Main news of November 5

RUSSIA

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivered his first state of the nation address to both houses of parliament

* The deployment of precision-guided tactical missiles in Russia's westernmost region would render ineffective a U.S. missile shield in Central Europe, Russia's NATO envoy said

* Russia will launch a Proton-M carrier rocket with an Astra 1M satellite on board, a Russian spacecraft manufacturer said

* Russia signed an agreement with the EU which will see Russia troops participate in peacekeeping operations in Chad and the Central African Republic, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed the extension of presidential and parliamentary terms from the current four years to six and five years, respectively

* Inflation in Russia stood at 0.9% in October, in line with government projections, Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said

* Russia's finance minister said that Barack Obama's victory in U.S. presidential polls would have a positive effect on the global economy

* International oil cartel OPEC could decide to cut oil output by 10% if prices decrease sharply amid the ongoing global financial crisis, the Gazprom CEO said

* The placement of short-range tactical missiles near Poland would be the best response to U.S. missile plans for Europe, a Russian military analyst said

* A Russian heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser called at a French naval base for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, an aide to the Russian Navy commander said

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in his state-of-the-nation address on Wednesday that the global financial crisis would lead neither to nationalization, nor a stripping away of democratic freedoms

* A Russian Baltic Fleet's supply-tanker Yelnya is due on Wednesday to join up with a missile frigate involved in protecting Russian merchant ships from pirates in African waters, a naval source said

* Russia will deploy short-range Iskander missiles in its exclave of Kaliningrad next to Poland in response to U.S. missile plans for Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev said

* The Russian premier will attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2009, the event's organizers said

* A secretary at the embassy of Turkmenistan in Moscow is in hospital after being attacked in the city center by unknown assailants, police and the embassy said

* A visitor to a casino in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok was killed by police after he shot and wounded two people, a police spokeswoman said

* The Russian and Japanese foreign ministers agreed to continue their efforts to conclude a peace treaty marking a formal end to World War II

* The Russian government has increased its share in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium to 31% by buying a 7% stake from Oman, Russian business daily Kommersant said

WORLD

* Germany expressed concern over the possible deployment of Iskander missile systems near Poland and will discuss the issue with Russia as soon as possible, a German diplomat said

* India's oil and gas minister discussed joint production projects in Russia's Far East and East Siberia at talks in Moscow, a ministry official said

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent a letter of condolence to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a deadly bus fire in Hanover claimed 20 lives, the Kremlin press service said

* The USS Mount Whitney will call at Ukraine's Black Sea port of Sevastopol, the city administration said

* President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his hope in his state of the nation address that the new U.S. administration will choose full-fledged relations with Russia

* Urgent global issues, including the development of a new European security system, will top the agenda of intergovernmental talks between Russia and Italy in Moscow on Thursday, a Kremlin source has said

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has congratulated U.S. president-elect Barack Obama on his election victory and expressed his hope for constructive dialogue, the Kremlin said

* The radical Islamic Hamas movement is to hold talks with other Palestinian factions on the observation of a truce with Israel agreed on in June, a Hamas spokesman said

* As economic pressures mount, the U.S. may freeze its plans to set up a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic when president-elect Barack Obama takes office, a Russian analyst said

* Ukraine intends to boost natural gas transit to Europe to 120 billion cubic meters in 2009, the Ukrainian national oil and gas company Naftogaz said

* Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev said that Georgia's military offensive on South Ossetia was a consequence of policies unilaterally followed by the U.S. administration

* U.S. president-elect Barack Obama may change the Bush administration's plans to deploy elements of a U.S. missile defense shield in Central Europe, a high-ranking Russian senator said

* A total of 42 people have been killed and eight are listed as missing following a ferry accident in Philippines, local media reported

* The crew of a Russian vessel has rescued 68 Somali nationals who were stranded on a small boat around 75 miles south of Malta, the company that owns the Russian ship said

* North Korea's official media released new photographs of leader Kim Jong-il visiting two army units, in an apparent attempt to prove he is still alive and well

* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has held up Russian economic cooperation as evidence of the two countries' "strategic" relations, the Mexican media reported

* China put into orbit two remote sensing satellites to gather hydrological and meteorological data, the Xinhua news agency said

* Russia can hope for more U.S. accommodation on issues such as Iraq and missile defense under Barack Obama when the Democrat is forced to focus on domestic problems as president next year, leading MPs said

* Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States, winning an historic election to become the first African American in the White House

BUSINESS

* Russia's largest diamond producer, Alrosa [RTS: ALRS], said net profits calculated to Russian Accounting Standards fell 62.3% year-on-year in January-September 2008 to 3.54 billion rubles ($131 million)

* Russian regional generating company TGK-5 said its net profit under Russian Accounting Standards increased 250% year-on-year in January-September to 627 million rubles ($23 million)

* Russian aluminum giant RusAl confirmed that it had obtained a $4.5 billion loan from the state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) to repay its foreign liabilities amid the credit crunch