News of the Day, 18:00 Moscow time

* Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said:

- Russia and the U.S. can agree on missile defense and new nuclear arms cuts

- Russia welcomes the Czech Republic's decision to put off a vote on the ratification of a deal to place a radar on its soil as part of U.S. missile shield

- Russia objects to proposals to grant NATO the right to use force without the approval of the United Nations Security Council

* Iran's first satellite has successfully completed its scientific mission after more than a month in orbit, an Iranian space research expert announced on state television

* The Russian Navy maintains a fleet of about 60 nuclear-powered and diesel-electric submarines, a senior Navy official said

* Russia has received and is examining Ukraine's loan request, the Foreign Ministry said

* Russia will have to live with a budget deficit for the next several years, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said

* Lawmakers in south Russia's Chechnya have protested against plans voiced by European Parliament members to form a faction to discuss Chechen independence, and branded it a diversionary tactic to avoid addressing EU problems

* The Israeli Attorney General's Office charged the country's former president Moshe Katsav with several counts of rape and sexual harassment