Main news of December 22

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* The United States Senate ratified a new nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia, with a vote of 71 for and 26 against

* Russia is disappointed that the United States voted against a draft resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism, and a number of states, including all members of the European Union, abstained from voting on the draft, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

* Sunday's presidential elections in Belarus were marred by mass violations of electoral procedures, with more than 800 serious fraud cases registered by international observers, an official monitor from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said

* Russia "doesn't give a damn" about the assessments of the country's domestic affairs expressed in Wikileaks's revelations, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russia has demanded the release of all Russian nationals detained in the Belarusian capital of Minsk during riots after the country's presidential elections on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

* Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been charged with misusing state funds during her term as prime minister, said she was prepared for tougher restraint measures

* Increased cooperation between Russia and Japan will help build a solid base for negotiations on the long-standing dispute over the Kuril Islands, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin said

* Seventeen people, including six Belarusian presidential candidates, are facing lengthy jail terms for spearheading protests against the re-election of long-standing President Alexander Lukashenko

RUSSIA

* Russia has demanded the release of all Russian nationals detained in the Belarusian capital of Minsk during riots after the country's presidential elections on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

* Moscow residents have sent a few thousand questions to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, some of which he will answer live during the new Our City program on the state-run TV Center channel on Wednesday, Sobyanin's spokeswoman Gulnara Penkova said

BUSINESS

* Turkmenistan has obliged Barash Communications Technologies, Inc. (BCTI), a local subsidiary of one of Russia's top three mobile operators, Mobile TeleSystems, to terminate contracts with its subscribers before the end of the year, MTS head Mikhail Shamolin said

* Russia's second largest airline Transaero will receive 12 Boeing 747-400s in twin-class configuration by the end of 2012, the company said

* Global miner Rio Tinto may buy 50% minus 1 share in Russia's Severalmaz, part of the country's diamond monopoly Alrosa, for $250 million and invest $135 million in the development of the Lomonosovsky deposit, Vedomosti business daily said

SPORTS

* Russia's first and only Formula One driver, Vitaly Petrov, will remain with Renault for another two seasons after he signed a new contract with the team, the official F1 Website reported