Main news of February 6

RUSSIA

* The prospective U.S. missile defense shield in Central Europe targets Russia's nuclear deterrent, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said

* Russia will allow transit of non-lethal supplies for U.S. troops in Afghanistan as soon as Washington provides Moscow with detailed information on the cargo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

* Russia's Omsk engine design and production bureau has started large-scale production of engines for missiles deployed on the Iskander-M tactical missile systems, a senior company official said

* At least 200 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, or 70% of the total in service with the Russian Air Force, are too old to take to the skies, a Russian business daily said citing military experts

* Russia's Progress M-01M cargo spacecraft undocked on Friday from the International Space Station and will become a temporary space lab before being "buried" in the Pacific Ocean, Mission Control said

* Patriarch Kirill, the new head of the Russian Orthodox Church, will continue to present his weekly television program, a senior Russian Orthodox Church bishop said

* Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who heads a liberal opposition political party, has predicted mass protests in Russia this summer amid the current financial crisis

WORLD

* The health of the crew of a Ukrainian cargo ship released by pirates after a ransom was paid is satisfactory, and its military cargo is intact, the Ukrainian president's spokeswoman said

* Belarus's president has said that any loan from Russia would have no influence over Minsk's decision on whether or not to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia

* The South Ossetian interior minister rejected Georgian accusations Russia had carried out anti-terrorism operations in the separatist republic's capital

* Iran has no missiles capable of striking any part of the world, the Islamic republic's ambassador to Russia said

* Iran is ready to cooperate with the new U.S. administration in tackling global issues on the basis of "mutual respect," the Iranian president said

* A Georgian nongovernmental organization has sent hundreds of lawsuits to the European Court of Human Rights over Russia's actions in the August war over South Ossetia, a spokesman for the organization said

* Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov dismissed media reports that his country had received a set of new proposals from Washington concerning the closure of a U.S. airbase on its territory

* Israeli authorities have transferred to the Gaza Strip humanitarian supplies from a Lebanese aid ship and deported its crew, regional media said

BUSINESS

* Russia's international reserves, comprising gold, foreign exchange and a range of other assets, dropped $40.18 billion in January to $386.89 billion, the Central Bank said

* Russia's prime minister has approved a draft agreement with Venezuela to jointly establish a bank to finance bilateral energy and other projects

* Russia is asking international observers to continue monitoring gas transit via Ukraine until at least the end of March, the Russian prime minister said

* Monthly car sales in China hit 790,000 vehicles in January, making the country the world's largest automobile market, the China Daily said, citing analysts

SPORTS

* The most successful swimmer in history, 14-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps, has been disqualified for three months for smoking marijuana, U.S. swimming's governing body said

* Andrei Arshavin received a U.K. work visa and will fly into London later in the day, the Russian daily Sport Express said