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Main news of April 3

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RUSSIA * Turkey has asked for additional natural gas supplies from Russia from 2015, including via the Blue Stream-2 pipeline, the CEO of Russia's... 03.04.2009, Sputnik International

2009-04-03T19:57+0000

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Main news of April 3

19:57 GMT 03.04.2009

RUSSIA

* Turkey has asked for additional natural gas supplies from Russia from 2015, including via the Blue Stream-2 pipeline, the CEO of Russia's state-controlled energy giant Gazprom said

* A Russian plane en route to Moscow was forced to make an emergency landing in Volgograd, southern Russia, after a baby fell seriously ill, an airport spokesman said

* A Porsche 911 plated with real gold and worth an estimated $600,000 was stolen in the southeast of Moscow, a police source said

* The landing of a Soyuz spacecraft with members of the 18th Expedition to the International Space Station and a U.S. tourist has been delayed by one day, Russian space agency Roscosmos said

* A Russian diplomat previously accused of involvement in a plot to assassinate the Georgian president has been expelled from Latvia, the country's TV5 television reported

* Victoria Azarenka of Belarus progressed to the final of the $4.5 million Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami after a tough semi-final match against Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia

* A new round of talks on a comprehensive Russia-EU partnership deal opens in Moscow

WORLD

* At least 12 people were killed when a lone gunman stormed an immigration center in Binghamton, near New York, taking some 40 people hostage, American media said

* The Sudanese government welcomed the decision by the U.S. to send a new special envoy to Khartoum, a representative of the Sudanese leader said

* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said he would agree to early presidential elections only if they take place at the same time as parliamentary polls

* NATO should engage Russia and recognize that Moscow has legitimate interests, the U.S. president told journalists in the French city of Strasbourg on Friday ahead of a NATO summit

* Russia will be concerned if NATO fails to secure victory in Afghanistan as it, along with its Central Asian allies, will be forced to deal with the consequences, Russia's NATO envoy told Russia's Vesti TV channel

* Ukraine's opposition took to the streets of the capital Kiev demanding the president and government step down over the leadership's handling of the economy amid the global financial crisis

* Ukraine, which is seeking membership in NATO, has signed an agreement with the military alliance on the transit of non-military cargo across its territory to Afghanistan

* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has harshly criticized the plans to overcome the global financial crisis announced by G20 leaders after their summit in London

* Leaders of NATO member countries are gathering for a two-day summit to mark NATO's 60th anniversary and discuss new challenges facing the world's most powerful military alliance

* The number of deaths from a dengue fever outbreak in northeastern Brazil has reached 30, according to statistics from the country's Health Ministry

BUSINESS

* Russia has not yet made any commitment to contribute to the $1.1 trillion anti-crisis package approved by the G20, the finance minister said

* International rating agency Moody's downgraded the senior unsecured issuer and debt ratings of Russia's energy giant Gazprom from A3 to Baa1, with a stable outlook