Main news of March 15

RUSSIA

* Russia will prioritize the reform of international financial institutions, control of advanced economies' macroeconomic indices and audit and accounting issues at a G20 summit in London, President Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said at an OPEC meeting in Vienna:

- Russia will cut oil exports and increase domestic oil consumption in a bid to stabilize world oil prices amid the ongoing financial crisis

- The Russian government's measures to stabilize the domestic oil and gas market have helped bring foreign investment back to the country's fuel and energy complex

- Russia's crude oil output declined 1.9% in January-February to 78.5 million metric tons (575 million barrels)

* Russia is expected to post a current account surplus of $30-40 billion in 2009 as exports exceed imports, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Central Bank Alexei Ulyukayev said

* Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry sent a plane to Vietnam to bring back home Russian tourists who suffered in a bus crash that killed at least nine people, the ministry said

WORLD

* The united Georgian opposition will begin indefinite peaceful protests from April 9 to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili, said Eka Beseliya, leader of the For a United Georgia party

* North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il believes his communist regime is strong and the country's army is prepared to fight any enemy, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported, referring to North Korea's state media