Main News of February 23

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* The United States on Friday rejected Russia’s accusation of using double standards on Syria to block UN condemnation of a deadly bomb attack in Damascus, saying the charge was not a “fair” description of Washington’s actions

* US adoption officials say America experiences more “troubled” adoptions from Russia than from any other country, including adoptions that lead to abuse, neglect and in a small but tragic number of cases - death

* All flight operations of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter planes have been suspended over an engine problem discovered on one of the aircraft, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said

* Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy has initiated a probe into living conditions and health of Ukrainian children adopted by foreigners in a wake of a recent spat between Russia and the United States over alleged abuse of Russian adoptees by US foster parents

* A real estate fund managed by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) has acquired the Metropolis Shopping and Entertainment Mall in northwest Moscow, Morgan Stanley said

* Six of 177 underground tanks storing radioactive waste at the facility in Hanford, Washington, are leaking their contents, Governor Jay Inslee reported on his website

* The Russian toddler adopted in the United States whose brother died in Texas under unclear circumstances would not be sent back to Russia, Texan authorities said, CBS News reported

* Supernatural forces were evoked on Friday night in Venezuelan politics, as representatives of the country’s indigenous peoples held a ritual for their ailing president Hugo Chavez

* The new medium-sized rocket intended for missions to the International Space Station successfully completed the final ground test on Friday evening, its developer said

* Following through on the ambitious program to turn his desert land into a “flowering garden,” Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered on Friday to plant three million trees in the country in 2013

* Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava has been charged with alleged embezzlement and money laundering and faces up to 23 years in jail if convicted, the mayor’s lawyer said

* Iran has found more uranium deposits and selected 16 new sites for nuclear power plants, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said

* Police in Taiwan have arrested a suspected robber who stole gold jewelry worth more than $500,000 by cutting holes in coffins, the Central News Agency reported

RUSSIA

* Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday a global system to protect our planet from asteroids and other dangerous space objects should be created under the auspices of the United Nations

* Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the implementation of Russia's ambitious arms procurement program will bring drastic changes to the country by 2020

* Russia has announced plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet and has asked Ukraine to settle the issues regarding the planned deliveries of new weapons to the naval force, Ukraine’s defense minister said

* French film star Gerard Depardieu, who recently became a Russian citizen, obtained a permanent residence permit in Mordovia, central Russia, on Saturday, the republic's press and information minister said

* Almost 10,000 windows were mended and 1,500 psychological consultations provided as part of the meteorite hail recovery effort in Russia’s Urals, the country's Emergency Situations Ministry said

* Despite the general progress in Russian-US relations, Russia and the West could face a serious crisis if the sides fail to resolve the standoff over the deployment of a US missile shield in Europe, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev criticized during a trip to Cuba US sanctions against the Latin American country and urged to have them removed

* Russia plans to increase its share of the global space market from the current 10 percent to 15 percent, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russia will finalize the transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by 2018, Russian Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov said

* Sometimes it is best to just stick them up: This is the lesson that a suspected thief in western Siberia may have drawn after hitting himself with a bullet he intended for a policeman in the process of arresting him