* One of China's leading energy companies issued a strongly worded denial that it was interested in acquiring some non-core assets of embattled Russian oil major Yukos
* Election authorities said ruling party United Russia had scored a landslide victory in two local elections Sunday
* A senior delegate to the sixth ministerial WTO conference in Hong Kong said the United States was unlikely to sign a bilateral agreement with Russia on the country's accession to the World Trade Organization before the end of the year
* Vladimir Putin will fly to Asia to attend a major regional summit, where he is expected to discuss a variety of issues, ranging from space exploration and terrorism to Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization
* A source in the Moscow Region investigative agencies said an inmate thought to have died when a Moscow jail roof collapsed Sunday could have escaped
