News of the Day, 15:00 Moscow time

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has approved a draft agreement with Venezuela to jointly establish a bank to finance bilateral energy and other projects

* Measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction will dominate a speech by Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov at an international security conference set to open in Munich

* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Russia's possible additional loan to the ex-Soviet state will not influence its decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia

* Iran is interested in cooperation with the U.S. and hopes for better ties with the country it has often referred to as the "Great Satan," the Islamic republic's ambassador to Russia, Mahmoud Reza Sajadi, said

* A U.S. expert on Russia, Andrew Kuchins, said

- Washington is unlikely to scrap the Bush administration's plans to deploy elements of a missile defense shield in Central Europe

- The U.S. will be forced to come to an agreement with Russia on alternative supply routes for deliveries to Afghanistan after Kyrgyzstan closes a U.S. base, a U.S. expert on Russia said

* Russia's international reserves, comprising gold, foreign exchange and a range of other assets, dropped $40.18 billion in January to $387.89 billion, the Central Bank said