Main news of September 10

WORLD

* At least 11 people died and some 20 are missing after a bus plunged into a river in northern Nepal on Thursday, local media reported

* The Georgian Foreign Ministry condemned on Friday Venezuela's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as "extremely unfriendly," saying that the move would be "counterproductive" for Venezuela

* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday his country recognizes Georgia's two former breakaway republics as independent states

* Nine people are reported to be dead or missing in the Philippines as a result of landslides and floods triggered by a tropical depression, local media reported

* All passengers from a Mexican airliner, which was earlier reported to be hijacked, have been released and the alleged hijackers were detained, local television said

RUSSIA

* Russia and Venezuela signed on Thursday a package of deals, including one to develop the Latin American country's Orinoco oil belt, with estimated reserves of 235 billion barrels of heavy oil

* Russia is ready to supply Venezuela with tanks and other types of military equipment, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday at a joint news conference with his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez

* The Russian prime minister praised Venezuela on Thursday for recognizing the independence of the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

* Russia is currently studying a package of nuclear proposals that Iran has submitted to six world powers, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

* Businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, wanted in Russia on kidnapping and extortion charges, was arrested in London on Monday but released on bail the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

* Clinical tests of a live swine flu vaccine started in the northwest Russian city of St. Petersburg

* Russia's president highlighted economic backwardness and corruption as the key reasons for the country's problems, and urged the nation to unite in tackling them, in an article published on Thursday

* A special commission has announced the composition of the main and backup crews for the next mission to the International Space Station (ISS)

BUSINESS

* General Motors' board of directors has recommended the sale of ailing German automaker Opel to a consortium of Austrian-Canadian Magna and Russia's Sberbank, the U.S. auto giant said

* Russia and Venezuela signed on Thursday a package of deals, including one to develop the Latin American country's Orinoco oil belt, with estimated reserves of 235 billion barrels of heavy oil

SPORT

* With the start of the Champions League fast approaching, CSKA Moscow moved decisively on Thursday to replace their Brazilian coach Zico with Spaniard Juande Ramos.

* Russia won the team gold medal at the rhythmic gymnastic world championships in Japan on Thursday

* With over a minute of injury time left Russia's Roman Pavlyuchenko hammered a goal against the Welsh team to secure his country's 3-1 victory at the 2010 World Cup qualifier in Cardiff on Wednesday