Main news of June 9

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* The United Nations Security Council approved a new package of economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program

* The Russian Foreign Ministry warned of retaliatory measures if new sanctions against Iran affected Russian companies or individuals

* Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that fresh UN sanctions against Tehran have no value

* Afghan drugs pose a major threat to global peace and security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

* NATO should cooperate with the CSTO post-Soviet security bloc in efforts to combat Afghan drug trafficking, Russia's NATO envoy said at the international anti-drugs forum in Moscow

* Compiling an Afghan land registry could help global efforts to combat drug trafficking from the country, Russia's drug control chief said

* Profits from the Afghan drugs trade fund riots and disturbances all over the world, Russia's drugs control chief said

* NATO should play a greater role in the fight against Afghan drug production in return for Russian assistance on transit to the war-ravaged state, Russia's NATO envoy said

RUSSIA

* Drug addiction poses a serious threat to Russian development, President Dmitry Medvedev said at the International anti-drugs forum in Moscow

* Afghan drug traffic benefits terrorists in the volatile North Caucasus, Russia's drug control chief said on Wednesday ahead of an anti-drug forum in Moscow

* Bilateral trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan could reduce drug trafficking from the war-torn state, a deputy Russian economics minister said

* Russia's popular and powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has told French television he does nothing special to create the image of a strong leader and cannot imagine a cult of personality returning to the country.

* Russia's ombudsman for children's rights said on Wednesday there could be a "pedophile lobby" in the Russian parliament hindering the adoption of harsher punishments for people who rape children.

 

BUSINESS

* Russian energy giant Gazprom is ready to start construction of the South Stream pipeline in 2013, the company said in a statement

* Russia trusts in the euro, in which it holds some of its international reserves, and thinks that the current weakening of the European currency is temporary, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said

RELIGION

* The heads of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches will meet only after there is agreement on the inter-confessional situation in western Ukraine, a senior Russian Orthodox cleric said

MILITARY NEWS

* Russia is interested in purchasing Mistral class amphibious assault ships from France only together with the accompanying technology, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on the eve of a visit to France.

* Russia has no plans to set up new military bases abroad, a senior Russian lawmaker said, citing the defense minister.

* Russia's Black Sea Fleet will deploy fewer personnel but have better weaponry in the future, a senior Russian lawmaker said, citing the defense minister