New Delhi, Dec. 3: India and Russia are likely to sign a deal for the construction of four additional nuclear reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, as well as a pact for expanding activities at other sites during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev''s three-day visit to New Delhi beginning Wednesday.

Havana  - For the second time in little over a week, retired iconicCuban leader Fidel Castro met with a high-level dignitary visiting the Caribbean island, keeping is meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday under wraps.

Medvedev had already finished the official portion of his visit with Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel's brother who took over as president earlier this year.

Medvedev's official visit of less than 24 hours was the first by a Russian president to Cuba in eight years. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Russia stopped pouring financial aid into Cuba.

Havana - Russia and Cuba are to revive their historically close ties, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro said after talks in Havana late Thursday.

Medvedev and Castro met for several hours and, in a demonstration of friendship, Castro also joined the Russian president in visiting a recently opened Russian Orthodox church in the capital of the communist country.

Moscow plans to step up cooperation with Havana in the area of nuclear energy as well as oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, Medvedev announced.

Rio de Janeiro - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, to debate ways to increase cooperation and mutual investment between the countries.

Brazilian governmental advisors said that the talks were also set to include the international financial crisis, which is already having negative effects on both countries, though Medvedev said both Russia and Brazil are in a position to get over it.

"We are leaders in economic growth. No obstacle can prevent that setting. Brazil and Russia will get over the crisis," Medvedev said.

Rio de Janeiro  - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev started Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro a two-day official visit to Brazil that includes a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

According to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, Lula and Medvedev were set to discuss current bilateral projects during their meeting Wednesday.

They planned to analyse "the expansion of reciprocal investment, including Russia's interest in taking part in infrastructure projects in Brazil in the areas of railways, hydroelectric plants, nuclear energy and gas and oil pipelines."

Lima  - Russia was seeking to revive "privileged" ties with Latin America, which had been neglected after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.

"The time has come to restore these relations. These are the states with which we would like to have special, privileged relations," he said.