* The Chechen Election Commission chairman said a total of 1,815,000 ballot papers for the November 27 parliamentary election in Chechnya had been delivered to the republic
* The head of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in the capital of Moldova
* The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said five Russians, two Ukrainians and one Pakistani had died in a Georgian Il-76 plane crash near Kabul on November 11
* Addressing the second congress of the Ukrainian pro-presidential party People's Union Our Ukraine, President Yushchenko said he was confident that the Union would win 2006 parliamentary elections
* Polish oil refinery PKN Orlen Board Chairman Igor Chalupec said the concern was interested in buying the Lithuanian government-controlled stake in the Mazeikiu nafta oil concern
* The chief of Iran's National Security Council said at a news conference that the Islamic Republic was ready to develop comprehensive cooperation with Russia