Main news of November 16

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has reiterated that Russia will not interfere in Lebanon's internal affairs, his aide said

* France has been the most active among EU countries in discussing the scrapping of the visa regime with Russia, the Kremlin chief of staff said

* The death toll in Haiti's cholera outbreak has topped 1,000 people, the Caribbean country's health ministry says, as efforts to contain the disease continue

* The possible deployment of NATO missile defense systems in Turkey is solely aimed at defending Israeli interests, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said

* The Russian Air Force has expressed its readiness to work on missile defense systems with NATO, Air Force Commander Col.General Alexander Zelin said

* Britain's Prince William has become engaged to his long-standing girlfriend Kate Middleton and the couple is expected to marry in 2011, Clarence House announced

* Russia and Kenya reiterated a call for the creation of an international tribunal on sea piracy to help thwart frequent pirate attacks on commercial shipping off the Somalia coast

* A session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly emphasized the importance of relations with Russia

RUSSIA

* Laws against hunting animals listed in the Red Book will be stiffened, Russia's deputy natural resources minister said

* Criminal proceedings have been launched into the illegal sale of land in Moscow to companies connected to Yelena Baturina, the wife of the city's former mayor, a spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee said

* Russia's financial watchdog is looking into the activities of its banks and other financial institutions for possible involvement in hacker attacks in the United States, the head of the agency said

* Russia's Economic Development Ministry has proposed removing all major state-owned assets from the government's privatization plan for 2011-2013, Kommersant business daily reported

VIKTOR BOUT EXTRADITION

- * Russian businessman Viktor Bout, extradited to the United States from Thailand on Tuesday on charges of illegal arms smuggling, has good chances of being found innocent, a court expert and consultant said

- * Russia demands an immediate meeting of consulate officials with Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who was extradited on Tuesday to the United States by Thai officials, the Foreign Ministry said

- * Russian alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout was extradited from Thailand to the United States after the Thai premier gave his approval

- Russia will continue to defend alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout, extradited from Thailand to the United States on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement

- * Thailand's extradition of suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States will not damage Russian-Thai relations, the secretary-general of the Thai Security Council said

- * Russian alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout has been extradited from Thailand to the U.S., Russia's consul in Bangkok said

BUSINESS

* Criminal proceedings have been launched into the illegal sale of land in Moscow to companies connected to Yelena Baturina, the wife of the city's former mayor, a spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee said

* Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport will compete in a helicopter tender for the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan

* Russia and the European Union will set up a working group to study the impact of new European energy rules which are strongly opposed by Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev, head of the Russian gas giant's export arm, said

* Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said it was ready to hold talks with China on the delivery of advanced Su-35 fighter aircraft to the Chinese air force

* Russia and China have agreed to resolve the issue of the illegal production of Russian arms in China, a deputy head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport said