* A law barring foreign traders from Russian retail marketplaces came into effect April 1
* Old-age pensions in Russia were raised 8.5% to 3,362 rubles (about $129.3) from April 1, the head of the Russian Pension Fund said
* Russia cut the oil export duty by $23.3 to $156.4 per metric ton from April 1, following the results of two-month monitoring of Russian Urals oil blend prices on world markets
* Georgia paid last respects to its first post-Soviet President Zviad Gamsakhurdia who was buried in Tbilisi
* The Union of Right Forces (SPS) will not team up with the opposition Yabloko party at elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, in December 2007, an SPS leader said
* Iran's president promised soon to announce the Islamic Republic's successes in developing its nuclear program
