Moscow - Russian ice-hockey talent Alexei Tcherepanov committed blood doping ahead of his death in mid-October, investigating prosecutors said on Monday.

The authorities said that examinations of urine and blood samples revealed the doping and that they may take action against doctors at his club Avangard Omsk.

Prosecutors also said that Tcherepanov should never have allowed to play his sport professionally as doctors diagnosed heart problems.

Moscow  - Moscow added its voice Saturday to calls for an immediate end to Middle East violence after the Israeli airstrikes that left scores dead in the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko called on Israel to end its "combat activities which have already led to great loss and suffering among the peaceful Palestinian population."

At the same time he called on the Hamas organisation to stop its rocket attacks against Israeli territory.

Moscow  - Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said Friday that its dispute with Ukraine over payments could cause disruptions in deliveries to Western Europe, a news agency reported.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said that Gazprom head Alexei Miller had notified Europe's largest clients that it could not rule out the possibility of a cut off, according to Itar-Tass.

At issue is the lack of progress in reaching agreement with Ukraine's Naftogaz over 2 billion dollars in non-payments for imports by Kiev, with a New Year's deadline looming with threatened cut-offs by Gazprom.

Gazprom supplies about one-quarter of the European Union's gas needs, 80 per cent of which is shipped through Ukraine.

Moscow - Serbian President Boris Tadic flew to Moscow on Wednesday to ink a multimillion-dollar energy deal with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

Under the deal, Serbia will sell a controlling stake in its oil monopoly NIS to Russian state giant Gazprom in exchange for a share in a strategic Russian pipeline through Serbia.

Serbian media reported the 51-per-cent stake was sold for 400 million euros (560 million dollars).

Moscow - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that "the era of cheap gas" would soon be over in an address to ministers of gas exporting countries meeting in Moscow.

"The expense necessary for the development of fields is rising sharply, and this means that despite the current financial crisis and the fall of prices on energy commodities, the era of cheap energy resources, of cheap gas, is coming to an end," Putin said in televised comments.

Belgrade - Russian energy company Gazprom and Serbian officials on Monday initialed a multimillion-dollar deal for the sale of majority stake in Serbia's oil company NIS, Belgrade media reported.

Serbia will sell 51 per cent stake in NIS to Russian Gazprom for 400 million euros (560 million dollars) in exchange for a share in the South Stream gas line - a pipeline which will carry Russian gas to Bulgaria and Serbia before heading to Western Europe