A garden located on Port Maillot square in Paris will be named after the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It was decided by voting of members of the City Council in the French capital.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. Russian delegation was greeted by thousands of government supporters.

Russian embassy in Libyan capital of Tripoli was attacked by several dozens of Syrian protesters on Sunday, a day after Russia and China had vetoed the UN resolution on Syria.

Using their veto right, Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Syria that called for change of power in that country.

In the summer of 2011 Sweden opened in St. Petersburg its first visa application centre in Russia. And from February 17, 2012 the same office will start to work in Moscow.

The case of embezzlement, involving the spouse of Moscow's former Mayor and the Bank of Moscow, may get assistance from the Interpol. Russian side has asked Austria to help get the evidence from Yelena Baturina, one of the principal figures in the investigation.

The UK has admitted it was spying on Russia in 2006 with the help of a fake rock, so an unbelievable Russian TV-programme about that unique way of spying was true.

Russian pilot from the crew of the An-32 has been detained in Sardzhas, Southern Sudan. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands for the explanation of the incident.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera claimed a part of Antarctica a Chilean possession during his visit to the continent. The land on the Southern Pole was discovered by the Russian expedition in 1820.

Russia ia among 39 countries, which are going to participate in the first World Snow Day, initiated by the International Ski Federation. The event will be held January 22, 2012.