Main news of December 10

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf handed out Noble prizes in chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and economics during a ceremony in Stockholm on Thursday

* Philippine gunmen abducted on Thursday 75 civilians in the southern province of Agusan del Sur, authorities said

* The Ariana cargo ship with 24 Ukrainian crewmembers on board has been freed from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Ukrainian president said

* U.S. President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Norway on Thursday, but acknowledged the controversy over the award, as his country continues to fight two wars

* The Turkish ambassador to the United States has resigned soon after an official visit to Washington by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, national media said

* At least four people were killed in Pakistan's troubled tribal belt in an airstrike on a suspected militant base by a U.S. drone, Pakistan's Geo TV said on Thursday citing local authorities

* Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is trying to leave the country and seek exile in Mexico, BBC reported on Thursday citing local sources

* The United States and Russia have agreed on the core of a new strategic arms reduction deal to replace the expired START 1 treaty and need only a few final touches to conclude the talks, the U.S. State Department said

* Ukraine will deliver a variety of military equipment to Iraq under a recent deal worth an estimated $2.4 billion, a Russian newspaper reported

RUSSIA

* Russia will continue supporting the Belarusian economy, President Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko

* Russia and Belarus have achieved a lot in the sphere of economic integration in the 10 years since the creation of the Union State, President Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russia is ready to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25% from the 1990 level only as part of a new comprehensive climate accord, a delegate at the ongoing UN climate change conference said

* Russia successfully test launched a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, a spokesman for the Strategic Missile Forces said

* The death toll following a nightclub fire in a Russian Urals city has reached 136, and is likely to rise further, with 35 people still in a critical condition, the health ministry said

* The latest test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the White Sea in northern Russia ended in failure, the Defense Ministry said

BUSINESS

* Greece's foreign debt has risen to 300 billion euros ($441 billion), or about 125% of national GDP, Deputy Finance Minister Filippos Sahinidis said

* MICEX, a leading Russian stock exchange, launched trading on Thursday in its new hi-tech segment

SPORT

* Russian swimmers set on Thursday a new world record in the 4 x 50 meter medley relay at the European short-course championships in Istanbul

* Injury-stricken ice-hockey club CSKA Moscow have signed legendary player, and current club president, Vyacheslav Fetisov, a spokesperson said on Thursday

* Rubin Kazan lost 2-0 away to Italian champion Inter on Wednesday and will miss out on their first attempt to conquer the Champions League