Main news of July 22

RUSSIA

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said:

- Russia will allocate over 120 billion rubles ($3.8 billion) for a federal program to develop new generation nuclear energy technology in 2010-2012

- Russia's Security Council will discuss a series of projects on the development of supercomputers to test the effectiveness of the country's nuclear deterrent

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said:

- Sanctions against North Korea over its controversial nuclear program are not on the agenda and the most important thing is to resume six-party talks

- The next Russia-ASEAN summit could be held in 2010

* The head of the research institute that designed the Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile resigned after a series of unsuccessful test launches

* Russia said that United Nations experts could not carry out their own investigation into the murder of Chechen rights activist Natalya Estemirova, but could give evidence to Russian police.

* The construction of sports facilities for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will cost Russia 195.3 billion rubles ($6.25 billion), Vice-Premier Dmitry Kozak said

* The Russian government's foreign debt, including liabilities of the former Soviet Union, fell by 3.6% in the first half of 2009 to $39.1 billion, the Finance Ministry said

 

WORLD

* North Korea will receive international economic aid and the U.S. will improve ties with the country if it completely gives up its nuclear ambitions, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said

* Georgia accused Russia of seeking to further destabilize the situation in the Caucasus after a visit by Russia's top security officials to the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia

* Belarus denied any link between the suspension of the Belarusian section of a petroleum pipeline from Russia to Latvia and Russia's ban on meat imports from Belarus

* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden agreed to establish a bilateral commission on a strategic partnership, the Ukrainian presidential press service said

* A U.S. civic group working to cut the spread of cancer in the United States has initiated a suit against the makers of hot dogs, the iconic food of the American summer, local radio reported

BUSINESS

* Onexim investment group owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov reached an agreement with RBC Information Systems to buy a controlling stake in the troubled media group for $80 million, Onexim said