Moscow State University to orbit own satellite in 2011.

MOSCOW, October 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The Moscow State University plans to
orbit its own satellite, Lomonosov, in 2011, the university's rector
Viktor Sadovnichy told journalists.
According to Sadovnichy, space research is part of the university's
development program till 2020.
He recalled that the university had already launched two satellites,
Tatiana-1 and Tatiana-2, which made several discoveries in outer space.
Unlike its micro satellite predecessors, Lomonosov is a full-fledged
satellite weighing 500 kilograms. It will study radioactivity and stellar
winds.
"We hope to launch the satellite by the 300th birth anniversary of
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov to be marked in November 2011," Sadovnichy
added.

.New wildlife reserve set up in Russia's Far Eastern Khabarovsk
territory.

KHABAROVSK, October 3 (Itar-Tass) -- A new wildlife reserve, the
Koppi, has been established in the Khabarovsk territory in Russia's Far
East, the local government told Itar-Tass.
According to a spokesman for the environment protection department of
the local nature ministry, a resolution to the effect was signed by
Khabarovsk territory governor Vyacheslav Shport.
"The reserve with a total area of 38,000 hectares is located in the
basin of the River Koppi to preserve rare and endangered species of
plants, birds and animals, including those of high value in economic,
research and cultural respects," the spokesman said.
Any economic activities, such as farming, wood harvesting, irrigations
works, tourist camping, etc. are prohibited on the territory of the new
reserve.
"Protected areas in the Khabarovsk territory have grown by 446,000
hectares in the past three years to reach 7.9 percent of its entire area,"
the spokesman said. In his words, the overall area of federal-level state
reserves and the Anyuisky national park is 2.1 million hectares.

.Russia's Ingosstrakh insurer to pay RUB 857 mln in drought
compensations.

MOSCOW, October 3 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's insurance company
Ingosstrakh may have to pay up to 857 million roubles to compensate
drought-related losses, the Prime-Tass economic news company said,
referring to the company's press service.
According to the press service, during the current year the company
has received 263 applications to the total amount of 1,250 million roubles
to cover agricultural losses, including 201 applications to cover
857-million-rouble drought-related losses.
The company's experts are working on these applications to specify
damage amounts.
According to experts from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the
drought affected more than 22,000 farms throughout Russia. Proven direct
losses in the agricultural sector exceed 39 billion roubles. Agricultural
crops were destroyed on an area of 13 million hectares, or 30 percent of
the overall lands under crops in the drought-hit regions. The state of
emergency was imposed over drought in 38 Russian regions.

.Israel calls on Palestinians not to pull out from peace talks.

TEL AVIV, October 3 (Itar-Tass) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on Saturday called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to
refrain from withdrawing from peace talks despite the end of the
settlement freeze in the West Bank.
Netanyahu's statement came after the PLO threatened to suspend peace
talks if Israel refuses to extend the freeze on new construction in the
West Bank, which expired on September 26.
"The way to achieve historic peace between the nations is to seriously
sit down and negotiate, not walk away," Netanyahu said. "This is the place
to resolve the differences between us."
It was only last month, he continued, "that the Palestinians agreed to
engage in direct peace talks, sans preconditions, after my government
offered a series of unilateral gestures to prompt these talks."
"In the past, and for 17 years, the Palestinians held direct talks
with Israel's governments, while construction went on in Judea and
Samaria, including in the final year of the last government.
"I hope the Palestinian decide against turning their back on peace and
continue with the negotiation in order to achieve a peace deal within a
year," he said.
When the 10-months freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank
expired, Israel opted not to extend it despite the opposition from the
Palestinians and the world community. In recent days, mediators have been
in consultations with the sides in search for a compromise solution. EU
foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and US special envoy George Mitchell
have held a series of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
-0-ras


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