News of the Day, 18:00 Moscow time

* The leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries backed Russia's proposal on using national currencies in mutual settlements and introducing a common currency for the group

* Iran's leading judges and clerics have ordered a recount of last Friday's election, amid ongoing protests against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial victory, the official IRNA news agency reported

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has approved draft changes to an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the lease of a Russian Air Force base in the Central Asian republic, the Kremlin said

* Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and Avialeasing announced that they had signed a $715 million contract for the delivery of 24 Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliners in 2011-2013

* Iran's controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that ongoing regional conflicts and the global economic crisis proved that the current unipolar world dominated by the United States is not viable

* Japan unilaterally imposed sanctions on North Korea, halting all trade with the secretive state in reaction to its recent nuclear test, the Kyodo news agency reported

* Russia's president, hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Urals, said that the group considers recent threats made by North Korea to be unacceptable

* Russia's Pacific Fleet will send a third task force later this month to protect shipping routes from Somali pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, a fleet commander said

* Palestinian militants failed in an attempt to assassinate former U.S. president Jimmy Carter during his visit to the Gaza Strip, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported

* Russia's newest frigate, the Yaroslav Mudry, has completed sea trials and the official testing procedure will be over in a few days, a spokesman for the Yantar shipyard said