Moscow - Three Russian warships will visit Cuba on Friday, a navy spokesman said Monday, as Moscow boosts relations with the Cold War ally and long-time foe of the United States.

"This will be the first visit to Cuba by Russian warships since the Soviet days," Navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

The Admiral Chabanenko missile destroyer and two support ships will put in for five days on the Communist island just 145 kilometres off the US coast until December 23.

Moscow  - Russia set out its development goals until 2012 this year, but the four-year budget plan hardly matched reality - something which even the Finance Ministry had to admit.

Economists have halved the country's growth forecast as the real cost of the credit freeze and a dive in the price of Russia's main export commodities set in, but Moscow appears to be rolling ahead with an expansive foreign policy and ambitious domestic infrastructure and social spending.

While governments all over the world scrambled to legislate bail- outs for flagship sectors in distress, Moscow's initial reaction was to cast the country as immune to the crisis.

Moscow - Russian opposition politicians and Kremlin critics Garry Kasparov and Boris Nemtsov founded a new political party named Solidarity in Moscow Saturday.

Representatives of various social groups would work together in the new democratic movement, Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio reported.

The traditionally splintered Russian opposition has been trying to unite against what it sees as an increasingly authoritarian Kremlin.

The party, which plans to present its manifesto in the spring, does not have any official status.

More than 300 opposition politicians from 45 regions took part in the meeting to form the party, Russian media reported.

Moscow - At least 12 people have died in an explosion at an ore mine in northern Russia, Interfax news agency reported Friday, citing the Russian Civil Defence.

When Dinesh Kumar defeated Algeria's Abdelhafid Benchabla 17-11 to enter the semifinals of the light heavy weight division in Moscow, he became the second Indian to assure himself of a medal at the AIBA Boxing World Cup.

On 13th December during the semifinals, the Haryana boxer will face Vladimir Cheles, after the Russian beat Artur Beterbeiv of Maldives 5-1 in the other quarterfinal.

The Haryana boxer who lost to Benchabla in the first round of Beijing Olympics, must be satisfied now, as last night’s win was a sweet revenge for him.

Moscow - An internet site launched Thursday about the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author