Morning re-cap of main news, October 18
* Russia's largest oil producer LUKoil said:
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 04:48 GMT
Mayor candidate assassinated in Russia's Far East
VLADIVOSTOK, October 19 (RIA Novosti) – A mayoral candidate was fatally wounded early Thursday in an attack in Russia's Far East, the Primorye Territory electoral commission said.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 05:27 GMT
RUXX investment index set to open 1.76% up
MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's investment index will open Thursday at 687.37 points, up 1.76% on the previous day's trading, following Wednesday evening's sessions on major world trading floors.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 05:41 GMT
Russia's gold and currency reserves down $1.4 bln in week
MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti) – Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves stood at $266.5 billion as of October 13, down by $1.4 billion from $267.9 billion a week earlier, the Central Bank of Russia said Thursday.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 06:16 GMT
NASA, Russian Space Agency Name 4 Members of Next ISS Crew
NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency have named two astronauts and two cosmonauts to the next International Space Station crew.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 06:58 GMT
Spanish climber missing in south Russia
NALCHIK, October 19 (RIA Novosti) – Russian rescuers are searching for a missing Spanish mountain climber in the North Caucasus, a rescue service spokesman said Thursday.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 07:00 GMT
Environmental Group Names Russian City World's Most Polluted Place
The Russian city of Dzerzhinsk where chemical weapons were once manufactured is among the 10 most polluted places on Earth, a U.S. environmental group said.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 07:05 GMT
Russia Moves Stabilization Fund Money from Rubles to Dollars and Euros
Russian Finance Ministry said on Wednesday, Oct. 18, that it had completed the placement of Stabilization Fund, which collects windfall oil revenues, in foreign currency accounts of the country's Central Bank. From now on all of the fund's money is held in dollars and euros, not rubles.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 07:13 GMT
Russia's Power Grid Monopoly UES Plans to Raise $10Bln Over Next 2 Years
Russia's Unified Energy System, the world's biggest electricity generating company, is planning to raise about $10 billion in the international capital markets over the next two years as part of a broad strategy to fund urgent domestic energy needs.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 07:33 GMT
Bad weather may delay launch of Soyuz 2-1A
MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti) – The first launch of the Soyuz 2–1A, Russia's new generation carrier rocket, may be postponed again due to bad weather, a spokesman for the Russian Space Agency said Thursday.
// Oct. 19, 2006 - 07:33 GMT