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Main news of September 11

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RUSSIA * Russia is not considering the possibility of letting South Ossetia, recently recognized as an independent state by Moscow, become a part of the... 11.09.2008, Sputnik International

2008-09-11T18:16+0000

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Main news of September 11

18:16 GMT 11.09.2008

RUSSIA

* Russia is not considering the possibility of letting South Ossetia, recently recognized as an independent state by Moscow, become a part of the country, the prime minister said

* Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned on Thursday the recent terrorist attack in Lebanon, in which a senior pro-Syrian politician was killed, and called for measures to prevent arms supplies to the country's militias

* Russia's foreign minister said on Thursday he will soon visit the two Georgian breakaway regions recently recognized by Russia to discuss the opening of diplomatic missions there

* President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that Russia would make the modernization of its armed forces a priority in light of the recent military conflict with Georgia

* The United States is ready to restart missile-defense talks with Russia later this month, the U.S. ambassador to Russia said

* A day after the Large Hadron Collider was successfully switched on in Switzerland, a Russian scientist said Russia could build its own collider

* Russia will continue talks with Warsaw on the deployment of elements of a U.S. missile shield in Poland, the Russian foreign minister said

* An Orthodox church in Moscow held a service on Thursday attended by the U.S. ambassador and senior Russian officials to mark the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the U.S.

* A mere 113 Welsh fans witnessed their side lose 2-1 to Russia in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday evening, Sport Express reported

* More than 1 million chum salmon died in the Amur River and its tributaries during this year's spawning season, scientists said

* Over 20 Su-27 Flanker fighters will conduct live firing drills at a practice range in the Volga-Urals military district on September 15-21, an Air Force spokesman said

* Russia's Interior Ministry said former executives at the TNK oil producer are suspected of owing around $880 million in unpaid tax for 2001-2003, the ministry's investigation committee said in a statement

* Ukraine is pursuing "unfriendly" policies toward Russia that could harm bilateral contacts, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

* Divers in Irkutsk have discovered an ancient ship that sank over 100 years ago on the bottom of Siberia's Lake Baikal, a team member said

* Russia's foreign minister will visit Poland on Thursday to discuss U.S. missile shield plans, the Georgia conflict, and ties with the EU

* Russia has successfully launched a Progress spacecraft on board a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan to deliver supplies to the ISS, a Mission Control spokesman said

WORLD

* The United Nations secretary general said on Thursday he is considering the possibility of sending peacekeepers to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, along with a fact-finding team

* Ukraine's prime minister urged the president on Thursday to restore the ruling coalition, which split last week amid a dispute over the Russia-Georgia conflict and parliament's move to cut presidential powers

* Venezuela has annulled antidumping duties on two types of Russian steel, as the countries seek to build political and economic ties, Russia's Economics Ministry said

* Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers that landed in Venezuela on Wednesday are scheduled to return home on September 15 but will stay on if Venezuela gives its approval, Russia's Air Force said

* The U.S. ambassador to Russia rejected on Thursday claims by the Russian leadership that U.S. warships recently delivered arms to Georgia under the guise of humanitarian aid

* A man self-immolated in public on Thursday morning in Shanghai, China's most populous city, national media reported

* Authorities in the state of Texas ordered mandatory evacuation in seven counties on Thursday as hurricane Ike approached the U.S. coast

* The death toll from a landslide that engulfed a mining village in northern China has risen to 151, the Xinhua news agency said

* Russia respects the sovereignty of its neighbors and has no intention of annexing any territories, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, amid criticism over Russia's actions in Georgia

* Russian peacekeepers said on Thursday Georgia has failed to provide proof that a police officer was shot dead on Wednesday near a Russian checkpoint in northern Georgia's Gori region

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Thursday that South Ossetia was planning to join Russia

* A draft security deal between Baghdad and Washington will not see the long-term deployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, the Iraqi foreign minister said

* More than 30 people, mostly women and children, are feared dead after a boat carrying people to a Hindu festival capsized in a river in northern India, local media said

* North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has undergone brain surgery and is in a stable condition, South Korean media said on Thursday, while also reporting that Seoul has no plans to raise its defense status

* Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia is seeking to join the CIS and the Russia-Belarus Union State, the republic's president said

* The United States has demanded Russia abide by the terms of the South Ossetia ceasefire plan and pull its troops out of Georgia

* Over 32,000 refugees have returned to South Ossetia from southern Russia since Georgia's 8 attack on the breakaway republic, a Russian emergencies spokesman said

* The death toll from Wednesday's powerful earthquake in southern Iran has risen to six, while another 46 people were injured, the state-run IRNA news agency reported

BUSINESS

* Kazakhstan's government announced on Thursday it will increase the customs duty on oil exports by 85% to $203.8 per metric ton on October 13

* Sistema-Hals (LSE, MICEX, RTS: HALS), one of the largest real estate development companies in Russia and the CIS, posted on Thursday a $8.7 million net profit calculated to U.S. GAAP in the first half of 2008

* Venezuela's president said on Thursday joint investment in the Latin American country's oil and gas sector will be discussed next week with Russia's second largest crude producer LUKoil

* Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves declined $8.9 billion to $573.6 billion in the week from August 29 to September 5, the Central Bank said