Main news of December 16

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours.

WORLD

* WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released on bail and vowed that he would continue his work

* The European Parliament called on EU members to impose sanctions on Russian officials involved in the death in prison of corporate lawyer Sergei Magnitsky

* The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has fined Russia 148,000 euros ($197,000) for kidnapping two Chechen villagers in 2002 and 2004

* Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar denied allegations by the Estonian security police (KaPo) that he is Moscow's "agent of influence" in the Baltic state

* The Ukrainian parliament was paralyzed as pro-government and opposition lawmakers had a fistfight over the criminal charges brought against former prime minister and current opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko

RUSSIA

* In his longest annual televised Q&A session, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
- called for a clampdown on all extremist practices
- assured the nation that GDP would return to pre-crisis levels by the first half of 2012
- said that thieves belong in jail when asked about former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky
- said Russian security services do not carry out the murder of "traitors"
- said there are no plans to restrict the rights of protesters in Russia, but warned against violence and breaches of the law

* Russian opposition and human rights groups on Thursday filed separate applications to hold rallies in the same location on December 31

BUSINESS

* Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has received a 50% stake in South Stream Bulgaria AD, the joint venture operating the Bulgarian sector of the South Stream pipeline project

* An auction to sell 100% of Russia's Mosmetrostroy, Moscow's core subway-building company, will be held on December 23, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for State Property Management Eduard Adashkin said

* Russian shipbuilding plant Yantar has asked Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport for an additional $100 million to complete construction of three frigates for the Indian Navy