* Russia is deeply concerned over the situation in Lebanon and hopes for the termination of bloodshed that resulted from clashes between the Lebanese army and the Al Qaeda-linked Fatah-al-Islam militant group in the north of the Middle East country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement
* Iran will press ahead with its nuclear program and the construction of nuclear power plants, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said
* Russia's emergencies ministry rejected as false the information on blasts at nuclear power plants in the south of the country
* Russian Economics Minister German Gref said at a business forum organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the capital of the Volga Republic of Tatarstan:
- Russia will start negotiations on a new partnership deal with the European Union only after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO)
- Russia could start talks on its accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) before joining the world trade club
* First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Russia Alexei Ulyukayev said:
- A nonresident stake in the capital of Russia's state-controlled foreign trade bank Vneshtorgbank (VTB) increased to 12% after an initial public offering (IPO)
- Net capital inflow in Russia hit $17 billion in April and is expected to reach about $40 billion in January-May
* URSA Bank, a leading Russian regional bank with foreign interest, said it expected to raise about $400 million from the placement of 194.16 million newly issued preferred shares
