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Main news of October 14

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A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours 14.10.2009, Sputnik International

2009-10-14T20:08+0000

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Main news of October 14

20:08 GMT 14.10.2009

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* The presidents of Armenia and Turkey held talks on Wednesday before attending a World Cup qualifier between their national football teams, in a show of support for a deal to restore ties and reopen the border

* The number of undernourished people in the world has exceeded one billion this year due to the economic crisis, UN food agencies said

* Turkey's prime minister said Wednesday his country will be normalizing relations with Armenia in parallel with the settlement process in the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh, Turkish NTV reported

* Russia's decision to include preemptive nuclear strikes in its revised military doctrine is mostly a political move and does not pose a real threat, Georgia's top security official said

* Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Wednesday that he would not lift his objections to the EU reform treaty, known as the Lisbon treaty, unless his conditions are met

* U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned from meetings with top Russian officials to speak to the public on Wednesday, criticizing Moscow over the failure to solve the killings of journalists.

* Iran is urging the United States to stop employing double standards and realistically assess the situation around the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the IRNA news agency reported

* Belarus is set to launch a nationwide population and housing census on Wednesday

RUSSIA

* Russia urges Israel to end the blockade on the Gaza Strip and to meet its obligations under a United Nations resolution adopted earlier this year, Moscow's deputy envoy to the United Nations said

* The Russian rights group Memorial appealed on Wednesday against a Moscow court's decision ordering it to pay libel damages to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, the organization said in a statement

* The 9th meeting of the Russia-India intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation opened on Wednesday in Moscow

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that international threats of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program are premature, and that such measures must only be considered if negotiations fail

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who heads the ruling United Russian party, dismissed on Wednesday opposition parties' criticism of Sunday's local elections

* Russian jewelry holding Altyn said on Wednesday that a criminal investigation against its top management was a result of a 'dirty' competition

* Russia will continue to promote the idea of creating a new pan-European security body despite the U.S. decision to scrap its missile shield plans for Central Europe, the Russian president said

* Just two parties - the ruling United Russia and the Communists - have been elected to the Moscow City Duma, the head of the Moscow City Election Committee said

* Recent developments in U.S. missile shield plans are positive, but Moscow still has a number of questions on the issue, a Russian deputy foreign minister said

* Russia is against imposing further sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program, a Russian deputy foreign minister said

* The next test-launch of Russia's Bulava missile, scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed until at least the end of October, a defense industry source said

* Russia's LDPR party called on Wednesday for a recount of the results of Sunday's regional elections, which were won by a landslide by the ruling United Russia party

* Russia's new military doctrine does not rule out pre-emptive nuclear strikes against potential aggressors, the head of its Security Council said

BUSINESS

* Russia's government has refused to grant a $500 million loan to Iceland, the Finance Ministry said

* The Serbian prime minister denied on Wednesday reports that a $1 billion loan to be provided by Russia comes with a demand that Belgrade promote Russian oil interests

* TransContainer, Russia's largest rail container operator, and China Railway Container Transport Corp. (CRCT) have signed an agreement on a freight transport joint venture, TransContainer said

* The Business Council and Interbank Association of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states has agreed on a $6 billion common investment pool, a senior Russian banker said

RELIGION

* The Russian Orthodox Church is celebrating the Protection of the Mother of God on Wednesday, with church services dedicated to the feast

SPORT

* Russia drew 1-1 with Azerbaijan on Wednesday night in their last football World Cup qualifier