Main news of November 5

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* A plane carrying 61 passengers and seven crew has crashed in Cuba

* Britain has pledged to change its laws for Israelis to be able to visit the country without the risk of being legally pursued for their actions in the Middle East conflict areas

* People are being evacuated from temporally shelters in Haiti, which is still devastating after a January earthquake, as Hurricane Tomas approaching the country, world media said

* A total of 13 people, including four Russians, accused of spying, were arrested in Georgia, Georgian Interior Ministry said

* Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz transferred to Russian energy giant Gazprom more than $ 1 billion for imported in October gas, the company said

* Thousands of BBC journalists took part in a 48-hours strike over plans to cut their pension benefits, British media said

* Kyrgyzstan on Friday called on the United States to suspend its renewed contract with a controversial company which had supplied jet fuel to the Pentagon's transit center in Bishkek over the last six years

* Space managers have postponed shuttle Discovery's final launch attempt due to hydrogen leak and the next launch attempt would be no earlier than Monday, NASA said on its website

* Ukraine's government is going to install licensed software onto all of the state agencies' computers within the next six months, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov said

* European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas instructed security experts to work out tightened security checks on air cargo, but warned them against meaningless measures that hamper business

* Bulgaria and Russia's gas giant Gazprom have proceeded to the selection of a feasibility study contractor for the Bulgarian segment of the South Stream pipeline, Gazprom's press service said

RUSSIA

* Russians arrested in Georgia over accusations in spying have no connection with Russian security services, a source in law enforcement agencies said

* Those members of the Georgian leadership who stand behind the arrests of Russians over bogus spy allegations should remember that Russia will always defend its citizens, a senior Russian lawmaker said

* Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who died on November 3, was buried in the Moscow elite Novodevichy Cemetery next to his late wife Valentina Chernomyrdina