Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez says he wants to develop a nuclear program with the help of Russia: "We certainly are interested in developing nuclear energy, for peaceful ends of course, for medical purposes and to generate electricity."

In an effort to protect Venezuela from what he calls the "North American empire," President Hugo Chávez proposed a military alliance with Russia: "If Russia's armed forces want to be present in Venezuela, they will be given a warm welcome."

At least 12 Russian concert-goers were blinded by a laser light show at an outdoor rave in Moscow. Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted a doctor as saying: "They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them. Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80 percent, and regaining it is already impossible."

Russian officials are calling U.S. plans to shoot down a broken spy satellite an excuse to test an anti-satellite missile system.