Main News of March 27

WORLD

* NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he did not see a joint Russia-NATO missile shield as the most efficient option

* Russian defense officials and NATO representatives will discuss the creation of army maintenance bases in Afghanistan in May, a Defense Ministry official said

* The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Arab League’s decision to allow its members to supply Syrian opposition forces with weapons broke international laws

* Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed amendments to the country’s Constitution which reduce his authority and tip the balance of power toward the prime minister

RUSSIA

* Russian state officials continued a wave of raids on prominent rights organizations that activists describe as a renewed pressure campaign against non-governmental organizations in the country

* Opponents of the ruling United Russia party should be given an opportunity to express their views at Civil University, the party’s new educational project for members, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is also the chairman of United Russia, said

* A group of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards had a heated exchange – complete with a brief shoving match – with South African security personnel during this week’s BRICS summit in Durban

* Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, said that several current Federation Council members are ready to resign if a bill banning officials and members of parliament from holding accounts in foreign banks is passed

BUSINESS

* Bangladesh is planning to buy 24 Yak-130 Mitten jet trainers on $1 billion credit from Russia, Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said

* President Vladimir Putin played up Russia’s potential as an investment destination as he tried to reassure investors at a summit of the world’s leading emerging market economies that the country was open for new business projects