with Iran on a $400 million loan for the construction of a railway between the two countries, the Armenian transport minister, Gurgen Sargsyan, said

* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has hailed U.S. President Barack Obama's offer to build relations with Caracas and Havana on an equal basis as a "great victory."

* The leader of Ukraine's opposition Party of Regions told national media that he would consider joining forces with the prime minister's party to create a broad coalition, if certain "strict conditions" are met

* An armed man who hijacked a Canadian plane in Jamaica was detained and the six crewmembers remaining on board were released, The Winnipeg Sun reported

* Iran's top judge has ordered a "quick and fair" appeal for U.S.-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week to eight years for espionage, the Iranian Students News Agency reported

* Russia's proposal to establish an international nuclear fuel center under the supervision of the IAEA will be discussed in June, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog told a conference in Beijing

* The closure of a U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan will not impair security in Central Asia, the head of a post-Soviet security bloc said

* Officials from Russia, India and China confirmed their countries' interest in developing nuclear technology, including a fast neutron reactor

* Fidel Castro has hit back at criticism from U.S. President Barack Obama over Cuba's human rights record, calling on the United States to end the "cruel blockade against the Cuban people"

* Colombia officially scrapped visa requirements for Russians traveling to the Latin American country, a spokesman for the Colombian embassy in Moscow said 

* Latin American countries showed a growing interest in purchasing Russian-made weaponry during a recent arms show in Brazil, an official from Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said

* India successfully launched a carrier rocket on Monday to orbit a radar imaging satellite with "spying" capabilities and an indigenous telecoms micro satellite, national television reported

BUSINESS

* Russian Technology Corp. and Airbus signed a long-term contract for titanium supplies, worth $4 billion, the Russian prime minister said

* India will remain the main purchaser of Russian-made combat aircraft for the next 15 years under existing and prospective contracts, a respected Russian think tank has said

* The organizing committee of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games has invited domestic auto makers GAZ and AvtoVAZ to bid for the status of the Winter Olympics general partner, a business paper reported

* Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), Russia's leading uranium producer, said its uranium output had increased 4.5%, year-on-year, in January-March 2009 to 849 metric tons

SPORTS

* Dinara Safina has become the second Russian to top the global women's tennis ranking after Maria Sharapova, following the most successful 12 months of her career to date

* An eventful weekend in the Russian Premier League saw last year's champions Rubin beat Dynamo Moscow 3-0 to go top, while Zenit St. Petersburg look set to be punished for fielding too many foreigners