The World Political Forum 2010 has started its work in Yaroslavl today under the patronage of Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev. Over 500 statesmen and politicians, experts and political scientists from 35 countries have come to the meeting.This forum and the first one last year were supported by President Dmitry Medvedev.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with his Irish counterpart Mary McAleese in Moscow on Thursday to discuss future cooperation within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has described a U.S. church’s threat to burn copies of the Quran as «un-American» and warned that such actions could endanger U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday he was optimistic about the future of ties with the U.S. and called his relationship with President Barack Obama «wonderful.»

Ukraine is willing to give Russia joint control of a pipeline to southeastern Europe in exchange for access to natural gas supplies, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said as the countries negotiate a gas venture.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite will discuss bilateral economic cooperation and European Union’s relations with Russia and Belarus during Merkel’s visit to Vilnius on Monday.

The Russian and Israeli defense ministers, Anatoly Serdyukov and Ehud Barak, are planning to sign on Monday an agreement on military cooperation between the countries during talks in Moscow, the Russian defense minister’s spokeswoman has said.

Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has said he is looking «to find a historic compromise» that will bring peace to the Middle East for generations as he begins direct talks with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, in Washington today.

The two leaders met Barack Obama yesterday, when the US president launched his initiative to forge a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians within a year, which he described as a «moment of opportunity that may not soon come again».

The United States reminds Russia that it must observe basic human freedoms, including the freedom of assembly, following mass arrests during unsanctioned opposition rallies in Russia in August 31, the U.S. Department of State said.

Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket put three GLONASS satellites into orbit on Thursday, a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said.