Main News of September 7

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

EU foreign ministers called for a “clear and firm” response to those guilty of using chemical weapons in the conflict in Syria, the EU’s top diplomat Catherine Ashton said at a security policy meeting in Vilnius.

Germany become the 12th nation to sign a declaration of support for strong measures to be taken by the international community against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov finally managed to get through to his US counterpart John Kerry to discuss the situation in Syria by telephone, the US Department of State said.

The Leaders of China and Kazakhstan signed a declaration on developing the strategic partnership between the two countries, and signed a $5 billion deal for China's CNPC to buy a stake in the Kashagan oil field.

 

RUSSIA

Russia observed a day of election silence, with all political campaigning is banned for 24 hours so that voters can once again think over their choice before polls in regional elections and for a new mayor in the capital.

Russia put trials of two nuclear submarines on hold following an unsuccessful launch of a Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a Russian defense ministry spokesman said.

The Mendeleyev settlement, a suburb of the Far Eastern Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, was covered by 1.5 meters of water after a nearby dam had been destroyed.

Moscow and Beijing expect to seal the deal on the sale of Russian Su-35 fighter jets to China in 2014, a senior official at the Russian arms exports monopoly said.

Eight people were killed in northwestern Russia when a bus carrying political activists rammed a passenger coach on the federal highway.

 

SPORT

Russia men’s basketball team lost its third consecutive match at the European championships in Slovenia, suffering a heavy 81-62 defeat to Sweden.