Main news of May 12

RUSSIA

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced his new government, keeping the main ministers in their posts and bringing in several former Kremlin aides

* A plane carrying Russians, who were evacuated from Lebanon following recent armed clashes in the country, landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, Russia's national air carrier Aeroflot said

* Russia's upper house of parliament approved amendments to the law on entry into and exit from Russia, allowing the president to waive visa restrictions when required

* A police officer was shot dead and another injured in a drive-by shooting on a police post in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Daghestan, a source in the republic's foreign ministry said

* Three miners died of gas poisoning in southwest Siberia's coal mining area of Kuzbass, local prosecutors said

WORLD

* Serbia's pro-Western Democrat Party is leading in the country's general elections with 36.7% of the vote, but has failed to get the outright majority it needed, the election commission said

* Lithuania dropped its veto of a mandate for the start of talks on a new EU-Russia partnership and cooperation pact, although the EU will consider its complaints during negotiations with Moscow, Lithuanian radio said

* Ukraine's Security Service barred Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov from entering the former Soviet republic over his 'provocative' statements regarding the ownership of the Black Sea city of Sevastopol

* Abkhazia shot down another two Georgian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, bringing the total to seven, the defense minister of the breakaway republic said

* Russia's new president sent a message to China's leader offering help in rescue and rebuilding work following Monday's earthquake that has claimed at least 8,500 lives

* Around 720 Palestinians were allowed to cross into Egypt from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, the MENA news agency said

BUSINESS

* India is to invest around $175 million in domestic uranium prospecting in an attempt to overcome the shortage of fuel at the country's nuclear power stations, an Indian nuclear official said

* A manufacturing plant in southwest China started to assemble Russian-designed Mi-171 transport helicopters, one of Russia's key arms exports, the Russian business daily Vedomosti said

* China's first ever passenger aircraft building company, with registered capital of 20 billion yuan ($2.82 billion), was officially launched in Shanghai, the China Daily reported