Main news of January 13

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

RUSSIA

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hit out at criticism of the investigation into the plane crash that killed then Polish President Lech Kaczynski in April 2010.

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has given the tax service and federal prosecutors three months to review government officials' income declarations.

* The Moscow authorities have authorized a peaceful rally on January 15 to commemorate the death of football fan Yegor Sviridov.

* Russian cities hosting 2018 World Cup matches should be linked by an integrated high-speed rail network, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

* Russia's top porn producer, Sergei Pryanishnikov, has filed a complaint with a St. Petersburg court demanding the return of more than 60,000 adult films made by his studio.

WORLD

* Jaroslaw Kaczynski furiously criticized Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his response to Russia's report on the plane crash that killed his twin, President Lech Kaczynski, and 95 others last April.

* The Quartet of powers engaged in the Middle East peace process will meet in Munich on February 5, the spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

* Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko accused prosecutors of trying to stifle her political activity by demanding she spend every day in their offices reading the criminal case against her.

* A former Ukrainian finance minister and ally of opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was granted political asylum in the Czech Republic on Thursday, his lawyer said.

BUSINESS

* Publications by popular Russian blogger Alexei Navalny about alleged multibillion-dollar embezzlement by Transneft is part of an information campaign against Russia’s oil pipeline monopoly, Transneft’s head said.

* The presidents of the European Commission and Azerbaijan have signed an unprecedented strategic deal that will result in Europe having direct access to Caspian gas.

* Six Russian airlines have grounded their Tupolev Tu-154B planes after a jet fire and explosion in Siberia which killed three people, the country's transport safety regulator said.

* Russia may decide to resume oil supplies to Belarus within a week, after they were suspended over disagreement over re-export of oil products from Belarus, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said.