Main news of November 12

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Russia and Bulgaria will set up a joint stock company next week to oversee the construction of the Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline, in the last stage before the completion of the project, the Russian government's press service said

* G20 leaders vowed to "spare no effort" to reach an agreement on climate change at the forthcoming climate talks in the Mexican city of Cancun

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Japan for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held November 13-14 in Yokohama

* The delay in signing a Russian-Japanese economic cooperation deal is not connected with the recent visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to a disputed island in the Kuril Islands chain, Kyodo news agency cited Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary as saying

* Leaders of the Group of 20 have approved a revision of the International Monetary Fund's quota formula in favor of emerging market economies by 2013, Russia's presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said

RUSSIA

* Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SVR, must learn the lessons of the episode in which a group of its agents were unmasked in the United States this year, President Dmitry Medvedev said

* Russia has completed deliveries of small arms and ammunition to Afghanistan under a military assistance program

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the British government's intentions to improve soured relations with Moscow

* Russia is ready to cooperate with NATO on the question of missile defense and create a missile defense pool on condition that the security of all nations is taken into consideration, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

BUSINESS

* The Russian Trade and Industry Ministry has included the Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Mitsubishi Outlander off-roaders produced at a local Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) plant in the list of cars available under a state-backed cash-for-clunkers' program

* G20 leaders agreed to avoid excessive currency volatility and abstain from devaluations to prop up the competitiveness of their economies

* British companies are interested in participating in Russia's hi-tech hub, Skolkovo, a source in the Russian delegation at the G20 summit said

* G20 leaders supported South Korea's initiative on global financial security, Russian presidential and economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich said

SCIENCE

* The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has produced its first pair of Z bosons