Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus form customs union

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Russia signed a deal Friday to form a customs union with former Soviet neighbors Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited other ex-Soviet nations to join the union, hailing it as a "new stage in our cooperation."

The union will come into force on Jan. 1, with the three countries using the same foreign trade tariffs and rules with one another,...