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Main news of October 1

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RUSSIA * President Vladimir Putin said he could become prime minister in 2008, if the United Russia party wins the December 2007 parliamentary elections, and... 01.10.2007, Sputnik International

2007-10-01T18:02+0000

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Main news of October 1

18:02 GMT 01.10.2007

RUSSIA

* President Vladimir Putin said he could become prime minister in 2008, if the United Russia party wins the December 2007 parliamentary elections, and that he will head the pro-presidential party's list

* The late cellist Mstislav Rostropovich's art collection, acquired by a Kremlin-friendly billionaire, will be housed in a palace near St. Petersburg, the owner said

* An asteroid, discovered in 2004, could pose a threat to Earth in 2029, the director of the Institute of Astronomy said

* Russia's Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev said the development of the Lomonosov underwater mountain chain in the Arctic could bring Russia up to 5 billion metric tons of equivalent fuel

* More than 230,000 birds have been culled at a poultry farm in Russia's southern Krasnodar Territory following an outbreak of bird flu early September, Russia's agriculture watchdog said

WORLD

* Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's party is leading the parliamentary polls in Ukraine with over 86% of votes counted, the central election commission said

* At least eight Yemeni soldiers were killed and more are missing following a volcanic eruption on a small Yemeni Island in the Red Sea, China's Xinhua news agency said

* Israel has started releasing Palestinian prisoners under an amnesty timed to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Prisons Service said

* Six bombs went off in Thailand in Narathiwat, the country's southern, predominantly Muslim, province, Bangkok's Nation newspaper said

* The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe cancelled a debate on U.S.' plans to deploy missile shield elements in Central Europe, fiercely opposed by Russia

* Tokyo will wait until after talks between its deputy foreign minister and a UN envoy with Myanmar's ruling junta before deciding on sanctions, Japan's foreign minister said

* Israeli troops killed two members of the Islamist group Hamas in a night clash in the north of the Gaza Strip, local radio said

BUSINESS

* The world's largest bank was established in Japan as one of the first steps towards privatizing the country's mail service

* KM Invest shareholders came to terms with Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin buying out its stake in holding company Interros

* Russia's Stabilization Fund hit 3.5 trillion rubles ($140.3 billion) as of October 1, up 110 billion rubles ($4.4 billion) from September 1, the Finance Ministry said

* Russia will export about 12 million metric tons of grain this year, the country's Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev said

* The average price of Russia's Urals blend oil, a benchmark for the national budget, was $73.78 per barrel in September, a 25% rise year-on-year, a Russian Finance Ministry spokesman said