News of the Day, 12:00 Moscow time

* Russia energy giant Gazprom confirmed that Ukraine's national gas company Naftogaz had paid in full for gas delivered to the ex-Soviet republic in March

* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on Middle East issues

* The mountainous region of Abruzzo in central Italy, where 179 people died in a powerful quake, was hit by aftershocks overnight, a civil protection department spokesman said

* Russia's Defense Ministry has decided to buy three types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from Israel for $50 million, a respected Russian business paper said

* A Georgian coast guard vessel has detained a cargo ship with a crew of 14 Russians on board, the Sovfracht maritime bulletin said

* Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he "valued the gesture" by members of U.S. congress, who are currently in Havana on a five-day visit to explore ways of improving bilateral ties

* Russia is prepared to spend $10 billion on upgrading its infrastructure if it is awarded the World Cup by FIFA, the Sovetski Sport paper said

* Japanese auto giant Toyota restarted its assembly line in St. Petersburg after six days of inactivity due to the ongoing economic crisis, a company spokesman said