VLADIMIR PUTIN

Russia?s President Vladimir Putin also said that both sides of the Syrian conflict must enter into peace negotiations.

At least 150 people have died after massive floods hit the Russian city of Krymsk, and suspicions have erupted over the exact cause of the flooding.

New Wikileaked emails are expected to provide insights into the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his connections to Western companies.

But Russia is apparently getting tired of Assad?s slow pace of reform and the continuing violence against unarmed civilians.

Russia and other big powers have told mediator Kofi Annan they support his idea of a Syrian national unity cabinet, diplomats told Reuters Wednesday.

Russia and Syria signed a $100 million deal for the transaction last year.

Russia has been widely criticized for its friendly relations with both nations, but Putin is hoping to raise his status in the region.

?We agreed on the need for a cessation of the violence,? Obama told reporters.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is headed for the sunny beaches of Ipanema, and many Brazilians are less than thrilled.

China pledged $43 billion, while India and Russia promised $10 billion each, to the International Monetary Fund Monday as aid to debt-ridden countries in the euro zone.

?Life,? the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, ?must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Moscow that it could lose its regional influence if it continues to side with the Syrian government and its 15 month-long crackdown.

On Monday her house was among several raided by security forces, with Sobchak ordered to appear at a police station only hours before a major anti-government rally took place in Moscow on Tuesday.

On Monday, Russian investigators searched the homes of several high-profile opposition leaders in Moscow. The searches, which came the day before a major protest that had been planned for Tuesday, may incite the opposition even more and lead to a larger turnout.

Russia and China remain opposed to any external intervention efforts int Syria by foreign countries, even as UN observers come under fire during their investigations of a civilian massacre.

Syrian rebels Thursday accused troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of massacring dozens of people, including women and children, just a few hours before a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting was to evaluate the crisis in the country.

Putin, whose former party United Russia sponsored the bill, said on Wednesday that he will not put his signature on the bill if it is not up to European democratic standards.

The Ukrainian parliament has passed a controversial bill that would make Russian more prominent, a proposal which has been met with vehement opposition from both politicians and ordinary citizens who feel Ukraine's national identity is being threatened.

Russia and China strengthen their geopolitical partnership ahead of a major meeting of Eurasia leaders. But rather than love, it may be just a marriage of convenience.

Putin's government increases the fines for unsanctioned protests, culling critics who are against the draconian legislature.

During a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, pledged to prevent foreign intervention in Syria.