Main News of January 7

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

*The first consignment of chemical weapons has left the Syrian port of Latakia on a Danish cargo vessel, the international chemical weapons watchdog said on Tuesday.

* A Russian ship stranded in the East Antarctic since Christmas managed to break free due to favorable weather conditions, the vessel’s owner said Tuesday.

* Syrian school students will be able to pick Russian as a second foreign language starting next academic year, the war-torn country’s education authorities said.

 

RUSSIA

* About 230,000 believers attended overnight celebrations of Orthodox Christmas in the 326 churches and cathedrals in Russian capital, city police said Tuesday.

* Russia began implementing stringent security measures Tuesday in its southern resort of Sochi, one month before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics there.

 

SPORTS

* The United States will be without one of its biggest stars at next month’s Winter Olympics in Sochi after US women’s ski champion Lindsey Vonn announced Tuesday that an injured knee would prevent her from racing in the games.

* The International Swimming Federation (FINA) on Tuesday named three-time Olympic champion Svetlana Romashina as the best synchronized swimmer of 2013.

* NHL stars Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin lead the way on Russia's hockey roster for its first home Winter Olympics in Sochi, with goaltender Semyon Varlamov also selected on Tuesday's list despite his legal problems this season.

* Russian athlete Maria Sharapova, 26, ended up on top of Forbes magazine’s list of business-savvy sports figures released Monday.