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Main news of December 19

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WORLD * North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died at the age of 69 * Russia hailed Syria’s decision to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country... 19.12.2011, Sputnik International

2011-12-19T19:59+0000

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Main news of December 19

19:59 GMT 19.12.2011

WORLD

* North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died at the age of 69

* Russia hailed Syria’s decision to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country

* Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev praised his country’s relations with Russia, saying that bilateral trade has reached $20 billion

* The European Union will not lift sanctions imposed on Belarusian officials until Minsk releases all political prisoners, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said

* Dozens of people gathered in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to mark the one-year anniversary of a crackdown on the opposition that followed protests against the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko

* Ukraine and the European Union have finalized negotiations on a deal that could set the former Soviet republic on the way to full membership of the organization

* About 200 people gathered outside a regional administration building in the southwest Kazakh city of Aktau as tensions remain high after deadly clashes in the region

* Syrian authorities signed a deal allowing an Arab League observer mission into the country

* The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan gathered for a summit to discuss the three countries' integration

RUSSIA

* After allegations of massive vote-rigging at the legislative elections earlier this month, the Russian government is set to spend $470 million for webcams ordered by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to monitor the upcoming presidential vote and has invited the Russian public to share ideas on how to best utilize them

* Yabloko party founder Grigory Yavlinsky submitted documents required to be officially registered as a presidential candidate to the Central Election Commission

* Russian communist leader Gennady Zyuganov submitted documents required to be officially registered as presidential candidate to the Central Election Commission and called on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to take part in a public debate

* The bodies of 11 more people have been recovered after Russia’s Kolskaya oil rig capsized in the Sea of Okhotsk on December 18, a spokesman for rescuers at the scene said

* The Patriots of Russia party has decided to support Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the presidential election scheduled for March 2012, leader of Patriots of Russia Gennady Semigin said

BUSINESS

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russian companies holding assets in strategic sectors must do away with the practice of creating offshore firms