Main News of December 5

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and opposition protesters clashed for the second consecutive day outside the presidential palace in Cairo, national television reported

* A Japanese naval transport ship has delivered Patriot missile interceptor systems to the southern island of Ishigaki to counter any threat posed by North Korea’s planned space launch, Kyodo reported

* Twenty-one customs officers at a Lithuanian customs checkpoint were detained on suspicion of corruption and abuse of office, the Customs Department press service said

RUSSIA

* Around a hundred opposition activists gathered in Moscow to mark the first anniversary of the rally that kick-started unprecedented mass protests against the rule of Russian leader Vladimir Putin

* Russia ranked 133rd of 174 countries in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index by the Transparency International watchdog, alongside Iran, Kazakhstan and Honduras

* The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed media reports saying the Bulava sea-based ballistic missile will be test launched from the Alexander Nevsky nuclear submarine next July

BUSINESS

* Russian independent gas producer Novatek has signed a deal worth an estimated 121 billion rubles ($3.9 billion) to supply 27 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year to Mosenergo in 2013-2015, the Moscow power utility said

* India has preferred Boeing Chinook over Russian Mi-26 helicopters in a tender on the delivery of 15 heavy-lift helicopters to the Indian Air Force, the Indian Defense Ministry said

* The Republic of Congo will buy several consignments of Russian-made Tigr (Tiger) armored vehicles for its police force, Russia’s Military-Industrial Company (MIC) said