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Main news of March 18

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RUSSIA * Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised there will be no cuts in spending for the Russian space industry in 2009, and almost 82 billion rubles... 18.03.2009, Sputnik International

2009-03-18T19:02+0000

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Main news of March 18

19:02 GMT 18.03.2009

RUSSIA

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised there will be no cuts in spending for the Russian space industry in 2009, and almost 82 billion rubles ($2.4 billion) will be allocated to three federal programs

* Jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in an interview published on Wednesday that the current Russian president was not linked to the break-up of his oil firm and did not have to fear his release

* Russia is proposing that discussions into the possibility of creating a new world reserve currency are initiated at the upcoming G20 summit in London, a government source said

* Iran has not yet received any S-300 air defense systems under a 2007 contract and the deal depends on the leadership in Moscow, a Russian military exports source said

* Russia introduced a complete ban on the hunting of harp seal cubs, the Natural Resources Ministry said

* The economic recession in Russia, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, will continue into the second quarter of 2009, the government said in an updated version of its socioeconomic forecast

* Tottenham Hotspur have said that Roman Pavlyuchenko's appearance in a club reserve match was a one-off designed to give him match practice

* The pilot of a light L-39 combat trainer was killed when his aircraft crashed in the Krasnodar Territory of southern Russia, an Air Force spokesman said

WORLD

* Egypt has opened its Rafah border crossing point with the Gaza Strip for two days to students, foreigners and people requiring medical treatment, regional media said

* The leaders of Russia, Moldova and Transdnestr have agreed to continue talks on the issue of the disputed Transdnestr region, the Russian foreign minister said

* Russia hopes for the swift restoration of the rule of law in Madagascar after opposition leader Andry Rajoelina took power following military intervention, the Foreign Ministry said

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signed on Wednesday an agreement on visa-free travel with Argentina

* Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man accused of imprisoning his daughter and sexually abusing her for over two decades, has pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, Austrian radio reported

* During a joint NATO-led operation with the Afghan army, 29 members of the radical Taliban movement were killed and another 12 injured, a spokesman said

* The U.S. space shuttle Discovery has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) bringing a new crewmember to the orbiter, NASA said

* Polls opened in Azerbaijan on Wednesday morning for a referendum on scrapping the limit on consecutive presidential terms, potentially allowing the current leader to remain in power for life

* Georgia's new permanent representative to the United Nations, Alexander Lomaya, has presented his credentials to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon