Main news of April 29

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

RUSSIA

* Russia is drafting agreements on child adoption with France, Spain, Britain and Israel, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Sergei Vitelis said

* Thinning Arctic ice may cause drifting research stations to be placed on firm ground or artificially-made platforms, the head of Russian Meteorological Centre said

* A Russian General Staff official suggested on Thursday draft age should be extended to 30 years and remaining deferrals scrapped

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday the country needs to develop its own computer games industry

* The high-tech business park the Kremlin is setting up near Moscow as the Russian 'Silicon Valley' will enjoy unprecedented privileges and will be exempt from major taxes, President Dmitry Medvedev said

* The Moscow city government intends to send a letter to German auto giant Daimler AG requesting it refute allegations that officials were involved in corrupt deals, a source in the city's administration said

* Russia strongly opposes the rewriting the history of World War II in attempts to fight Stalinism, the Russian foreign minister said

* Russia and European countries should adopt a law banning the expansion of religious extremism, which results in deaths, a senior Russian Orthodox Church spokesman said

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called for a "major cleaning" of the Arctic, where the level of pollution is six times higher than normal

WORLD

* Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signed into law the deal extending the use of the Russian naval base in Crimea, deputy head of the presidential administration Anna German said

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk discussed in a phone conversation the investigation into the plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski, Russian government's press service reporte

* The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided to freeze contacts with the Belarusian parliament and high-level government members, a resolution adopted on Thursday said

* The Russian pavilion is amongst the best at the International Expo 2010 international fair, the Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade said

* The Indian Navy on Thursday commissioned the INS Shivalik, the first of three new indigenous stealth frigates, the Defense Ministry said

* Ukrainian deputies will be forced to pay compensation for damage caused during a rowdy parliamentary debate on the ratification of a Russian-Ukrainian naval base deal, Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said

* Ukraine and Belarus are moving towards becoming fully democratic states and are interested in developing regional cooperation, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said

* Abkhazian authorities will not allow any international monitors into the republic as there is no need for it, the former Georgian republic's president said

* Ukrainian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the alleged misuse by the former government of Yulia Tymoshenko of state funds received from the trade of carbon emission quotas